General Hunting Blog

Opening week archery hunting

Book your 2023 whitetail hunt today! Most all of our peak dates sell out so don’t wait to reserve your whitetail hunt! We are celebrating our 28th anniversary in 2023 and we would enjoy having you celebrate with us on a hunt of a lifetime. For a limited time, we are offering a special promotion

early season bowhunting whitetail hunting in illinois

There’s something magical about bowhunting October in Pike County, Illinois. The leaves are a brilliant array of different colors, overall deer movement is generally very good, and mature buck daytime movement is starting to increase. At the lodge, after several months of trail camera scouting, food plot preparation, and fine tuning our treestand set ups,

Illinois Firearm Season Buck

Rifle Hunting in Illinois Deer Hunting Laws Whitetail hunters across the state of Illinois will soon be able to use rifles for deer hunting (**starting the fall of 2023**). The new rifle hunting laws in Illinois allow for a “single” shot or a rifle with the ability to only hold one shell and no other

Win a 5-night, 4-day November whitetail hunt for two hunters! A $5,000 value! To register all you have to do is enter your e-mail on the Whitetail Hunt Giveaway (Click link to enter email & giveaway) option, and that’s it!!! Be sure to Like or Follow us on our Heartland Lodge Hunting Facebook Page or

Crossbow Deer Hunting in Illinois Laws 2023 Crossbow whitetail hunting in Illinois is legal throughout the entire archery season regardless of age or physical ability. What affect will this have on the deer population and hunting in the state? We’ll touch on that in a moment but for now let’s look at the pros and

Pre rut deer hunting in illinois

Pre-Rut Whitetail Hunting Using Calls & Deer Decoys Hunting whitetails during the pre-rut can be a great time to get a shot at a mature deer. Cupple the right weather conditions, trail-camera scrape monitoring, a good food source, and you have all the right ingredients for a high-quality pre-rut hunt. Hunting Scrapes Monitoring social scrapes

Opening Weekend Of Duck Season

May 12th, 2023- “Book Your 2023 Opening Weekend Duck and Goose Hunt Today! These spots will not last! For more details call 217-734-2526 or E-Mail Gary@HeartlandLodge.com. Hunt package rates below.” The anticipation of opening day of Illinois’ duck season has our guides, staff and hunters anxiously counting down the days! We have had a long-standing

shed hunting tips and tactics, where to look

February 14th, 2023- Illinois Shed Hunting Update: We’re in the middle of shed season here in West Central Illinois. Valentine’s Day is known to be when the majority of shed hunters really start to put the miles on the ground here in Illinois. With little snow accumulation and mild temperatures the last few weeks, many

Illinois Firearm Season Buck

Best Whitetail Outfitters and Hunts Heartland Lodge Whitetail Outfitters is regarded as one of the best deer hunts available throughout the nation. What does it take to be ranked among the best whitetail hunting outfitters? We’re located in famed Pike County, Illinois- Historically one of the highest producing counties for trophy whitetails. You cannot harvest

First doe harvested with archery equipment

Over the last 25+ years of whitetail outfitting many things have changed in the whitetail hunting world, one thing has stayed the same: hunters love to eat venison. At the lodge we have seen more and more interest in harvesting does for meat to bring home, whether it be for the holiday tradition or for