Prime hunt spots are filling up fast! E-mail Zach@HeartlandLodge.com or call 217-734-2526 to reserve your 2026 whitetail hunt today! We are celebrating our 31st year anniversary in 2026 and we would enjoy having you celebrate with us on a whitetail hunt of a lifetime. If you are looking for a …
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 increasing. At the lodge, after several months of trail camera scouting, food plot preparation, and fine tuning our …
Hunting the peak of the rut in Pike County, Illinois is at the top of most die-hard bowhunters wish-list! With a high deer density, good buck to doe ratio and sheer number of trophy whitetails throughout the region, you never know what size of buck could be following a doe! …
Thickets provide quality food and security for mature bucks. Especially in the Midwest, thickets consist of quality browse food sources such as dogwood, honeysuckle, and green briar. Hunting a thicket, commonly used as a bedding area can be challenging for a few reasons- finding a clear shooting lane through the …
Heartland Lodge offers the best all-inclusive deer hunting vacation packages available throughout the Midwest. We offer 100% free range deer hunts that includes everything a hunter needs to make a great deer hunting trip. Our deer hunting vacation packages include all the meals, 5-star lodging, and transportation to and from …
Crossbow Deer Hunting in Illinois 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 …
Rifle Hunting in Illinois Deer Hunting Laws 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 multi-shell magazines be in possession of the hunter. The list of legal rifles in Illinois can be …
Accurate Persistence… Matt Holmes went back to back on phenomenal bucks! Last year, Matt hunted opening week of the season and was lucky enough to harvest a beautiful main frame 12 point. This year, Matt hunted the middle of November during the peak of the rut here in Pike …
The weather forecast for the last week of October is going to bring well-above average temperatures before a major front moves through on Halloween that will bring a drop in temperatures and a few days of off and on rain showers. Even with warmer temperatures this week, this can be …
Bowhunting mature whitetails in Mid-October can be challenging, yet very rewarding when the weather conditions cooperate. Deer movement can seem to be idle at best during the “Indian Summers” the Midwest typically experiences sometime during the first 2-3 weeks of October. Many whitetail hunters refer to this time of year …
