Rut hunts fill the Hadley Creek calendar quickly and for good reason. Chasing active bucks as they trail does and break their normal patterns is action packed and exciting. While the rut is exceptional, the early season should not be overlooked. Plenty of trophy bucks are taken by early bow hunters and the season can be very productive.
Rotating Properties and Guides
Hadley Creek rotates you through a new property and guide each day of the hunt. You get fresh looks and experienced guides who are intimate with the deer and opportunities. If you find a hot stand and want to return, you can request that option as well. Access to so many prime properties is a great advantage, and we want our hunters to experience that.
Low Pressure
Deer in the early season are more comfortable feeding and moving as they haven’t experienced hunting pressure yet. They also tend to move along more predictable feeding and bedding patterns. Hunting the feeding areas through the morning and evenings is productive.
Guides Knowledge
Early season success is largely dependent on local knowledge and scouting. The Hadley Creek guides do the legwork. Their knowledge of feeding patterns, bedding areas and individual bucks is a major reason for the early season success. Hunters get to take full advantage of each guide’s knowledge base on the Hadley properties.
Check the Photo Gallery
Browse the Hadley Creek photo galleries and see what we’ve taken during the early season this year. The trophy quality is spectacular and will get you excited for an early season opportunity. You can also check the trail cam photos and start daydreaming about this target rich environment.
Dates and Lodging
The early archery season has three blocks of dates – October 1-5, 11-13 and 15-17. The archery pre-rut has two blocks – October 19-22 and 24-27. There is also an Illinois youth rifle hunt October 7-9. You will spend the nights in one of several comfortable lodges with easy access to the properties. Your hunt is fully catered with excellent meals and great service.
Booking for 2018
While we have a few scattered openings this year during the gun seasons, many hunters are already looking ahead to 2018. These dates tend to fill up quickly, so contact us now or call us at 217-335-3804 to learn more.