fly Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) I really can't express in words how much these annual deer hunting camps in the Shawnee National Forest mean to me. Don't get me wrong - it's great to take home a big one like last year, but the the antler score is simply icing on the cake. This year it was my father, my son and myself tent camping for three nights and hunting 3 days. The Shawnee is in the southern tip of Illinois and is a mature hardwood forest with 100's of thousands of acres to hunt. It's public ground but this year my son and I ran into ZERO hunters while out hunting. The hills are steep and there is no easy way to get to the remote locations as only foot traffic is allowed. The place was quiet and beautiful with much of the autumn colors still hanging around. Opening morning the temps were cold at 32 degrees and 10mph winds. This would be the best day of the hunt. My dad placed his tag on a 7 pointer that was trailing a hot doe. The buck fell down a steep ravine which proved a bit of a challenge to get back to camp. I was fortunate enough to see a few small bucks chasing after a hot doe. It was fun to watch but I had a doe tag and she had a back leg. My son saw a doe on opening morning but didn't have a clear shot and opted to pass. That doe ended up being the only deer my son would see the entire weekend. The temperature rose to 60 on Saturday afternoon and with it thunderstorms. My Kodiak canvas tent was put to the test and thankfully passed. Following the storm the North wind blew back in and the temperature dropped to 30 degrees by Saturday at mid-night. Sunday morning should have been good but no one in camp saw a deer that morning. We broke camp at 11am and headed home with a truck full of venison! Edited November 22, 2017 by fly remove image Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maine Hntr Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Congrats frank, looks like a good time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MUDRUNNER Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Awesome Frank! Your Dads buck looks like a nice one. I always look forward to seeing your deer camp pics. You guys fared better than we did over the weekend. Saturday was pretty much a wash out a couple of hours north where we were. It turned to a little freezing rain & sleet by the afternoon. The wind was brutal Saturday & Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin R10 man Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Hard to believe you don't find many out there with that many acres to hunt Frank. Sure seems to work for you guys, looks like you camp in the parking area? One would think a couple fifth wheeler trailers would be hunkered down in there, kinda like out west. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhunt Posted November 22, 2017 Report Share Posted November 22, 2017 Congratulations Frank to you and your dad. Good that you all are able to hunt that public ground without running into others hunting on top of you. How bad are Illinois nr fees? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted November 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 (edited) 13 hours ago, MUDRUNNER said: Awesome Frank! Your Dads buck looks like a nice one. I always look forward to seeing your deer camp pics. You guys fared better than we did over the weekend. Saturday was pretty much a wash out a couple of hours north where we were. It turned to a little freezing rain & sleet by the afternoon. The wind was brutal Saturday & Sunday. Thanks everyone. Tim, that 7-pointer was the biggest in camp this year (I'd say about a dozen hunters). Saturday was a mess for sure. We were able to hunt till 10am before the storm blew in and were able to get back out at 3pm after it was over. The wind wasn't as bad Sunday, but terrible on Saturday. Sorry you all didn't get much action this year. 12 hours ago, Mathews XT Man said: Hard to believe you don't find many out there with that many acres to hunt Frank. Sure seems to work for you guys, looks like you camp in the parking area? One would think a couple fifth wheeler trailers would be hunkered down in there, kinda like out west. Martin, we camp in what I would call a primitive campground. There are about 13 sites that consist of a gravel parking area, a picnic table, and a fire pit. No hookups of any kind. There are two outhouses for the people that camp there and the charge is 10 dollars per night. I would say about half the camp sites were full (most with fifth wheeler trailers or regular pull behinds)- there is no reservation system - first come first serve. You can see an empty camp site in the picture with my truck. We don't run into other hunters while in the woods because we hunt where the other hunters don't like to go (LOL). It's a lot of fun walking through the campground checking out the deer that are hanging and talking to the other hunters. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/shawnee/recarea/?recid=10677 12 hours ago, wtnhunt said: Congratulations Frank to you and your dad. Good that you all are able to hunt that public ground without running into others hunting on top of you. How bad are Illinois nr fees? William, the NR fees in IL are higher than any other state. It's truly ridiculous. 410.00 - for an archery deer tag (buck and doe) and 325.00 for shotgun tag (buck and doe). You also need a hunting license (5 day is 35.75 and annual is 57.75) https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/lpr/pages/non-residentlicensespermitsfees.aspx So you know William... if you ever decided to give it a shot, you're welcome to share camp with us and I'll even do my best to tell you the best areas and what I've learned over the past 25 years of hunting there. Edited November 23, 2017 by fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Chris Posted November 23, 2017 Report Share Posted November 23, 2017 It looks very sweet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strut10 Posted December 6, 2017 Report Share Posted December 6, 2017 Good stuff !!! Memories that will last a lifetime !!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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