Several years ago a U.S. maker of very fine bolt-action and single-shot rifles decided it wanted to get into the shotgun manufacturing business. The founder and president of the company was a devotee of light side-by-side game guns, with straight English
My little bluebird friend at Heartland Lodge told me just the other day that he was beginning to see hummingbirds around the hummingbird feeders at the lodge. Does this mean that the hummingbird migration has begun? Wanda has always had birds around her
As much as it pains me to admit it, turkey season is nearly half over. Although I try to pack as much hunting as possible into the short spring season I always seem to fall just short of enough. Family, work, and the “honey- do list” all need their fair
Yesterday I found myself on my riding lawn mower for the first time ever in the month of March. As I rode around my yard in the nearly 80 degree weather my mind drifted into the future a few weeks. Although it already feels like turkey season outside, I
Our old and good friend Floyd Simone took this mature whitetail on the opening day of Illinois second gun season. Floyd had an incredible deer hunt, seeing 4 shooters! This buck is at least 7 years old and was in a brutal fight with another buck sometime
As I flipped the calendar in my office to November 2011, I began to prepare for my pending vacation. I spent much of my time abusing my internet privileges to study the weather forecast on every available weather site on my favorites list. That would be
Our good friend David Ward harvested this heavy mass split brow 11pt. David had an incredible week of hunting. He first started out hunting the archery week before the shotgun season. David saw shooters almost every day and came very close to arrowing a b
Vincent McPhillip decided we wanted to start a tradition four years ago, hunting the opening weekend of Illinois gun season at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge, with his son Matthew. Each year one or the other would harvest a buck, but this year they both had hu
My family and I have been coming to Heartland Lodge for 4 years now and are planning to return for a fifth. When we first started coming I was only 12 years old and wasn’t even old enough to hunt. However I came with my parents hoping to see some of the m
The McPhillip family started a tradition four years ago, whitetail hunting at Heartland Lodge the opening weekend of Illinois gun season as a family. Dad (Vincent) hunts with Matthew while Mom (Joanne) enjoys the lodge and surrounding towns and area. Mat
