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. The Illinois whitetail season is about to begin! E-mail Zach@HeartlandLodge.com or call
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
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,
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
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! It’s not unusual for mature
January 25th, 2023- Illinois Shed Hunting Update: We’re at the very beginning of the 2023 shed season here in Illinois. Typically, in West-Central Illinois bucks will begin shedding anytime now through Mid-Feb. I’ve heard a handful of hunters finding an antler or two in a food plot while checking cameras… Around Valentine’s Day is when
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
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
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
Still have to play Santa and need a good idea for the hunter in your family? A gift certificate for a whitetail hunt at Heartland Lodge is a perfect Christmas gift for that special someone on your list! This unique gift will be one that they will never fo
