mathews4life Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Any public ground in pike county??...looking to make a bow hunt in illinois in the future..any info on other public ground in illinois w/ good bow hunting and with the best chances of harvesting a real good buck would be appreciated too...thanx a lot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fly Posted June 30, 2009 Report Share Posted June 30, 2009 Check here for public Illinois hunting land: http://www.dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/hunter_fact_sheet/index.htm Take a look at the harvest data as well and see how many bucks are taken. To be honest, you're chances of hunting public land in IL and taking a big buck are slim. You have to find an area that is hard to get to and plan on doing some walking because ATV's are not allowed on most if not all public ground. For big bucks I'd look for places that have a 4-point antler restriction on one side like Pyramid state park. Siloam springs looks like your best bet at ground near Pike county. I'm sure there will be pleanty of hunters there. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12-point Posted July 1, 2009 Report Share Posted July 1, 2009 my buddie that used to work in produce with me was dan leady and he said anywhere you sit down in illinios you can kill a gaint so i would say take a seat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ildrhntr Posted July 2, 2009 Report Share Posted July 2, 2009 12-point is mostly right, but some areas are better than others. I would do as fly suggests and look at what public ground we have here in Illinois, but I would go a step further and call the site manager's and ask what the actual participation rate is. For instance we have a state park that allows bowhunting and all you have to do is get an access card at the front office. About 200 plus signup for the hunting on that park. It is around 1200-1500 acres, but only a handfull actually hunt. Most of the handfull only hunt a Saturday or Sunday, but rarely both. The site manager shared this with me one day while I was on a call at the park. I have measured some really nice bucks that came off that park. Food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drop-time Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Pike county is overrated in my opinion. This is coming from someone who has spent some time hunting there, not just blowin smoke. IL is slimpickins when it comes to public land..there just isnt that many acres, and whats out there is crowded. There are counties throughout the state that produce nice deer. So. IL has been coming on strong... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backwoods07 Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 I hunted public ground in Champaign when I was in school. One thing I learned from that experience is make sure to wear your walking shoes! Be ready to take a couple mile hike to get to a spot. The farther in the woods you go, the less pressure those deer see, and the greater chance at harvesting a buck. Don't let those deer harvest numbers fool you! Pike county is always #1 because they have the most outfitters, the most hunting land, and the most hunters year in and year out. It doesn't necessarily mean that there are the most deer there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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