Opening Week - Archery Illinois As the first week of archery deer season here in Pike County, Illinois comes to an end, our hunters here at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge had a successful week. With the weather warm for the first few days action in the woods was a little slow but a few of ou... Read the full story

Reserve Your 2013 Dates! Now is the time to make your reservations at Heartland Lodge for next year, especially if you are planning to stay on a weekend or would like a lodge buy-out. We encourage you to come stay with us during the winter months, when the fireplaces are crackli... Read the full story

October Deer, Pheasant, Quail and Waterfowl Report The month of October has been an exciting yet busy one for the lodge. We have had many upland hunts this month which have been going really well and will continue at this pace for the next month. We have had many birds harvested this year as we have notic... Read the full story

Planning a Wedding Shower - Think Outside of the Gift Box A few years ago I was asked to plan my sister’s bridal shower. She’s an offbeat gal who lives on the other side of the country and whose hobbies include canyoneering, learning Native American rain dances, and making her own taffy. We don’t have a whole... Read the full story

Gearing Up For Pheasant Hunting by Chris Larsen One of the best parts of pheasant hunting is it's simplicity. There are no decoys or calling. Pheasant hunting is all about the hunter and his or her quarry matching wits. Sometimes the hunter is successful, sometimes the birds win.... Read the full story

Packing for your Next Trip When planning a trip, most people worry about reservations, weather, traffic, etc. Not my husband. He worries about packing. What will we need every day? What bags should we bring? Do I really need to bring all those shoes? At first his packing habits... Read the full story

The Essential Girls’ Getaway It’s no secret – our lives are busier than ever. For those in the professional world, long hours, e-mails, text messages, and conference calls keep us ever struggling to keep up with a constant barrage of correspondence and obligation. For those raising a... Read the full story

Go with the Flow My job requires that I attend and staff several conferences every year. Some are small, intimate board meetings while others are large events with hundreds of attendees, several moving parts, and of course…technology. For the first two years of my wor... Read the full story

Five Pheasant Hunting Tips For Beginners By Chris Larsen Pheasant hunting is a great way to get introduced to bird hunting. You don’t need a lot of equipment and although the finer points may take years to learn, it doesn’t take much to grasp a basic understanding of how to hunt pheasants.... Read the full story

Treat Yourself: Tips for a Happy Conference Experience I find myself traveling for work pretty often. Whether attending an event/training/conference (exhausting) or staffing an event (even more exhausting), there can be something a little draining about working all day, going to sleep a few hundred feet away... Read the full story

The Highs and Lows of Deer Season... Every deer camp has the conversation as to what drives deer movement. Moon phases, rut timing, weather patterns, etc., are all popular subjects. Ten deer hunters in a given deer camp will offer up ten different reasons for why deer do what they do. Give... Read the full story

Fall Foliage in Full Color!! Because of our work schedule, Dan and I are not always able to take advantage of the numerous fall color drives and festivals (Pike County Fall Color Drive, Spoon River Valley Scenic Drive, Clarksville Applefest and the Louisiana Country ColorFest) that a... Read the full story

Social Media for your Next Event Planning a conference can be grueling. From coordinating with speakers to taking registration; from staying in budget to staying on time; from sorting name badges to sorting travel arrangements – conferences take work and time. I think this is why so ma... Read the full story