Well here we are… mid-November.  Like many of you I have been chasing the whitetails pretty hard over the last few weeks trying to capitalize on the splendor of the rut.  I have had several unbelievable days along with some extremely slow days.  The one thing I have yet to do is pull back my bow and turn an arrow loose.  I have had some great encounters and passed opportunities at some really nice bucks but have yet to close the gap on one that I want to put my tag on.   It is really easy to get discouraged during this time of year.  Watching hero photos pop ..read more

The topic of antlerless deer harvest is never without some controversy.  Some people are adamantly opposed to the idea of any does being harvested and some would like as many killed as possible.  Most deer hunters would fall somewhere in the middle of these two opinions.  The question is what is right for you?? Several states in the Midwest have expanded their bag limits for antlerless deer dramatically over the last several years in an effort to reduce the overall statewide deer population.  This brought an immediate response from many naysayers, who claimed that the state ..read more

As the 2022 turkey season approaches, I reflect on season’s of the past. The last turkey season was a successful one and added many new stories that I will treasure for years to come. From successful youth hunts, some first time gobblers, and some great hunts with some of my usual spring companions…the last few seasons have been very good to me. As with any season, I have taken away some good lessons from the teacher and re-enforced some lessons from years past.  A consistent theme for me this past year was dealing with the ole sneaky quiet Tom.  Most turkey hunters have dealt with t ..read more

Years ago, when I started guiding for Eastern turkeys in West Central Illinois, I decided that the status quo of the properties that I hunted was not good enough for my turkey hunts. I wanted to not only keep more turkeys on the properties that I guided, but I also wanted more places to set up on these birds with clients.  I learned that not all hunters were able to “run n gun” like I often wanted to do.  Due to physical limitations or experience level, I discovered that just winging it every morning reduced my ability to provide a quality hunt. Having a predetermined strategy for my ..read more

A wise deer hunter is a deer hunter that continues to seek wisdom.  The best opportunities to find that wisdom occurs each deer season; and the whitetail deer themselves, are the best teachers. The curriculum only costs you your time, and if you paid attention you should be better prepared to go to school during the next fall semester. So what did I learn this fall?  The first lesson that I learned is one that I seem to get reminded of every few years but still have a tendency to fail the test. I had trail camera pictures of tremendous buck that I quickly put at the top of list to pu ..read more

Follow me through this hypothetical scenario and see if any of this sounds familiar to you.  During an early spring shed hunting trip you stumble upon an antler of a great buck right smack dab in the middle of your prime Illinois hunting spot.  You show all of your buddies the awesome buck that you will be chasing for the next year.  For the sake of the story we will call the buck “Hightower”.  As summer sets in and the bucks become more visible you start setting out trail cameras in an attempt to capture a picture of your target buck. After leaving your camera out for what ..read more

As we look ahead to the next season, most people grow anxious for the warmth of spring.  Although I share in this enthusiasm I know that there is work to be done before the flowers start to bloom.  This is the optimum time of the year to make habitat improvements on your land or hunting property.  If you feel like you are stuck inside because of the cold, hopefully I can generate a few ideas that will get you outdoors before the spring thaw. Timber Habitat Improvement Projects One of the best habitat improvement projects that you can undertake to enhance your farm for wildlife ..read more

With the month of March and the end of winter around the corner I begin to get excited about the antlers that could be lying around my hunting areas. I can’t wait to begin the search for those treasures that we hunt for all fall, that are now just sitting in the leaves for the taking. It is time to put some oil on the leather boots and wait for this latest snow to melt. Now there are plenty of people out there who have been stomping around their woods for the last month in search of these antlers. Certainly some have come back to the truck with some real nice finds to reward their efforts. I p ..read more

I have long been a fan of the late season pursuit of trophy whitetail bucks.  As the snow and mercury falls the chances of putting your tag on a mature buck rises.  Many whitetail hunters pack up their gear for the season after the rut is over. This is a huge mistake as they may be missing one of the best times to catch a giant buck on his feet. I was always fascinated by late season deer hunting as a young man.  I loved the fact that you could see where the deer had been in the snow.  I would follow their tracks around the woods with my bow in hand hoping to walk up on one ..read more

Every deer camp has the conversation as to what drives deer movement.  Moon phases, rut timing, weather patterns, etc., are all popular subjects.  Ten deer hunters in a given deer camp will offer up ten different reasons for why deer do what they do. Given that weather will impact your entire deer season and not just a few days or weeks I will conclude that weather patterns are the most popular conversation piece associated with deer movement. When experts begin to offer up their theories as to what prompts deer movement there is usually discussion of “high pressure” and “low pressur ..read more