Hunting

I probably should have taken the semi-trailer flipped over on Interstate 57 as a sign, but I kept on driving south. With some good friends, my son Kyle and nephew Matt, I was heading to southern Illinois in pursuit of the grand slam of the spring — wild turkey, crappie, wild [...]Read more

2012 deer camp was once again a great experience. I had my son Kyle and a couple good buddies hunting with me at the Boneyard Outfitters in Southern Illinois. Dave Watson was also there filming an episode for his show Mathews TV, which added to the excitement in camp. His crew [...]Read more

It’s 3:30 a.m. The air is cold and brisk, and the parking lot is full of boats and camo-clad hunters. It’s something only hard core, seasoned waterfowl hunters can appreciate, one of which I am not. But I’m getting there. I had an opportunity to hunt with my [...]Read more

Illinois is one step closer to allowing able-bodied bowhunters to secure a permit to hunt white-tailed deer with a crossbow this fall. House Bill 4819 passed the House and Senate, and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Quinn soon. Once that happens, the IDNR will need [...]Read more

Once again we set our sights on Southern Illinois for one of our spring destinations. The Rend Lake area is thick with wild turkeys and the crappie are usually jumping into our boats this time of year. My posse consisted of my son Kyle (who already killed a nice tom during the [...]Read more

A thundering gobble broke the pre-dawn silence. “They’re close,” I whispered “They’re real close.”   I let out another owl call, and was answered by three gobbles as we stared into to darkness trying to pinpoint their location. I was hunting [...]Read more

Winter just won’t seem to let go. I don’t mind cold and snow, I live in Chicagoland after all. But by March, my thoughts turn to the sounds of turkeys gobbling, or line peeling off my reel. I’ve had enough winter. Here are a few things to fill in the weekends [...]Read more

Could be in Will County, Illinois in the near future. Officials recently announced a plan that includes the introduction of a herd of bison to the Midewin Tallgrass Prairie in Wilmington.  The initial herd could include up to 75 bison managed on 1,000 acres. But they could expand [...]Read more

The preliminary totals are in for the 2011 firearm deer season, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The harvest number is down slightly from the 2010 season. Illinois Firearm Deer Season Closes with Preliminary Harvest of 97,760 Deer Hunting Continues with [...]Read more