You Ready to Hunt Trophy Whitetail Deer in Illinois?
Illinois is one of the best deer hunting destinations in the United States for trophy whitetail deer.
The hunting in Southern Illinois is outstanding and the Rend Lake region near the town of Benton Illinois is known for lots of deer and giant bucks. Our deer population is thriving, and Boneyard Outfitters is in the heart of prime buck country. We run one of the best outfitting guide services for Illinois deer hunting.
We've grown up chasing big whitetail bucks in the area so we know their patterns, and how they move as the seasons change. You'll be hunting on thousands of acres of private land. Unlike other parts of Illinois, deer populations are thriving here. Our deer density is very high here in Southern Illinois. These high numbers and a healthy herd means our deer hunters have a great chance for a shot at a big buck. Most of our hunting properties have ladder stands in prime locations. But hunters are welcome to bring a ground blind or climbing tree stand as well.
Contact Boneyard Outfitters for a quality, affordable Illinois guided deer hunt. We have some of the best Illinois whitetail deer hunting in the country!
And we have kept our rates very reasonable so we have a lot of repeat hunters each year. With lodging and home cooked meals included, we offer a great hunt at great price!
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Deer Hunting
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2025 ILLINOIS GUIDED WHITETAIL HUNTS
Rates & Details
BOWHUNT SPECIAL -BOOK A GROUP OF 4 AND SAVE $200 PER HUNTER!
NEW LODGING OPTION! We've added clean, comfortable hard-sided campers to give our hunting guests another sleeping option!
CALL TODAY FOR AVAILABLE DATES, DETAILS AND BOOK: 618-927-3432
We take a break between our 5-day archery hunts to give our hunting areas a chance to "cool down" between groups. Simply put – reduced hunting pressure increases deer activity on our properties. We have limited dates and limit the number of hunters we take per week. If you would like a date reserved, contact us asap to reserve your spot now. We currently have great pre-rut guided bow hunts available in October, and firearm deer hunts in November & December. Call us now before we book up!
We have spots still open for fall of 2025, so call Jason for dates and rates.Ask about group discounts.
| 5-DAY ARCHERY HUNT RATES- ASK ABOUT COMBO GUN HUNTS | |
| • | October 2025 –– $2,100 (any available days) (price is per person. includes meals & lodging) |
| • | November RUT 2025 –– $2,500 (for last few remaining hunts) (price is per person. includes meals & lodging) |
| • | December 2025 –– $1,900 (price is per person. includes meals & lodging) |
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2025 Gun Hunts: Shotgun & Muzzleloader Rates
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Oct. Youth Hunt Nov. Rut (1st gun) |
3-day gun hunt 3-day gun hunt |
$1600 $2,700 |
| Nov/Dec. Rut (2nd gun) | 4-day gun hunt | $2,500 |
| Dec. Muzzleloader | 3-day muzzleloader | $1,950 |
| All food and lodging is included in the cost of gun hunts. Additional nights food and lodging is $50 per night. A non-hunting guest is welcome at $50 per night. | ||
| For Late Season or Youth hunts, call for dates and prices 618-927-3432. Youth Hunt dates are not available yet but are usually Columbus Day weekend in October and run Saturday, Sunday and Monday (kids are off school on Monday!). | ||
What's Included:
Guided hunts are mostly all-inclusive except travel costs, airline tickets, tips, extra processing, taxidermy and liquor. Night before your hunt starts and night after your hunt ends are also included.
License and Permit Requirements:
Out of state Deer permits:
Archery - $400
Gun - $315
Out of state hunting license $40
Illinois residents- apply for Franklin County
What to Expect:
Arrive in camp the night before your hunt, and your guide will get you checked in. The morning of your hunt, you will meet at the lodge for a cup of coffee and arrange travel to the stand sites. Then it’s off to the woods. You will be taken to one of our prime hunting stands. We use lock-ons and ladder stands that have been placed near prime feeding areas, travel corridors and trails.
Your guide will leave you at your stand for the morning hunt. If you prefer to sit all day, that’s not a problem. Most Boone and Crockett bucks are shot between 10 and 2, so if you have the patience you may get a shot at one. If you choose to move, your guide can set you up in a new stand site for the afternoon hunt. But we encourage hunters to stay in the stand as to not disturb the woods and impact the deer activity. Our stands are in proven spots that have taken lots of big bucks over the years.
After you kill your buck, our guides will come out and retrieve your deer and bring it back to the lodge where we will skin, quarter and get your venison on ice. So be sure to bring a cooler!
After the hunt, enjoy a hot home cooked meal at the lodge and then share the days events with other hunters in camp around the bonfire.
Lodging and meals are provided. But you will be responsible for bringing your own gear including gun, bow/arrows, camo, licenses etc. Gun hunters can only use a shotgun OR muzzleloader (rifles are not legal to hunt deer in Illinois). You CAN use a muzzleloader for shotgun season but CANNOT use shotgun for the muzzleloader season. Hunters must also wear blaze orange during gun season (at least 400 cubic inches AND a blaze orange hat).
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW
1. To hunt deer in Illinois, you need a VALID ILLINOIS HUNTING LICENSE in addition to your ILLINOIS DEER PERMIT. You need to purchase those before the season.
2. A BLAZE ORANGE vest and hat is required by illinois law. Be sure to bring those.
3. Practice with your weapon before you show up for the hunt. And be sure your gun or bow is sighted in accurately.
4. Communicate with us about the hunt. Let us know if you have any physical conditions that might hinder your hunting or shooting abilities. We can also accommodate you with ground blinds if necessary. Lastly, be sure to tip your guides, they work hard to get you on deer.
DEPOSIT POLICY: We require a deposit of half down at time of booking, the other half paid when you arrive at camp. Deposits are non-refundabled. In the event of emergency cancellations, deposit could potentially be applied to a future hunt at the sole discretion of Jason Johns pending reason for cancellation.
