First Public Ground Hunt

[DMurphy]

I love to hunt deer, but my experiece doing so is very limited. I have hunted private ground my whole life, with tree stands on food plot edges that have paid off on an anual basis. Wanting to stretch my legs a little, I applied for and drew a public land tag for a state park that is known to be full of deer. I applied for this park because it is close to a cabin I recently purchased. I know nothing about the park. I have OnX and good boots and will be scouting this weekend. I can leave a climber and plan to do so. I know this is very broad, but what are some tips for what I should look for in a spot? This spot will be hunted during Illinois shotgun season. Any help is much appreciated.

 

[rayporter]

if Illinois shotgun season is anything like Ohio shotgun season everything you think you know about deer hunting will be turned upside down.

look for a spot that other hunters will drive deer toward when they hit the woods and stay there when they go to lunch or go back to watch the ball game. and be alert when lunch is over and they hit the woods in the afternoon.

 

[DMurphy]

Good tips. Thank you.

 

[Northpark]

Not knowing how much pressure this park gets it’s tough to say. If it’s got lots of tags available which is my assumption you’ll want to look for basically a sanctuary area. Some place that is horrible to get in or out of, probably has a bunch of briars maybe is half covered in water and is just basically unpleasant to be in. The deer will get pushed to these areas when the pressure gets turned up.

 

[Billy Goat]

Pretty much what everyone said, find where the deer will go when they get pressure.


Even if you can, it's likely not a good idea to leave your climber. Somehow they tend to wonder off.

 

[alverson443]

Just to echo some others go where others won't that can be by the truck or two miles away

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