Illinois Bow Hunt

This past week, my Dad and I had the privilege to bow hunt some of the best land the mid-west has to offer. We left early Saturday morning for Harpoles Heartland Lodge in Pike County, Illinois. From the minute we walked in the door to check in at the lodge, we were greeted and welcomed with open arms. We took our time unpacking and shooting our bows to make sure nothing had been bumped during our flight. Once we settled in, we were introduced to Allen Ballinger, who was our guide for the week. Allen is not only an excellent guide, but just a down to earth good guy. After finding out he was from Mentone, Alabama and listening to his game plan for the week, we knew we were in great hands.

First Day:

The first morning was quite eventful, to say the least. I had not been on my stand more than a half hour and i was already seeing deer. I was fairly aggressive with my calling knowing that dominant bucks were in the area. At 7:00 am, i hit the horns and did a little grunting. Within 2 minutes, I spotted a doe walking to me at a steady pace and a good buck was right behind her. As tough as it was, i let him go. I had no doubt he was a shooter as he walked less than 25 yards from my stand, then out of site. About 15 minutes later another doe came busting out of the thick brush and here he comes again. She came and bedded down 5 yards from the base of my tree for 20-30 minutes. This big buck paced back and forth refusing to leave her. During this time is was able to get several good looks at the deer to confirm that this is what i came to Pike County for. Once i made up my mind that this was the deer i wanted to put my Illinois tag on, i knew that i was going to have to calm my nerves in order to make a good shot. I had several chances to shoot this deer at 30 yards, but with patience,the good Lord presented me with a 15 yard nearly broadside shot that put this stud on the ground. And as a bonus, i self filmed the entire hunt and kill on video. Needless to say, this was an incredible start to a 5 day hunt!

Second Day- Fifth Day:

Due to the fact that i filled my tag on the first morning, i decided i was going to spend the remainder of the week filming my dad. This trip was one that he and i talked about for the past decade (no joke). Therefore, i wanted to spend as much time with him as possible on and off the stand. Over the course of the hunt we saw several good bucks and a couple shooters at a distance out of bow range. Overall, the deer movement was very good. Bucks were really on the move and searching for does. With that being said, the weather was not so good. We had nearly 30+ mph winds blowing every day, along with 2 days of constant rain. The tough weather conditions were something completely out of our control. As hunters, all we can do is adapt to the situation and hunt hard.

Although Dad never filled his tag, it does NOT mean this hunt was a failure. This trip was much more than a mission to kill two monster bucks. This was about my Dad and me walking away with some incredible memories that will last forever. My dad is the reason i fell in love with hunting and the outdoors. Therefore without him, this trip never would have taken place. We had an awesome time at Heartland Lodge. If you are interested in a great hunting experience with huge deer, wonderful staff and accommodations, and fantastic food, you need to call the guys up at Harpoles Heartland Lodge. You will not regret it. My buddy Matt Brunett can assist you in any way, so be sure and call them to schedule your next hunt.

-John