Harpole’s Heartland Lodge Hunting Blog

It is getting ever so close to the Illinois archery season opener and with every day I venture out to check the farms, I encounter new bucks emerging from their cover.  I can not wait to start, it’s like a kid in a candy store, well at least mine.  Just talking with the local farmers and other Illinois outfitters, we all tend to agree that there are more big bucks running around then in the previous years.  Which only makes the hours in the day crawl along.  I hope you are getting fired up as much as I am, good luck and shot straight.

Matt Farnham

November is an ideal time to hunt monster whitetails! Late November can even be a better time for a larger than average buck to come within bow range. Granted you may not see as many bucks but the chances a monster will walk by your stand could be better the last week of November than any other time during the season. Why? There are less does in heat. This makes the dominate buck in the area travel more to find the few does that are ready to bread. 

Why is this hunt only $1950 then? The only reason is because it is right after Thanksgiving and many can’t get away during that week.  For the value and chances of harvesting a trophy whitetail this is the best week of the year. You receive six nights of lodging, five full days of meals, guide and acces to some of the best whitetail property in the world for only $1950! The lodging and meals are worth that alone!

Here at Heartland we like for all of our hunters to be completely satisfied. Even though we think this week is great, its still hunting. A correct mindset is very important to make sure you walk away with a positive experience. You may not see a monster whitetail the entire week or you just might harvest the buck of your dreams that week. Either way we want to make sure that when you leave you feel like we did everything possible to make your trip a success!

There are only a few spots left so don’t wait to long to book your hunt. 800-717-HUNT(4868)

Heartland Lodge  

www.Heartlandlodge.com

    

One month and a week to go until opening day of deer hunting in Illinois!  Can you feel it!  Woo!  This time of year happens every year and for me it’s like going to Cabelas with an unlimited budget.  No matter how the year has went so far, everything fades away when the thought of how close hunting season is.  I am looking forward to another exciting year here at Heartland Lodge.  With all of the rain here in the Midwest this past spring, I can’t help but notice the extreme plant growth that has taken place when I venture out to do my evening scouting trips.  We have been seeing some good bucks out and about, and you are more than welcome to plan a scouting trip of your own.  I have had several hunters that have already came out and joined us searching the fields for monster bucks.  I look forward to seeing everyone in camp and hope to have you harvest your ”Monster Buck” this fall.

Its hard to believe that we will start upland bird hunting in a few weeks! The summer has gone by so fast! But with cooler days we have been having, its starting to feel like hunting season again.

We have been busy getting ready for the upcoming upland hunting season. We are very excited about some new property we acquired. This gently rolling land is full of upland birds, especially wild quail! We can hear the birds whistle early in the mornings and later in the evenings.

Illinois and especially Pike County Illinois has a long tradition of excellent upland game hunting. Pike County and Heartland Lodge is located in between the Mighty Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. The land between these two rivers provides abundant habitat and food for all types of wildlife, especially upland game birds.

Heartland’s owner Gary Harpole grew up hunting upland birds in some of the same fields that you will be hunting during your stay. Gary hunted along side his Grandfather, Dad, and Uncle.  A full day of wonderful memories were created and based on those same principles he built Heartland Lodge so he could share those same experiences with you.

You will not only experience wonderful hunting, you will have the pleasure of hunting with some of the best guides in the country. Heartland is the only Orvis endorsed wingshooting lodge in the state of Illinois. The accommodations and food are second to none!

Please give us a call to reserve your fall hunting trip. 800-717-HUNT(4868) www.Heartlandlodge.com The season will be here shortly and we would like for you to be a part of our tradition.

 

 

 

 

 We have a few spots open during the peak of the rut! These hunts are normally sold out as far as one or two years in advance!

Our preseason scouting has shown that there are a lot of nice bucks out there. We have seen nice bachelor groups with good age structure feeding in the soy bean fields. All the spring rains have made food abundant and antler development ideal.

Last year’s unusual weather allowed many of these bucks to survive the season and age another year. We are seeing a lot of 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 year old bucks.

Deer hunting in Pike or Calhoun County Illinois is as good as it can get for free roaming whitetails. The abundance of food, genetics, and a proper age structure allows the deer to reach their full potential.

Illinois Archery Tags are now on a first come first serve basis. They do have tags available but we don’t know how long they are going to last. So if you are interested in hunting whitetails in Pike or Calhoun Counties Illinois then call us to reserve a deer hunt of a lifetime! 800-717-HUNT(4868). www.Heartlandlodge.com

We will do everything possible to make sure your hunt is everything you want it to be. From hunting some of the best deer hunting land in the world, to our professional guides who will go the extra mile and our first class accommodations and meals, you will experience a deer hunting trip that you will always remember!

We look forward to seeing you this fall!

We have acquired a new upland hunting farm! Our preseason scouting shows that it is full of wild quail! The property is approximately 7 miles east of the lodge. This hunting land contains rolling native grassland with milo food plots. Small strips of timber separates the different fields. 

Accessing the property couldn’t be easier. An acesss road runs down the middle of the farm.  I have spent a lot of time going over the property and have come across a lot of wild quail (Bob White). It seems like everywhere I go on the farm I either see or hear quail.

This new property has me excited for the upcoming upland hunting season!

Make plans to hunt some wild quail and pheasants with me this fall!

Terry Abney

        The Department of Natural Resources for the state of Illinois is releasing 7500 non resident archery tags for the 2008 season.  August 12th, at 8 am, you are going to be able to apply for the remaining non resident archery tags.  They are going to be a first come first serve basis and when they are gone there gone.  Here at Heartland Lodge we still have a select few hunting spots available, including some “Prime Rut” hunts.  Feel free to contact me if you are looking for a quality whitetail deer hunt, on some of the best hunting land in the nation.  This will be your last chance to hunt Illinois with a bow this year, and I don’t want you to miss this opportunity.

I am looking forward to a great year here in west central Illinois, and with all of the issues that surround the hectic life styles of the modern world, including the ever pressing gas prices, I can’t help but look to this year’s deer season to relief.  You know, a whitetail deer hunter is truly a different breed.  Just imagine the amount of patience you have to sit up in a treestand and wait hours on end for an opportunity at a whitetail deer.  That patience is what sets us a part from everyone else. Even here in Pike Co, Illinois, “Land of The Giants” it takes a tremendous amount.  You could be hunting over the best food plots in the state, have the best hunting gear that money can buy, and still go home empty handed.  Yet tomorrow you will wake up and do it all over again.  I personally think this is a god given skill and a true passion that is only shared by those who have whitetail deer hunting, running through there veins.   

Here at Heartland Lodge we are getting ever so close to the beginning of another chapter of our long standing tradition of providing quality whitetail hunts for those who get the chance to hunt Pike Co, IL.  With the unseasonably amount of rain we have had, the crop, and food plot growth has been extremely potent, only making the evenings out glassing the fields that much more exciting.  The thought of a Boone and Crocket buck appearing just before last light, lingers every time we venture out. 

 I truly hope you have a chance to join us out in the woods this fall and look forward to sharing many memories.     

Check back often for hunting updates and news from Harpole’s Heartland Lodge.