News & Promotions

  • 2013 Whitetail Hunts Available
    11/28/2012
    2013 Whitetail Hunts Available
    Posted by admin
    Now is the time to reserve your 2013 whitetail hunting dates. We have some great deer hunting dates available but they won't last long. Most of our prime dates are filling up early. We had a good 2012 whitetail season with the majority of our hunters
  • John Brewer's 173" Whitetail
    11/4/2012
    John Brewer's 173" Monster Whitetail!
    Posted by admin
    Our friend John Brewer from Florida took this incredible whitetail at 5:00pm on the last day of his deer hunt in Pike County, Illinois. John stayed optimistic throughout his entire hunt. He would always have a smile on his face and say “It was a great d
  • 2012 Deer Season…What did you learn?
    1/15/2013
    2012 Deer Season...What did you learn?
    Posted by admin
    When an individual engages in an activity for many years and achieves a certain level of experience it becomes easier to fall into complacency. Once good becomes good enough and the thirst for knowledge has been quenched growth in that activity all but ce
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Tips from our Experts

  • Want More Turkeys?
    4/5/2013
    Want More Turkeys?
    Posted by admin
    Years ago when I started guiding in West Central Illinois I decided that the status quo of the properties that I hunted was not good enough for my hunts. I wanted to not only keep more turkeys on the grounds that I guided, but I also wanted more places t
  • The Way of the Turkey Gun...
    4/2/2013
    The Way of the Turkey Gun...
    Posted by admin
    I once had a professional upland guide and very accomplished clay shooter debate with me the topic of pointing his turkey gun instead of aiming it because it was a shotgun. He claimed that the only proper way to shoot a shotgun was to "point it"...
  • Why We Hunt
    2/13/2013
    Why We Hunt
    Posted by admin
    Why We Hunt After my last blog was posted on the internet I saw some interesting commentary from the public. The comments varied from positive to negative and were mostly generated strictly from a picture and not from actual written word. This certainl
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Recent Blogs

  • Turkey Season Kicks Off
    4/10/2013
    Turkey Season Kicks Off
    Posted by admin
    Here at the lodge we try to help people of all ages get into hunting as well as gun and bow safety. Of course some of our favorite times are working with the youth. The youth turkey season was on April 6th-7th and you could say it started with a
  • Hunting in Alaska
    2/10/2013
    Hunting in Alaska
    Posted by admin
    As I am flying in the Supper Cub from Tok Alaska into the wilderness of Alaska, I looked down below me and it was if I was traveling in a time capsule. Taking me back hundreds of years before tv’s, the internet and Facebook was created. Alaska calls its
  • Shed Hunting and Scouting
    1/30/2013
    Shed Hunting and Scouting
    Posted by admin
    It's February now and most states have come to the end of deer season or are closing within the next couple of weeks. Here in Pike Co. Illinois the season came to an end in mid- January with some real nice bucks making their way to the buck pole. But the
  • 1/30/2013
    Turkey Hunters Last Chance Tags
    Posted by admin
    Turkey Hunters It’s time to start getting ready for the season. If you want to be an Illinois turkey hunter this spring now is the time to get your tags. Right now we are in the middle of the third lottery which ends February 11th. This c
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Testimonials

  • Always love coming to Heartland.  The staff makes you feel like family.......Like coming home.
    - Geoff Duncan
  • Another great trip.  Roger and I are looking to bring a couple more guys over next year.  Very relaxing trip.  Matt does a great job, treats us more like hunting buddies than clients.  Everything is greatly thought out at your place and I feel very comfortable with the hunt.  Thinking about coming back for a January hunt.  Thanks again,  Tim McGuire
    - Tim McGuire, Fairbury, IL
  • This was our 2nd year to Heartland and it was everything we had hoped for.  Thanks again to our guide Allen.  He is extremely knowledgeable and accommodating in every way.  He is the absolute best guide I have ever used and I will return next year because he is the best.  Thanks also to Matt for accommodating our reservations and coordinating our total trip.  Matt and Allen are 2nd to none!
    - Bill Morris, GA
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Hunting The Illinois Whitetail Rut

 

Bow or gun hunting during the whitetail rut can be one of the most exciting times to be in the deer woods. The Illinois deer rut falls during the month of November. Hunting the Illinois deer rut can be divided up into three different hunting times: the end of the pre-rut, the rut, and the start of the post-rut.

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Click the sections below for more information.

View Rates

Whitetail Photos

Trail Cam Photos

Scouting Videos

Illinois Pre-Rut/Rut Archery Season (November 1st-5th)

This week can be one of the most exciting weeks to be in the Illinois deer woods! Many does are beginning to enter their estrus cycle and the big bucks are out looking for them. It's a transition week from the pre-rut into the peak rut. Whitetail bucks are very responsive to calling during this period. Rattling, doe in estrus bleats, and chasing/ tending grunts can all produce great results. The weather is typically ideal for whitetail deer hunting. Cooler temperatures in the mornings can get the bucks out trolling, looking for does.

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Peak Illinois Rut Whitetail Hunting (November 6th-20th)

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This is the most popular time for bow hunters to be hunting whitetails in Illinois. This is considered the chase phase and peak breeding period for whitetails in Illinois. Bucks are constantly chasing does. Many times, it's the smaller bucks chasing, as the bigger bucks will stay with a “hot” doe until she is bred. But once he is finished breeding her, he will be back on the search for another “hot” doe.

Illinois first gun season normally falls at the end of this period. Having a short firearm season during the deer rut allows many bucks to make it though the Illinois gun season. For those who enjoy gun hunting, this can be a very exciting three days!

Watch this video of Ron Way's 192" Monster Whitetail!!
Read more about Ron's Massive Buck Here>>>

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Illinois Post-Rut/Rut Whitetail Hunting (November 21st-30th)

This week is the end of the peak rut and the start of the post-rut. Like the pre-rut, it can be very productive, particularly with those bigger bucks looking for the remaining does to come into estrous. Some years, this week has more deer rut activity than any other period in November, especially if unusually warm weather is present earlier in the month.

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Top Whitetail Rut Hunting Tips

  1. Illinois Rut Whitetail Pike CountyFind transition areas and funnels between doe bedding areas and feeding areas. Bucks will be scent checking these areas at all hours of the day.
  2. The more time you spend in the woods the better. So if you are able to, pack a sack lunch and sit in the woods all day, as that trophy whitetail buck could come by in the middle of the day just as easily as he could in the morning or evening.
  3. Stop the buck before you take a shot at him. Bucks can be unpredictable while chasing does and moving animals will most likely result in poor shot placement. Do whatever it takes to stop him before you release your arrow.
  4. The month of November experiences drastic weather variations. Temperatures can vary from 80 degrees down to the teens, and rain and snow are also both a possibility. Hunters must come prepared to endure a variety of conditions to be able to remain in the woods.

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Fall Turkey Hunt Option

Enjoy bow hunting an elusive gobbler while in your stand. You can have the option of hunting turkeys and whitetail during your fall deer hunt.

It’s nice to be sitting in the stand and if a flock of turkeys come in, you have the option of shooting one with your bow. Your fall archery turkey permit is an either sex tag, so you could shoot a hen or a gobbler.

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For more information on our deer hunts go to our main Whitetail deer hunting page.