HOWDY ALL!
1. this hunt is to take place sept. 19-23, 2009.
2. all people who read this notice are invited to attend.
3. the hunt will take place on the southern tip of illinois in the shawnee national forest.
4. this is PRIMARILY a rimfire hunt. if you need to bring a shotgun to hunt with, we won't taunt you.....too much. lol.
5.the city closest to the hunt area is ANNA-JONESBORO. anybody who wants to make motel reservations should try to go there as it is the closest to the campground that is going to have motels. the town is about 10-15 miles away.
6. most of us plan to camp. the chosen campground is "pine hills campground" and is located not far from the town of WOLF LAKE. DIRECTIONS TO THE CAMPGROUND ARE TO FOLLOW. camping fees are $5.00 per night. be forewarned...there is NO ELECTRICITY, HOOK UPS OF ANY KIND OR DRINKING WATER! THERE ARE, pit toilets, fire pits, picnic tables and latern hooks. that is all! you will not get cell phone reception from the campground! thank god! you will have to drive a couple miles for that.
7. illinois sells a 5 day non resident license for $28.50. a habitat stamp is also required and will cost you and extra $5.50. these can be bought on-line and i highly suggest you do so.
if you go to ilinois dnr site you will find on-line license there.
http://www.dnr.state.il.usunder the heading LICENSES/PERMITS/STAMPS, you will find the link for online license purchases.
you can put the dates of the hunt on the permit and it will become activated at that time. the limit on squirrels is 5/day 10 IN POSSESION. we aim to eat a bunch as we go along!
note! if you were born after jan 1,1980, you will need either a hunter safety certificate or an old hunting license issued from your own state.
ALL GUNS MUST BE CASED WHEN INSIDE A VEHICLE! PISTOL HOLSTERS DO NOT COUNT AS A CASE. IT MUST BE ZIPPERED, TIED OR IN A HARD CASE. you may carry a pistol while hunting.
NOBODY FROM OUT OF STATE NEEDS A F.O.I.D. CARD and can buy ammo without it. i can't...go figure.
8. a list of things that you may want to know about would contain these items..skeeters, ticks, chiggars, poison ivy(lots!), rattlers, copperheads, and cottenmouth water moccasins. (the snakes are all protected!)
9. PART of the area we will be hunting lies in a special regulations zone. all plants and animals EXCEPT THOSE LISTED in the hunting regs are protected and not legal to take. squirrels, yotes g-hogs and skunks are listed in the regs. and CAN BE TAKEN.
10. snake safety! there are 3 kinds of poisonous snakes there. i also was not kidding about them being protected. they actually close about 7 miles of road there,twice a year, so they can migrate to higher ground with out getting squished.
a. DO NOT PUT YOUR FEET WHERE YOU CAN'T SEE!
PRETTY BASIC. IN OTHER WORDS DON'T GO
WADING OFF THROUGH SOME HAY FIELD OR WEED PATCH ON YOUR WAY TO THE WOODS.
b. DO NOT STEP OVER LOGS OR LARGE ROCKS! INSTEAD STEP UP ON THEM AND LOOK ON THE OTHER SIDE AND IF YOU CAN,T SEE BACK UNDER IT,WALK AROUND.
c. BE VERY CAREFUL IN CLIMBING STEEP CREEKBANKS. SNAKES LIKE TO LAY UNDER THE WASHED OUT ROOTS OF TREES AND WHEN YOU
GRAB THE TRUNK TO PULL YOURSELF UP, YOUR
ENTIRE BODY CAN COME INTO STRIKING RANGE.
d. DO NOT CHASE CRIPPLED SQUIRRELS
THROUGH THE WOODS! MOST OF YOU HAVE REPEATERS AND RIMFIRE AMMO IS CHEAP! IN SNAKE COUNTRY, ANY SQUIRREL THAT EVEN LOOKS LIKE HE MIGHT
HAVE SOME LIFE IN HIM SHOULD BE SHOT AGAIN IMMEDIATELY!
e. IF YOU'RE IN THE WOODS BEFORE OR AFTER DARK CARRY A GOOD LIGHT. PROBABLY WON'T HELP BUT YOU'LL FEEL BETTER.
f. KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN IN ROCKY CREEK BEDS OR ANY WET OR EVEN DAMP SPOTS AND ALONG ROCK WALLS THAT BORDER THE WATER.
i pasted this in from the "squirrel hunters...the tree kind thread". that thread is a compilation of very useful information from experienced hunters who are not trying to get you to buy anything!
11.hunters are required to keep game seperately identifiable. if you share a cooler with somebody , then you will need bags that can be marked with your name.
12. people who can't do without hook ups for trailers can camp at devil's backbone in GRAND TOWER. THE camp is right on the banks of the ole mississippi river and is about 10-15 miles from the PINE HILLS CAMP. grand tower can be located on rt. 3 just north of wolf lake.
13. no vehicles of any kind are allowed off the road. no 4 wheelers or dirt bikes, so leave em home!
14. there are places to fish around there and a one day license can be had for $5.50. just in case you need a break from hunting....yeah ...right!
15. women and children are welcome. BUT! there will be a designated camp at which after a certain time in the evening children and sensitive folks will be politely asked to make their disappearance! no offense meant to anybody and that's how we aim to NOT OFFEND ANYBODY.
16. the terrain in shawnee can be very tough. the hills only go to about 600 feet but can be quite steep. there are flat places to hunt but you may have to drive a couple of miles to get to them. in the hills you will find 99% grey squirrels. in the flats you will find the larger portion to be fox squirrels.
DIRECTIONS TO PINE HILLS CAMPGROUND:
FIND RT.3 THAT RUNS ON THE SOUTHWESTERN EDGE OF S. ILLINOIS. IT RUNS CLOSE TO THE MISS. RIVER. LOCATE THE SMALL TOWN OF WOLF LAKE. THE ROAD THAT LEADS TO THE CAMP GROUND IS ON THE SOUTH EDGE OF WOLF LAKE.THERE IS A LARGE CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT JUNK YARD ALL ALONG THE ROAD THRERE. THE ROAD IS AT THE BOUNDARY EDGE OF THE JUNKYARD. THERE IS A BROWN SIGN THAT POINTS TO TRAIL OF TEARS STATE FOREST. THE ROAD ONLY GOES EAST.
TAKE THIS ROAD FOR 1-1/2 MILES AND YOU WILL FIND A SIGN THAT POINTS TO THE PINE HILLS CAMPGROUND. THE CAMP IS ABOUT 1 MILE DOWN THE ROCK ROAD. FEES ARE $5/NIGHT.
