Pike County Illinois Deer Hunting Outfitter

Thanks for your interest in Hadley Creek Outfitters. If you're a serious whitetail hunter you undoubtedly know Pike County Illinois as one of the best, if not the best place in North America to hunt trophy whitetails. We began offering guided whitetail hunts in 1997 on a thousand acres of Pike County Illinois land with one lodge, a small dedicated staff of part time employees, a dream and a goal.

That goal was simple... to make Hadley Creek the best free-range trophy whitetail outfitter period! That goal and commitment has driven every decision we make, from the number and quality of acres we hunt, to the amount of pressure we allow on our deer.

Our Trophy Quality Improves Each Year! We manage so the age structure and trophy quality of our deer herd improves each year. In our early years, a 150 class buck was cause for celebration. Now it's just average as our clients regularly see and kill 160's and above. In 2012, sixteen of the 185 bucks killed at Hadley Creek grossed over 170. In the three seasons of 2010, through 2012, Hadley hunters killed 54 bucks that scored over the 170 inch mark. You can see that improvement for yourself, right now, by comparing Hadley Creek bucks taken each season since 2000 on our photo gallery pages. As far as we know, Hadley Creek is still the only free range whitetail outfitter willing to post photos of bucks taken each season on their website. Check us out. Our clients success is our best advertising. Over 80% of our hunters are repeat clients or referrals from past clients.

What It Takes To Produce Quality Bucks. Biologists will tell you there's no real secret to growing trophy whitetails. It takes good genetics, the right food, habitat, and proper management of the deer herd's age and sex structure. And while west central Illinois is blessed with the "best of the best" of these ingredients, growing good bucks is just part of the equation. Having deer and producing them for hunters are two totally different things.

When Bigger Is Better. To consistently put big bucks on the ground an outfitter obviously needs the deer, but having trophy bucks is just the starting point. He needs to manage the land and the hunters as well. Not enough quality ground, too many hunters, too few stands, inadequate food, too much pressure, poor stand placement, killing small bucks... these are the things that turn potentially great hunts into mediocre experiences. For many outfitters it becomes a numbers game and they simply have to over-hunt their ground to make it pay.

At Hadley Creek Outfitters, the success of our farming operation and real estate partnerships allows us to invest and expand, and we continue to add quality hunting ground, upgrade equipment and lodging, hire additional full and part time employees... not to get bigger... but to get better. Bigger isn't our goal, but bigger is definitely better when it gives us the acreage necessary to manage and improve the quality of our deer herd. Bigger is better when it provides the flexibility to move hunters to quality farms when the unexpected happens. Bigger is better when it lets us keep hunting pressure low and hunter success high.

And bigger is better when it allows us to deliver on our promise to improve the trophy quality of our deer herd each season.