Hunting

Starting on October first of each year, Illinois opens up archery season for deer. Usually the season starts slowly and gradually picks up after three to four weeks. When I say slow, I mean that the deer don't like to move around very much because it is too hot. Towards the end of October, when everything starts freezing over, the deer like to stay bedded down for a shorter period of time throughout the day.

The deer generally move from the first crack of light until mid morning, and after that they stay bedded down throughout the day. Sometime during the late afternoon the deer get back up and move one last time before bedding down for the night. During this time the deer are feeding to build fat for the winter.

For a hunter, it is their job to get into the tree stand during these moving times. Usually around the first week of November the deer begin the rut, which is their mating season. During this time bucks run themselves ragged in pursuit of a doe in heat. Bucks, during the rut, are absolutely crazy and unpredictable and they have their minds set only on the does. This time is the best shot for a hunter to score a big buck, simply because they are on the move so much. The rut raps up towards the end of November and early December. By that time it is starting to get extremely cold, and the deer are just trying to get as much fat on their bodies as possible. All they do is move from bedding to feeding each morning and night. This behavior last until the end of the archery season in the middle of January.

By: Patrick Grunloh