www.Heartlandlodge.com

Just to keep everyone updated, we just put out our first trail cameras of the year in hopes to catch a few good bucks we have been seeing around the lodge.  One has already exceeded the 100″ mark with plenty of time to go.  We ended up putting out the DCL Covert II cameras, and I am very pleased with the operational ease of the camera.  I will keep you guys posted on what I end up getting on film and will post them on our website photo galleray at http://www.heartlandlodge.com/hunting/hunting-photo-gallery.html.  Don’t forget about the non resident archery tag deadline, and if you are still looking to hunt Pike Co. IL feel free to contact me at the lodge.  www.Heartlandlodge.com

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Matt

Well its June and things are looking good for this upcoming season.   We are seeing broods of pheasants while we are preparing the grounds for food plots. Just wanted to drop a note to say Thank You to everyone that hunted with us this past year and hope to see you this coming fall. I would enjoy hearing from you and I will be posting more updates through-out the summer.

Terry Abney

TerrryA@Heartlandlodge.com

http://www.heartlandlodge.com/hunting/upland-bird-hunting.html

 www.Heartlandlodge.com

Matt Farnham 

Greetings again from the Heartland Upland Fields!  The beginnings of summer are upon us, and we are hard at work preparing for another great season.  We had so many positive comments last season, we are fine tuning our habitat to promote even larger numbers of native birds, and increased areas for traditional style hunting.  We are seeing the first quail broods moving through the warm season grasses, and hen pheasants are on their nests.  We are also polishing our young started dogs, conditioning our veterans, and working a few outstanding puppy prospects. I will begin planting all of our food plots over the next couple weeks.

 Due to the great success of our Spring Sizzler Special last season, we are offering   two similar packages for a limited time this fall.  These packages will be available from September 1 – 30, 2009, and include:

Premium Upland Package:

-         2 night 1 day PREMIUM Upland Hunt

-         Overnight accommodations with meals (Two nights)

-    A fully guided mixed bag upland hunt for pheasants & quail for one day (no limits- Premium hunt, more birds!)

-         Professional guides and quality pointing dogs

-         One round of sporting clays on our 15-station course

-         A silk screened - monogrammed, soft-side cooler to take home your bird harvest

-         A blaze orange Orvis Heartland Lodge hunting cap

-         Game packaging and processing

-         2 boxes of quality American manufactured shot shells in 12 gauge or 20 gauge (other gauges available for an additional charge)

This complete PREMIUM Fall Upland Special is only $850 per person!  Additional nights and days can be added. You can also bring a nonhunting guest to enjoy the lodge!

Regular Hunt Package:

-        1 night 1 day REGULAR Upland Hunt

-        Overnight accommodations with meals (One night)

-        A fully guided mixed bag upland hunt for pheasants & quail for one day (no limits)

-        Professional guides and quality pointing dogs

-        One round of sporting clays on our 15-station course

-        A silk screened - monogrammed, soft-side cooler to take home your bird harvest

-        A blaze orange Orvis Heartland Lodge hunting cap

-        Game packaging and processing

This complete wing-shooter’s package is being offered for only $575 per person!   Additional nights and days can be added. You can also bring a nonhunting guest to enjoy the lodge!

Guests have expressed that once they make the trip to Heartland they are glad they did. Here is what a few of our hunters said:

 “One of the nicest hunts I’ve been on. I have hunted all over North America and Canada for 25 years.”

                                                                             Mr. Steve Trudd

 “This was the best lodge I have been to, and I have been to a lot of places!”

                                                                             Mr. Bill Wiseman

          “Greatest hunting experience I’ve ever had in 20 years of hunting!”

                                                                             Mr. Jared Vogt

Don’t miss out on this exciting offer for some early season action!

Happy & safe hunting…..

Terry Abney

Upland Manger

www.Heartlandlodge.com

Terrya@Heartlandlodge.com

As summer hits here in Pike Co. IL, I am on the move.  Here is a list of the upcoming shows that Heartland Lodge will be exhibiting at.  Feel free to stop by the booths and see what’s happening.

Jacksonville Big Buck Expo, Jacksonville FL.  June 19-21

Lakeland Big Buck Expo, Lakeland FL.  July 10-12

World Deer and Turkey Expo, Birmingham AL.  July 17-19

QDMA National Convention, Louisville KY.  July 25-26

Here is a list of the hunts I still have availability during.  Feel free to contact me at the lodge at 217-734-2526 if you have any questions or would like to reserve your spot.  All hunts are fully guided whitetail hunts in Pike Co. or Calhoun Co. IL.  Meals and lodging are included.  Check out or website at www.Heartlandlodge.com

Archery Hunts:

**Arrive Oct 26, hunt Oct 27-31, and depart on Nov 1.  Normal hunt cost is $3650, updated price $3150.  The best pre rut opportunity.  5 spots remain.

Arrive Sept 30, hunt Oct 1-5, and depart on Oct 6.  Hunt cost is $2550.  Only 3 spots remain. 

Arrive Oct 10, hunt Oct 11-13, and depart on Oct 14.  Hunt cost is $1450.  6 spots remain.

Arrive Nov 13, hunt Nov 14-18, and depart on Nov 19.  Hunt cost is $3950.  This is peak rut action and the last archery week before firearm season.  6 spots remain.

Dec 3-6 Firearm Season. 2 available spots, hunt cost is $3350.  This is a 5 night, 4 day firearm hunt.

Dec 12-14 Muzzleloader Only Season.  4 available spots on our “140 inch Trophy Farms”.  These farms are strickly managed and are set up for you to harvest a true Illinois giant.  Hunt cost is $3350 per hunter.  This is a 4 night, 3 day hunt.

With the heat of summer upon us many people forget about the importance of scouting for the upcoming fall.  This is the time of year when the bucks in your area are the most relaxed and the most visible.  Often time’s hunters will wait until September to glass fields looking for bucks.  By the time Sept. rolls around most of the bucks have shed their velvet and have begun to regress back to their hermit type lifestyle.  Now is the time to take inventory on your buck herd for this fall.

For most of the summer bucks will stay in bachelor groups.  The size of these groups will vary I have seen groups of up to 10 bucks together during the summer.  These bucks will have a very small range during this time of year.  They will stay in their “bachelor pad” grow antlers and get fat for the fall.

My favorite areas to look for bachelor groups are soybean, clover, alfalfa, and hay fields.  These high protein food sources are on the whitetails dinner plate this time of year.  The best advice that I can give is to glass these fields from the road if possible.  If you don’t have road access to some fields make sure that you stay a good distance away from the deer.  The main thing is to keep your summer recon missions as low impact as possible.

If the farm that you hunt does not have any of these food sources on it keep your eyes on the surrounding farms (from the road).  A buck’s summer range will often differ from his winter range.  You may see your favorite adversary a mile down the road from your farm.

Although these bucks will live together all summer they cannot tolerate each other during the fall.  Once they shed their velvet they will disperse to their respective fall range and establish their dominance.  Another thing to remember is that the bucks you see a mile down the road will likely make an appearance on your farm during the rut.

So dust off your binoculars, and go pick out the buck that will drive you crazy this fall.  As always drop me a line with any questions or comments.  Good Luck!!

Matt Farnham

Whitetail Manager

 www.Heartlandlodge.com

Phone:  (217) 734-2526

E-mail:  mattf@heartlandlodge.com

We have had a few cancellations here at Heartland Lodge during some of our prime hunting weeks.  These spots will not last long, so if you have any questions or wanting a spot do not hesitate to call me at 217-734-2526.

Archery Hunts:

Arrive Sept 30, hunt Oct 1-5, and depart on Oct 6.  Hunt cost is $2550.  Only 3 spots remain.

Arrive Oct 10, hunt Oct 11-13, and depart on Oct 14.  Hunt cost is $1450.  6 spots remain.

Arrive Oct 26, hunt Oct 27-31, and depart on Nov 1.  Hunt cost is $3650.  The best pre rut opportunity.  5 spots remain.

Arrive Nov 13, hunt Nov 14-18, and depart on Nov 19.  Hunt cost is $3950.  This is peak rut action and the last archery week before firearm season.  6 spots remain.

Dec 3-6 Firearm Season. 2 available spots, hunt cost is $3350.  This is a 5 night, 4 day firearm hunt.

Dec 12-14 Muzzleloader Only Season.  4 available spots on our “140 inch Trophy Farms”.  These farms are strickly managed and are set up for you to harvest a true Illinois giant.  Hunt cost is $3350 per hunter.  This is a 4 night, 3 day hunt.

It’s getting ever so close to the 2009 Spring Turkey Season here at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge. As each day passes by, time seems to slow down and our anticipation of the up coming hunts can not be held back. By now most of the sheds have been scooped up and all of the food plots have been frost seeded, it’s time for me to dust off the old turkey gear and get busy. I look forward to all who are going ot be able to hunt with us and for those of you that can’t make, I will look forward to seeing you in the future.

For those of you who prefer to chase the elusive whitetail, we still have a select few “Rut Bow Hunts” available along with our 3 Day, 4 Night Archery Hunts in October.  I don’t know what you would do, but with today’s stock market value, I would rather put my money into a hunt instead, so don’t hesitate to call me if you have any questions or want to secure a spot.    I hope to see you in camp and good luck in the outdoors.

Matt
mattf@heartlandlodge.com
http://www.heartlandlodge.com/hunting/

Greetings from all the staff at Harpole’s Heartland Lodge!

Most of us have made it through the winter and are anxiously waiting for the coming of spring!  Don’t put away those shotguns just yet!

Heartland Lodge is once again offering a Sizzling Spring Bird Hunter’s Special from March 28^th- April 15^th!  Based on availability, you can get into some excellent upland wing-shooting.  Our special package will include the following: 

-           Overnight accommodations with meals (one night)

-           A fully guided mixed bag upland hunt for pheasants & quail for one day (no limits)

-           One round of sporting clays on our 15-station course

-           A silk screened - monogrammed, soft-side cooler to take home your bird harvest

-           A blaze orange Orvis Heartland Lodge hunting cap

This complete wingshooter’s package is being offered for only $495 plus tax (good for new reservations only).  Additional nights and days can be added. You can also bring a nonhunting guest to enjoy the lodge!

Call now to book your reservation, availability is limited.

Happy hunting,

Terry Abney

Upland Manager

terrya@heartlandlodge.com

www.Heartlandlodge.com

800-717-4868(Hunt)

As I begin the 2009 season work on the farms, my first goal is to frost seed all of the existing food plot to make sure of an excellent crop this year.  I can’t help but anticipate what will be see or harvested over any one of the dozens of food plots we have on our farms.  I feel that frost seeding each year is vital to the food plots growth and establishment and can be preformed on any level to created a great food source.  Anyways, I’m just here to remind you guys that your chance to bow hunt monster whitetails in Illinois in 2009 is fading, so I just wanted to let you know what hunts we still have available.  Space is limited in each of the hunts listed so if any of them catch your eye, don’t hesitate to call or email me back any questions you have or if you are wanting to lock in that hunt.  I look forward to hearing back from you and seeing you in camp.

Thanks Matt Farnham
mattf@heartlandlodge.com

www.Heartlandlodge.com

Bow Hunt Dates:

Arrive Sept 30th, hunt Oct 1-5, and depart on the 6th.  Hunt cost is $2550
Arrive Oct 26th, hunt Oct 27-31, and depart on Nov 1st. Hunt cost is $3650
Arrive Nov 7th, hunt Nov 8-12, and depart on Nov 13. Hunt cost is $3950 (Peak Rut)
**All hunts include meals, lodging, and guide service**