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Opening weekend in Central Illinois

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jethro224

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I was ready for this past weekend. Our first 3-day firearm deer season opened on Friday and ran thru Sunday. I got tags for firearm season (MLers allowed) and ML season. 3 days of deer hunting was just what I needed to clear the mind.

Thursday night I stayed up too late making sure all my gear was rounded up and ready for the morning hunt. The last thing I did was to check the hour-by-hour weather forecast on my computer. Looked great! They were calling for light mostly SW winds, perfect for my favorite place to sit. And temps in the mid fifties with sun shining by 8:00 am for the first time in almost a week.

When I woke up Friday morning and let the dog out I saw that there was quite a bit of fog out there. My favorite honey-hole is a big ravine where the fog tends to be extra heavy and hangs around longer than elsewhere, but with sun by 8:00 it should clear up. :thumbsup:

I arrived at the farm while it was still dark. Had to park by the barn and walk back in. Too much rain to drive the farm lane. The corn fields still standing. I managed to get half-way to where I was headed before I got busted by a deer I never did see in the fog. Just heard a snort and hoofbeats. Visibility was about 20 yards as the sun rose, or at least I think it did, it got lighter...

I got situated in my best spot by 7:30 but still couldn't see a thing. 8:00 came and went and it still wasn't sunny. In fact at 9:00 the sun was just a brighter spot in the fog. See there it is.
HPIM0904.jpg


At 9;30 my nose was running a little bit with the moist foggy air and I sniffed. At the noise, a deer blew and ran off from what sounded like 10 yards behind me directly downwind.

Around 10:00 the fog finally started to burn off to where I could sorta see.
HPIM0906.jpg


And I finally saw my first deer, a little 6 pointer at 10:17. From then on there was a pretty regular procession of deer coming by. I saw 14 in range by days end. Mostly does, a few small bucks, one Monster buck that I didn't see until it was too late and he was jumping the fence onto the neighbors property, and another good buck that I tried to shoot.

The real biggun snuck past while I was watching a doe that was feeding about 15 feet to my right. It's real thick right there and she never knew I was there. When I glanced across the ravine there he was, leaving. :doh:
When it was all said and done I guess it didn't matter anyway 'cause an hour or so later another good buck walked across my shooting lane at about 60 yards. He was @ a 140 class buck. Pretty nice rack and good size body too. He wasn't near as big as the other, but I tried to shoot him anyway.

When the hammer dropped the cap went off but no boom. Of course the buck heard the pop and stopped to stare at me while I slowly reached into my bag and fetched my capper. I finally got re-capped aimed again and popped another cap at him. Then he decided to turn tail my direction and leave the area.

My nipple was clogged. I had grabbed the nipple pick that doesn't fit the hole in my nipple, but I also had a spare nipple so I swapped it out and waited the last hour of the day out with no more big buck sightings.

The clogged nipple was my own fault. I didn't clean it as well as I should have last time I went shooting. I remembered after the missfire that I had got in a hurry and meant to finish cleaning later. Never did and forgot all about it.

Saturday morning I waited until first light before leaving the Jeep. The wind was bad for getting to my honey hole so I had decided to still-hunt my way allll the way around to get to it.

I had barely got to walking when I glanced behind me and saw a deer come up out of a low drainage and headed my way. Caught out in the open I had no-where to hide so I just sat down. When he got close enough, I could see the deer was a small 8-point year and a half old. I waited until he was at 20 yards before I tipped my hat to him, wished him luck surviving this season, and spooked him toward the safe side of the farm instead of the punkin patch he was headed towards on the South side of the farm.

A couple hundred yards farther along I notice 2 does feeding on Locust pods near a dry pond so I put the stalk on 'em. I managed to get within 75 yards but decided I wasn't ready to shoot a doe yet. I was still dreaming about that biggun I saw the day before. So I backed off and sneaked away.

Spent the rest of the morning still-hunting from place to place working my way to my honey-hole. Shared a Little Debbie roll with a couple of mice that were living in holes in a tree I was leaning against around 9:30. Cute little fellers. Not field mice. Don't know what exactly they were. Saw a mess of deer, 19, got close enough to shoot several does but didn't. Saw that 140 buck again and let him walk too. Maybe next time, but I can't get the monster outta my head.
Ended up the day quitting 45 minutes early after getting peppered by several shots from a couple idiots with a shotgun and cursing at them loudly from my hiding spot in the valley. :cursing: :cursing: :cursing:

Sunday I decided I would shoot a doe. Naturally I never even saw a doe all day Sunday. Nothing but small bucks. I almost shot one of them by accident. Thought it was a doe. The hammer was back, the trigger was set, and then he turned his head and I saw the little antlers in between his ears.

So I'm tired, sore, and happy even tho I didn't shoot a deer. There's still second firearm/first ML season December 3-6, ML again December 11-13, and 7 more doe days in January. I'll get one. :)
 
Cool story.Sounds like the place is covered up with deer. Thanks for sharing! :thumbsup:
 
There are a bunch of deer in the area. I hunt the bluffs right next to the Illinois river valley. Timbered ravines surrounded by crop fields and scattered housing. One side of the farm is partially bordered by a park and another side by small tracts with houses, no hunting there. A 3rd side borders a neighbor who only hunts the big bucks. The 4th side is next to a punkin' patch of hunters in orange. Still, it's a good place for deer to grow up. :thumbsup: There's some real bigguns out there.

I've been hunting the same land for over 15 years so I kinda know the lay of the land and the patterns the deer will follow. My best spot is in the neck of a big funnel. There must be a dozen different trails I can see from my hidy-hole.

I am a lucky man to be allowed to hunt where I do.
 
I didn't go hunting friday because of school and I figured I will use my skip day for 2nd season or ml season. But my friend said that fog was terrible. I still think you had a good weekend since you saw so many deer. I didn't hunt with my muzzleloader since I just got a new shotgun scope but probably saw a total of 6 deer this whole weekend. I still got one though. 2nd season I will hunt with my ml since I have already used my antlerless tag. I've seen some good bucks that I hope to get with my ml. Too bad though since there is at least one less since my brother got one of them. :cursing: Sounded like a good weekend though.
 
Jethro-You have got a honey hole there!Sounds like a fun hunt- go get-em next season.
 
Got a decent 10 pointer in St. Clair County about 8 AM Sunday Morning. CVA .50 Cal Express double. Long story but apparently missed him at 25 yards and he circled back in front of me about 80 to 100 yards out. Hit him at that range with the second barrel. Round ball and 90 grains of Pyrodex Triple Seven.
 
Great account of your hunt Jethro! Sounds like a whole lotta fun! Good luck when the season reopens and please share it with us as well. Hope you line your sights up on that Monster! :thumbsup:
 
Second firearm / first muzzleloader season opens Thursday and runs thru Sunday. My rifle and nipple are CLEAN! I spent half of Sunday helping get the combine unstuck twice and the auger wagon unstuck once. There's still corn standing but it's getting cut and the edges are all cut. Now I'll be able to get around easier .

Without all that standing corn there should be more deer in the woods. I oughta see a bunch of 'em this weekend. :wink: :grin:
I'm hoping one of 'em I see will be that biggun'.

With the muzzleloaer season kicking in, I'm allowed to shoot 2 bucks this weekend if I choose to. One with the firearm tag and one with the ML tag. Got tags for 2 does too. I'm going to try and fill a tag this weekend.

Then the next weekend is the 2nd muzzleloader season and I have those days off too. :thumbsup: :grin: :grin: :grin:
 
got a Button buck on Public Land and one doe on private land opening day so I could devote time to the 17 year oldest boy going hunting TIme with him is short before he starts to college etc...That is some primo land in the "Golden Triangle" of Illinois 15 years ago not as many hunted around here now there seems to be much more hunters on private land than public I am starting to research hunting more public land that has controlled access by process of lottery. It sounds like you had a great time hunting
 
Jethro224 said:
Second firearm / first muzzleloader season opens Thursday and runs thru Sunday. My rifle and nipple are CLEAN! I spent half of Sunday helping get the combine unstuck twice and the auger wagon unstuck once. There's still corn standing but it's getting cut and the edges are all cut. Now I'll be able to get around easier .

Without all that standing corn there should be more deer in the woods. I oughta see a bunch of 'em this weekend. :wink: :grin:
I'm hoping one of 'em I see will be that biggun'.

With the muzzleloaer season kicking in, I'm allowed to shoot 2 bucks this weekend if I choose to. One with the firearm tag and one with the ML tag. Got tags for 2 does too. I'm going to try and fill a tag this weekend.

Then the next weekend is the 2nd muzzleloader season and I have those days off too. :thumbsup: :grin: :grin: :grin:
I myself am heading out on Friday for second season and am using a muzzleloader. They're calling for an inch of snow. I am getting to use my 1 day off a year for hunting. I didn't take off the first day of firearm season like everybody else since I had basketball practice that day. I will be hunting with my traditions kentucky .50 cal caplock. I am bringing my shotgun as backup in case something happens to my ml like last time. This is the only reliable ml I own. I am going to try to get a deer besides a doe since my dad thinks we've already reached our doe quota for the year. I would've been able to get another one this weekend since WE only killed two but the neighbors shot a young doe and button buck but left them lay. So I am angry about that. :cursing:
 
Good luck to ya Luie. :thumbsup: I hope we get that inch of snow. It sure makes 'em easy to spot.
Man your folks are too strict. Tell 'em you need four days off a year. Opening day, Thurs & Fri of 2nd season AND Fri of the last ML weekend too.
I will be hunting with my traditions kentucky .50 cal caplock. I am bringing my shotgun as backup in case something happens to my ml like last time. This is the only reliable ml I own.
Dang it Luie. You're going to force me to drive all the way over there and show you how to work that other gun. After hunting season is over...
 
I'm using a .50 caplock GPR. She's a good rifle. Killed my biggest ever buck with 'er and a few more besides.
 
Jethro224 said:
Good luck to ya Luie. :thumbsup: I hope we get that inch of snow. It sure makes 'em easy to spot.
Man your folks are too strict. Tell 'em you need four days off a year. Opening day, Thurs & Fri of 2nd season AND Fri of the last ML weekend too.
I will be hunting with my traditions kentucky .50 cal caplock. I am bringing my shotgun as backup in case something happens to my ml like last time. This is the only reliable ml I own.
Dang it Luie. You're going to force me to drive all the way over there and show you how to work that other gun. After hunting season is over...
It's not that my parents are strict, it's a rule from the school. I am lucky that I get a day off since they had repealed it for 2 years. I hunted the whole weekend of 1st season and my dad and I are planning on hunting this whole weekend,too. And I am bringing my shotgun so that if something happens to my muzzleloader I can still hunt. If I had another decent muzzleloader I'd bring it in back up instead. But this is not the case, yet. :rotf:
 
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