Input appreciated:

I have the opportunity to deer hunt Illinois this up coming season. Here is my question: I talked to the land owner this past weekend. Here is my dilemma: archery, shotgun or muzzleloader are my only hunting options. I don’t archery hunt anymore. It’s actually been over 10 years. I don’t deer hunt with either a shotgun or muzzleloader. So due to the rules I have choose my method.

1. Go back to archery?
2. Shoot a slug?
3. Go with a muzzleloader?

Any Illinois advice or recommendations?

Muzzleloaders these days are as good as a rifle . 200 yard accuracy

I went to two different stores and they didn’t sell muzzleloaders?

Find out from Illinois game dept if the straight wall cartridges like .350 Legend are legal to use during ML season.

They are not allowed yet in Illinois, but you can use a revolver or single shot pistol like a Thompson Center Contender using a straight walled cartridge.

There is plenty of time to re-familiarize yourself with a compound bow in time for season ( a crossbow is another option ). I can’t remember if you can still bowhunt during Illinois whitetail gun season, but that is some good bowhunting country.

If you can conceivably have some good archery setups in place, I would be tempted to go that route. If not and you are limited to existing firearm stands or having to throw something together quick, I would probably get ahold of a good scoped slug gun with a rifled barrel and get proficient with it.

What shotguns do you have? Slug barrel + scope would be a fairly cheap and useful option for other situations beyond just Illinois.

I appreciate the feedback this far. I’m leaning towards either a solid muzzleloader or shotgun slug gun. I think these would be my choices. The first choice being a shotgun. Now I have to find one!

I do none of those. If I were in your position and learned that I could kill at 100 yards with a shotgun set up I'd be all over that. Not being familiar with either for deer hunting it seems that shotgun would be quicker and easier to get comfortable with.

Archery

Curious....where in Illinois will you be hunting?

I would go with the shotgun w/ slugs. My 870 with Hornady SST's is as accurate as my rifles, and 200 yard shots are very doable. Plus, you have the advantage of 3 quick shots!

The first firearm season is also in mid-November close to the rut. Second firearm season (first week of Dec) is still before the muzzleloader only season in mid-December.

Either the mentioned 870 with SSTs or a muzzleloader.

There is a nice CVA Optima V2 .50 for sale in the classifieds .

First deer I killed was with an old Winchester 97 using a slug. Killed several more when I lived in Maine using an 870. Take the plug out and load it with slugs and buckshot. Slug, buckshot, buckshot, slug, buckshot is the order I always loaded mine. Hunt like you are bow hunting and don't take those long shots that are iffy. Just have to go to the range to see what you can and can't do with the slugs and buckshot.

I actually might have two opportunities. First one is outside of Macomb and maybe on the second one Pike county. My son is a minister and moved to Illinois and I had the fortune to meet a few farmers. None of them hunt but extended an offer to me after finding out I enjoy it.

Sounds like a great opportunity!

There is a good deal on CVA MZ in the classified forum right now. everything you need. I'd go MZ and the late season can be really good if you have a set up for the snow and temps and a heater for that long sit

I grew up in Illinois and still go back to hunt. The best option is a dedicated slug gun. Get a bolt action, fully rifled barrel and premium sabot slugs and you will be amazed at what a shotgun can do. I use a Marlin 512, but the Savage 212 and 220 are excellent guns. If I were buying new today, I would probably buy a 220.

You can get rifled barrel for a shotgun you may have, but by the time you buy the barrel and scope mounts, it gets expensive quick and still won't have the accuracy of a specialized tool.

^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Invest some cash in a good smoke pole and scope and it'll shoot great

Thanks - All very good information.

My brother-in-law lives in southern Illinois. His back yard is the Shawnee National Forest. He bow hunts with a compound and his wife uses a crossbow. He also hunts the gun season with a slug gun. The gun season is very short. I'm going up there next year and I'm carrying my crossbow. Lots of big deer up there

A good crossbow would be an option; it is legal in Illinois. Most of the muzzys these days will give you an accurate shot out to 200 yards and beyond; with a little practice you can shoot out to 300 yards!

I hunted several years ago near Barry, IL and was successful with my shot at 150 yards. Saw a real monster at 190, but could not get a clear shot while he was walking!

Deer hunting in the Midwest is completely different than hunting in Texas....and I dare say more enjoyable. They are a completely different whitetail than what we have down here....huge in body

Compound/Crossbow the 2nd week of November during peak rut - It is unbelievable!

You will need to hunt a good food source with the shotgun/slug or muzzleloader. You will need to work with the farmer to make sure there is a planted food source. Also, baiting is illegal in IL - the game wardens are strict and not afraid to issue out citations. Follow the laws/regulations to a tee particularly on transporting weapons (this includes bows).

Illinois is awesome. I hunted there in 2011 and 2012 and chomping at the bit to get back. I hunted Pike County.
Their firearms seasons are very short. I believe like a Sat, Sun & Mon and then 2nd season is Fri, Sat & Sun or something similar.
10/30 through about 11/10 can be some sort of amazing in the woods up there.
I never shot a buck up there but that is all on me. I missed a couple.
I saw the biggest deer that I have ever seen in my life there. Im not sure that I know what a 200" deer looks like but Im guessing this deer was all of that. He was on the neighbors property and I saw him 3 evenings in a row.
Multiple encounters with 140" deer and a few a little bigger.
I would not hesitate to jump on this and go for a rut archery hunt or 1st firearm season.

The buddy that I leased from in 2011 and 12 just bought another farm in Southern Illinois in Sept and I was going to hunt it but some guys from Florida paid him $10,000 to lease it. he just purchased another farm last month and I may give it a whirl this year.

I love Illinois deer hunting.