Shawnee National Forest

[Cheesehead]

Does anyone have any hunting, fishing or camping experiences in the Shawnee National Forest?

Cheese

[GRIMJIM]

Every year for the last fifteen years, what do you want to know?

[Cheesehead]

I would like to here some deer huntin stories!

Cheese

[GRIMJIM]

Most of my hunts have been pretty typical except for a nine pointer I got once in ferne clyffe state park. I found a washout on the top of a 20 foot tall cliff the perfect size for my hunting seat and me to sit in. It was overlooking a fairly open wooded area that was about thirty yards across then ran steeply downhill to a river. I put out a couple of film canisters with cotton balls in them soaked in deer urine. about an hour after sun up here comes this buck heading right for me. I popped it with my 12 guage and it laid down. I waited what seemed like an eternity and it didn't move so I climbed down and walked up to it. Just then it magically came back to life and ran. Guess where it ran. It ran all the way down the hill and jumped right in the river. I think my friends back at camp heard me swearing. I don't know if it died from the gunshot wound or it drowned. By this point I didn't really care which. So I lean my gun up against a tree and go in after it. I drag it onto shore and gut it next to the river (more of a big creek really) which by now is pretty bloody. Then I get ready to leave and I can't find my shotgun. I will not own another camouflage gun because of this. So I found it after a few minutes of really intense staring at trees. Then the deer was so big and the terrain so steep I couldn't get it out of the woods and had to leave it there and go to the rangers cabin. They came in with a 6 wheeler and hauled it out for me. Nice guys those rangers, I got them a couple of gift certificates at a local bbq joint. Small price to pay for not having a stroke. I see thosa guys every year and they always tell me to come get them if I get another deer down in that gorge.

[Cheesehead]

Good story, great adventure as deer hunting often is. What time of the year was it and what was the weather and landscape like?

Cheese

[GRIMJIM]

Opening weekend mid November about in the 40's i think, it was three years ago. The landscape like I said was steep or should I say STEEP. Typical forest for southern Illinois, oak trees mostly and a lot of ferns, pretty clear shooting lanes though.

It really is a beautiful park, should you ever get the chance to go there in the spring there's waterfalls and unbelievable overlooks. Be careful though especially with little ones, no guardrails. They have primitive and powered camp sites and a lake with some nice bass and they stock it with rainbows too. Really great place to go hiking.