You Ready to Hunt Trophy Whitetail Deer in Illinois?
It's no secret that Southern Illinois is one of the top deer hunting destinations in the United States for trophy deer hunts!
The hunting in Southern Illinois in 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 big buck country. We run one of the best outfitting guide services for trophy Illinois whitetail hunting.
We've grown up chasing big whitetail bucks in the area and know their patterns. You'll be hunting on thousands of acres of private land. Unlike other parts of Illinois, deer populations are thriving with deer density still very high in Southern Illinois. These high numbers and a healthy herd means our deer hunters have a great chance of a crack at big bucks. 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 Illinois guided deer hunt. We have some of the best Illinois whitetail deer hunting in the country!
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2023 ILLINOIS GUIDED WHITETAIL HUNTS
Rates & Details
IMPORTANT UPDATE- BOOK NOW BEFORE RATE INCREASE! We will be raising our rates for the 2023 hunting season. If you are a previous Boneyard Hunter or you book before January 1, 2023, you can reserve your hunt at this past season's rates!
NEW LODGING OPTION! We've added a brand new hard-sided camper to give our hunting guests another sleeping option!
CALL TODAY FOR AVAILABLE DATES, DETAILS AND BOOK: 618-927-3432
We put a break between our 5-day archery hunts to give our hunting areas a chance to "cool down" between groups. When you arrive at your Boneyard hunting stand, you'll know that someone hasn't been sitting in your stand for the last several days. Simply put – reducing hunting pressure increases deer activity on our properties. We have limited dates and 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 a few firearm deer hunts in November & December. Call us today before we book up!
We have a few spots still open, call Jason for dates and rates.Ask about group discounts.
| 5-DAY ARCHERY HUNT RATES- ASK ABOUT COMBO GUN HUNTS | |
| • | October 2023 –– $1,900 (any available days) (price is per person. includes meals & lodging) |
| • | November RUT 2023 –– $2,300 (for last few remaining hunts) (price is per person. includes meals & lodging) |
| • | December 2023 –– $1,700 (price is per person. includes meals & lodging) |
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2023 Gun Hunts: Shotgun & Muzzleloader Rates
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Oct. Youth Hunt Nov. Rut |
3-day gun hunt 3-day gun hunt |
$1400 $2,500 |
| Nov. Dec. Rut Hunt | 4-day gun hunt | $2,300 |
| Dec. Muzzleloader | 3-day muzzleloader | $1,800 |
| 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 a skull session with the guides to assign 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 strategically located over prime feeding areas 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 will set you up in a new stand site for the afternoon hunt. But we encourage hunters to stay in the stand all day to increase your chances of killing a big buck.
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).
A couple tips:
Practice with your weapon before you show up for the hunt. Our guides will get you an opportunity to shoot. The rest is up to you.
Let us know if you have any physical conditions that might hinder your hunting. 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 but in emergency cancellations may be applied to a future hunt at the discretion of Jason Johns and reason for cancellation.
