c903

During a recent family gathering, I was exchanging notes with one of the many bowhunters in my extended family. He told me that this season he had (also) hunted public land (several thousand acres) that starts just five or six miles south of where I hunt.

I told him that I had not hunted public land but for two or three years of my 39 years of bowhunting, and gave him the reasons why; the chief reasons being that too many hunters equates to stolen gear and having to get on a hit sooner than may be appropriate to prevent your deer from being stolen or claimed.

He told me that he had had the same concerns until he talked to a conservation officer that is assigned to the area, and that he (family member) had observed large populations of deer and many big bucks.

According the CO, in the past several years the number of bowhunters that used to hunt the area has drastically declined but that the number of gun hunters has increased considerably. Family member said that what the CO had said about decline in bowhunters in the area was confirmed. He said that he hunted the area many times during the season and rarely saw another bowhunter. I personally know this was not the norm in the past. This large conservation area used to receive many bowhunters.

There has been past talk that Illinois has considered extending the gun season. A decline in bowhunters may be one reason.

avid_bowhunter2005

As for Ohio, I think we have quite a few bowhunters, but I wouldn't like to go hunting as much if it was all gun here in Ohio because the deer are never in one spot. Their patterns are so jacked up you could base all of your hunts on luck. Too many people do too many drives around here and it devastates the outlook for a bowhunter trying to bag a nice deer late in the season.

jsasker

Here in MINN. it seems like the bowhunting fever is spreading quickly,but almost all bowhunters that i know also go out rifle hunting.I have not met a hunter yet that wouldn't rather take a deer with a bow than a gun--it's just that the success ratio isn't that great for bowhunters.

davidmil

Maybe in isolated pieces of land numbers are decreasing, or they rotate around chasing the big one. Many move on to private land. ME... I remember when you could literally go just about ANYWHERE on public land during bow season and NEVER see another bowhunter for the WHOLE season. Other than the one guy I hunted with a couple of times a year... I doubt I saw another bowhunter in the woods for the first 6 or 7 years I bowhunted, maybe longer. Occasionally(but rarely) I'd cross paths with a squirrel hunter or something. In those days if you told someone you were a bowhunter you'd get a strange look and a "sure you are. What are you really doing?"

HNTNWHTTAIL4LF

c903

I to am from illinois..(near safb) I was told buy someone that they are considering extending bow season here.. start at sept.1st-jan15th....

I was told this buy a friend that has a friend who gets help from the ildnr or whoever with land management.. He said the co told him they were going to start this years season on sept1st due to poor harvest records on does this year.. I called ildnr however but they would not tell me anything.. They just said "wait till march to find out,we don't know"..

Man i hope this is true...

I also hunt public ground, have for 10yrs now and have been fortunate enough to take deer every year there... Just have to go where the weekend warriors are not willing to go...[:-]
But i do understand what you mean about to many guys in the woods..I just scout throughout the year and find areas i want to hunt ,do my work early so as not to let on to others.. sometimes works other times you find a stand come season.. most time i just respect the other guy and hunt another area i found..
Unless i'm off during the week and then pretty much have run of area as to where i want to go.. i use a climber which gives me mobility.. If i had private area to hunt then i would put out hang ons..( i just don't have the $ to put up for leases)..

Do you hunt around Sawnee National Forest,or Pramid state park?

Talk at ya later..

c903

If you meant to write "Shawnee National Forest;" many moons ago, I strictly hunted in the "Shawnee areas (Union Cnty, Old Shawneetown area, Creal Springs area, and the Harrisburg area).

Eventually, the deer population started growing up my way ( east-central Illinois) and in time, the deer were bigger up here than I was finding in Shawnee. I am sure that has changed. I do miss hunting in the deep wilderness.

In 1983, my dog and I hiked (not hunting) across the Shawnee from the west boundary of the forest to the east boundary. I stayed off the common routes and traversed through the bad areas that were not commonly entered/used. I saw bucks (in velvet) with racks that would rival an elk's headpiece.

Cougar Mag

In my area bowhunter numbers are increasing, not so much on the 1,100 acre public land, but on private land. Its not so hard to gain permission from some landowners as long as their land is treated with respect along with anyone else they may have granted permission too.

HNTNWHTTAIL4LF

I hear ya c903, how bout oak wood bottoms? It is for duck hunters(mainly)because they flood it come bird season but, man the deer really come through there ecspecially back by the power lines..

A friend of mine took a beauty 10 at Shawnee this year.. Nice mass and very symetrical... Big body too..

I used to about three years ago hunt private land 800 acreas to be exact down in randolph county...My uncle had the permission for us but he has moved away to Utah so i don't get to hunt there anymore... I have been working on getting back in there... 2 of my nicest bucks came out of there.. Real nice 8 point and a 15 point non-typical 3 main beam buck... Seen some down there that just made u start shakin just seein them...lol

Cougar mag what part of illinois u from?

Hiawatha

well about 10 years ago in sask there were a few bowhunters but nothing like there is today. It's growing fatser than the plague here and thats good to see. Lots of guys are getting tired of rifle hunting and want a new challenge.

Red Hawk

I am not sure the number of bowhunters out here in CA due to the fact of not being alot of places to hunt at. I figured because this state is the third biggest then we should have quite a bit. My cousin bowhunts i just found out a few days ago. Going to try to talk him to taking me out with him next time he goes for deer [:-]