Hi,

My name is Jim, I'm 26 years old, and I suffer from an addiction that prioritizes hunting over most other things in my life. I am headed to your great country in a few weeks to bowhunt (mostly to learn the open areas and the animals better) but would be just as happy to help people pack an animal out or tag along for a hunt. I've come to enjoy that just as much.  This trip would serve me as an investment in knowledge for years to come, rather than a once in a lifetime thing. The past few months I have been behind the laptop screen studying everything I can about the DOC lands and regulations, 1080 zones etc. If any of you have an open spot in your party for a guy like myself, please let me know! I'd happy exchange a hunt in my home state, which I'll elaborate on in a bit. The same is true if you'd like to join my trip, as doing this solo is 2x the price as having two or three guys. I don't expect you to say anything without knowing me, so here's a bit about myself.

I am not much of an antler hunter, my favorite aspect of hunting is making wild game for my friends and family to enjoy. The deer around here are corn fed, they are trophies at the table. I teach the hunter safety course in my home town, something I really enjoy.

All of my hunting is on public land, and I have been fortunate to harvest at least one with the bow every year since I was 16. I have guided a few hunts, and thankfully all of which were successful in getting their bucks. The past few years (this is a secret of mine), I have been using a canoe heavily to get to areas far from other access, and that adds an incredible element to an already enjoyable hunt. Canoe hunting is as practical as it is peaceful.

Illinois has two weekends where firearms are permitted to hunt deer. Combined with low hunter numbers and agriculture, our deer herds are healthy and extremely abundant; not to mention size. Brewster's buck last year was the biggest wild whitetail buck in history, and it was shot last year an hour from where I typically hunt. I work with the landowner, they are good guys.

I install solar panels for a living for my best friends company, been doing that since I graduated college. Will be applying for a company in NZ while I'm out there as well. If you are seriously interested, please send me a pm. I look forward to meeting some of you, thank you! Jim

Thanks bufferzone, will do- having some issues posting pictures, even with the Imgbb deal

Here's one of the deer I took this year- I was fortunate to take 3 from public land. I have neighbors/ family that don't hunt but love venison. Something about bowhunting with canoes, I swear



Another deer prime for the table, this was this season as well


rene daumal

Heres my solo packout setup



Braised venison shoulder- potentially my favorite dish



Canvasback as they served it in 1905- this one was fit for a king

Corn fed?

Is it that they feed in the cornfields or are they actually fed corn by people?

Seems a shame you’re only allowed to hunt them with a gun 2 weekends of the year.

Maddoghunter wrote on Mar 10^th, 2020 at 11:35am:


Thanks for the reply maddog, here it is overwhelmingly agricultural fields (corn and soybean) that we hunt- the pockets of woods between fields, that sort of thing. As for the gun seasons, I really don't know why its so restricted. I'd probably be alot more upset about it if bowhunting here wasn't so effective.. no rifles either, only slugs, muzzleloaders and handguns

Good photos - they really tell the story.
I wish you good fortune in finding someone here to help point the way - can take a bit of getting used to if you haven't been here before.

I have eaten Stewart Island whitetail cooked in a camp oven, and while that was over forty years ago, I still remember that meal 

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Thanks SF90, there's a lot of story in them I can promise that haha, I'm glad you liked them. Much of the midwest hunting is great and easily accessible at the same time, generally the land is pretty flat.. I'm sure getting used to your beautiful country will take a lot to get used to! That's awesome about Stewart Island, venison is a special thing that's for sure; have you heard of an author named Hank Shaw? Phenomenal wild game cook books, I cant recommend him enough

We’ve got a good deal of flat, but up into wisconsin it gets into hills, and by the river the bluffs are awesome- that’s where those duck hunting pics are from. Can’t express how stoked I am to see nz’s geography up close though, the pictures make it feel like a wild haven and a gift. I’ve heard a bit about Stewart Island, not many places you can hunt whitetail with ocean views, that’s amazing and on the list for sure