With 20 days and counting till the 2009 whitetail opener here in Pike Co. IL every minute that goes by only gets our guides fired up even more. The build up of anticipation is uncontrollable and for those of you looking forward to your hunt this fall, the days could not go buy fast enough. I look forward to seeing everyone in camp and for those of you that are still looking, time is running out. Touch base with me anytime and good luck to all.
Here’s a few running around.
With the 2009 season approaching and most of the hunts full, now is the time to secure your hunt for 2010. Many of the prime spots will be booked by the first of the year, especially the firearm seasons. You can secure your hunt with only 25% down and with the availability to set up a payment plan, now is the time. You can contact me at the offic at 217-734-2526 or email me at mattf@heartlandlodge.com. I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you in camp.
Here at Heartland Lodge we are all getting pumped up for the start of the Illinios whitetail season. My self and my guides are running around like little kids in Toys R Us every evening, glassing the fields for giant Midwestern bucks, knowing that with every day the season gets closer. For those of you that are able to make it this fall I look forward to seeing you in camp and sharing a great hunt, and for those still looking for that spot to hunt, give me a call at the office. I still have a very limited number of spots available and with the left-over non resident tags now on sale, time is even more important, because once there gone there gone. If you are unable to make it this fall, you are more then welcome to book for 2010 at the 2009 hunt costs with only 25% down. I truely hope to see you in camp and good luck in the outdoors.
Hunts available:
Arrive Oct 14, hunt Oct 15-17, and depart Oct 18. Hunt cost is $1450. Only 5 spots left.
Arrive Oct 26, hunt Oct 27-31, and depart Nov 1. Prime Pre Rut Hunt! Only 3 spots left.
Arrive Nov 1, hunt Nov 2-6, and depart Nov 7. Prime Rut! Only 2 spots left.
Arrive Nov 13, hunt Nov 14-18, and depart Nov 19. Last rut hunt before Gun Season, absolute best! 2 spots left.
Late season Trophy Hunts: Any 3 day, 4 nights between Dec 15-Jan 7 only $650 (a $500 trophy fee if you harvest a buck). Some great late season hunting for an awesome price….
All hunts include meals, lodging and guide service. If you have any questions feel free to call me at the office at 217-734-2526.
Thanks Matt Farnham
This year we will be offering a monthly driven pheasant hunt open to anyone that would like to join us or you can set up your own private shoot . At this time hunt dates are.
September 19th 2009 January 16th 2010
October 17th 2009 February 20th 2010
November 14th 2009 March 13th 2010
December 19th 2009 APRIL 5TH 2010
if you would like to attend one of these dates or just have questions please contact me.
Terry Abney
With season just a month away I wanted to drop everyone a note. things here are going well i have been seeing allot of quail along the road sides and the food plots are coming along nicely.
PS: If you are out conditioning your dog or yourself be sure not to get over heated and keep plenty of water close for you and your dogs
Terry Abney
You still have an opportunity to archery hunt Pike Co, IL. There are left over non resident tags that will be sold first come first serve in Aug, so do not hesitate to make your plans for this fall. 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 1 spot remains.
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. 4 spots reman. This is the absolute best pre rut week possible.
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.
I have discussed the need for food in terms of overall whitetail health in previous emails.
The other avenue in whitetail management that I would like to discuss is water. I find this topic appropriate due to the onset of summer.
Just as all other animals, deer need water to survive. Everybody knows this but tend to overlook it. The whitetail deer goes through two main stress periods in a year, late winter and late summer. Late winter poses two different stresses. Lack of food and in Northern regions lack of water (due to freezing). The stress in late summer revolves mostly around water.
During the spring and early summer deer get a lot of their daily intake of water through the food that they eat. The browse and agricultural foods that they are ingesting are carrying a lot of water in the plant matter that the deer eat. As the plants growth rate slows or stops its water content lessens. The end result is drying up plants and browning of the leaves. This process shows up in late summer and early fall. To compound the decreasing water content in the plants this also happens to be the driest time of the year in most areas. If the deer herd doesn’t have immediate access to water at all times it can cause significant stress. Traveling to and from a water source in extreme heat causes the most stress. If a whitetail buck is stressed from the lack of water his body starts making “cutbacks”. The first thing to go during this period is antler growth. So if a drought hits early in a bucks growing period it can significantly reduce antler size. Plant production also plays a big part in diminished antler size during a drought. The less rain you have the less high protein foods you will have. This is more significant in the South since here in the Midwest our spring and early summer months are fairly wet. Droughts have and will continue to happen here so we still need to pay close attention to this.
If you have your own personal farm and don’t have a water source on or nearby I strongly encourage you to invest in a pond. It doesn’t have to be a 5 acre lake or anything. Just a nice little water hole that is deep enough to hold water during the arid summer will suffice. Many states Soil Conservation Department will assist in some of the cost for ponds that help control erosion. I think you will find that this new pond will be just as effective as a good food plot for attracting wildlife.
Here at Heartland Lodge we focus on water during the hot days of the hunting season and have great success. If you have any questions or comments for me please let me know and good luck this fall.
Yours in the outdoors,
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
http://www.heartlandlodge.com/hunting/upland-bird-hunting.html
