Got in yesterday afternoon and started hunting this morning. Hunting with the same outfitter I have in the past. Semi-guided free to do your own thing kinda hunt. Small outfitter but great guy and great land.
40 degrees this morning with 15-18 mph wind. I'm hunting out of one of his stands but going to hang a few of my own when I get down. I've seen 4 does so far. Will post pics if I ever get good enough signal. Hopefully the rut is starting some and I'll have a lot of action. Quite a bit of standing crops left but there is a combine in about every field picking right now.
Stay tuned.

Good luck, look forward to the pics

Good luck, kill a biggun

Good luck...

Dont mind me asking what the name of the outfitter and whats a hunt like that usually runn? Me a buddy been talking about trying this nect year

Good luck

kill em all

Good luck! I told my wife lastnight, that today is the day I normally leave for IL.

Good luck Jeff!

I always hear that Halloween is a good day to hunt in northern states. Maybe that will be true for you. Good luck and be safe.
Send pics!

Good luck!

Friend of mine is there now. Sent me a video of a 130 inch 8 pt he grunted in. Said they're chasing pretty good.

Good luck!

Service is bad here,can't load pics to photbucket. Will try to find wifi in town later.
I'm sitting on the edge of a creek with standing and cut corn to my east, standing beans to my south and a wooded ridge across the creek to my west and north. A guy hunted this field earlier in the week and saw a ton of deer and three shooter bucks. A lot of deer sign here around me. I actually found a tree to climb on the perfect spot with this wind. Already seen two deer on edge of standing corn, they winded me but I'm not hunting for that direction.
Let you know later what happens.

Man... it ought to be a good evening...cooling off here...Thump one LOi..... ...Let us know whats happening with the buck movement up there if ya don't mind...NutZ

How much does a hunt like that run??

When I guided for RL is was around $2500 for a 5 day rut hunt including place to stay no meals. He has awesome leases which are hunted just 3 weeks a year.

I hope you are draggin' a bigun as I type this

Me Too...

Saw 7 does this afternoon.

This mornings set


This afternoons set




Doe

A few bucks the outfitter has on camera.
Date wrong on first one.




Found wifi at Hardee's :-)

Pic I took and edited crossing the Illinois River in Pike Co by Detroit.

That's beutifull pics.... ....Wow

Good luck Jeff! Hope you get a biggin. Great pics BTW

Good luck man. Save some for me. I will be there Nov. 15-19, Lord willing.

Beautiful country up that way. Goodluck and shoot straight.

Good luck, maybe you'll get a Goodun.

Headed that way right now stuck in traffic on nashville

Ill be headed that way next Saturday. So excited I'm already having trouble sleeping.

Good Luck

Had an awesome morning today. Action from around 8am until I got down at 12.
Had three bucks chasing does, 4pt, 6pt and a small 8pt. Just got finished eating my sandwich at 11am when a 120" 8pt came and bedded down at 25yds. I wish he would have been 10" bigger :-)
Guy in camp missed his 2nd buck in two days.
I have some good pics I'll post tonight if I can get to wifi. This afternoon I'm sitting in a funnel between cut beans and standing beans, a lot of sign around me.

Good Luck

Hope you get a big-un

It's a great time to be up that way. Good luck man!

I'm headed up on the 9th to southern Illinois.Good luck.

Another awesome hunt this afternoon. Saw ten deer, one small buck and a upper 130's 9pt. He was in field bumping does, I grunted when he was leaving and he came to 35yds with no shot. He angled away and I ranged him at 51yds. Put my 45 a little high and shot right under him.
Guy in camp that had missed two bucks killed a 120ish 8 point and a doe.
I am going back to the same stand in the morning. Deer activity and sign are awesome. Maybe that buck will come by tomorrow....doubt but I can hope.
Will post pics tomorrow.

Good Luck

I'll be down river from detroit in milton the 15th thru 19th. Never been this late in November. Hope their still rutting. Good luck. Hope you get a wallhanger.

Slow day this morning. Sat where I missed the buck last night and only saw three does. Wind is swapped to SSE and that's making al my stands unhuntable.

Pic of where I sat yesterday morning.


Little 8pt that chased does around me.

Doe

Buck that bedded at 25yds. He needed 10 more inches.

Yesterday afternoons and this mornings stand site

Buck I missed would have been dead center in this pic.

Buck that was kiled yesterday afternoon

Sign around a field

For all you Red Dome restaurant fans it's under new ownership and the reviews are not good.

Thanks for the update LOIJeff...Keep us posted...sounds like the small bucks are getting worked up but the good ones aren't in that seeking phase yet...got to be close though...Happy Hunting

I heard the Red Dome owners were from Georgia. That doesn't make it bad, but none of the locals I know from Pittsfield like them at all.

Great LFFT report and pics

This afternoon was slow. I only saw two does. Others guys on camp saw small bucks even a couple sparring. One guy saw a huge buck this morning. Warm weather coming tomorrow and some rain Tuesday so I'm not too excited about the next two days.

Things have slowed down a lot. Didn't see any deer this morning despite sitting around a crazy amount of deer sign. One guy I'm have has seen some good bucks last couple of days but he can't use a climber due to shoulder surgery. He let me bring my climber and sit where he has been seeing the cross the creek. Very nice of him so we'll see what happens this afternoon.

I hope you get one soon. The moon is getting full.

Had a better afternoon. Saw 5does, BB, 6pt, little buck and a two year old 8pt bumping some of the does around. Does aren't ready yet. Rain moving into tonight and the morning. Hopefully that front will kick things off for my last two days of hunting.

Red Dome use to be awesome eating. I've seen the Primos crew and Drury brothers in there a lot. I'd be hard put to hunt in Pike county and shoot a 120" deer. Most outfitters that would get you at least a $500 fine.

No size limit on bucks here, whatever makes you happy.

I'm back in the stand where I had the buck bedded by me the other day. Rain moved out around 5am and temps have been a steady 48ish with 5-10mph wind all day. I saw a small 9pt at 10 am but that's it. Got down for lunch at the truck and let my phone charge (extended 1X service will suck it dry quick) for 1.5hr now I'm back in the stand.

Good luck Jeff.

Thanks Mike

I saw a 4pt at 3:00pm and a couple does. Had a buck grunting at dark when I was getting down of course it was too dark to see what it was.
Other guy in camp missed a big buck, used the wrong pin :-)
Tomorrow is the last day of my hunt. One more hooray.

good luck

Had a great day for my last day. Saw a lot of deer and had a big 6pt at 35 yds three times with no shot. I've always wanted a big 6 and he was one!!! Also had a nice 8pt running does this afternoon but of course not close enough. Think I saw seven different bucks today, three that were bumping does.
Out of the four of us in camp we all atleast shot at good bucks and passed a bunch of 2.5 year olds.
Another great year in IL already excited for next year.

Great thread, thanks for sharing your hunt! Hate you didn't tag out but the experience sounds like it was well worth it!