Public Land In Cook County

[largemouth19]

I am Michigan resident and do most of my hunting there. However now that I live in Chicago it is extremely hard to do anything but hunt during the Michigan rifle season. Is there an descent public land in or around Cook County (Chicago) that I can do some bow hunting on? I want something near by so I can scout it out and try and go there once or twice a week. I here most people say just go to Wisconsin but I want something close by so I don't have to worry about hotels and can go before or after work and all that other stuff Wisconsin would involve. I would like to have some where to shotgun hunt also (you guys can't use rifles in Illinois right?) but my primary concern is bow. Let me know what you have to say guys, thanks.

[Woods Walker]

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe that there's any deer hunting whatsoever permitted in Cook County. DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will, yes. But good luck finding a place. I live in rural Kane County and I have to travel to Ogle to hunt!

[largemouth19]

Thanks Woods Walker. I just went on the Illinois DNR website to find as much out as I can. Some of the hoops you have to jump through in Illinois is amazing. In Michigan you take hunter safety, you go buy a license, you shoot a deer (hopefully). None of this buying a hunting license and a window sticker and applying to hunt in this one 600 acre spot. It is almost not worth the hassle. I will just keep driving to Michigan for firearm season and hope I get the hell out of Chicago and can go home soon. No offense but man I hate being in Illinois, I want to go back to my country.

[Deebz]

One thing to say Largemouth19... don't say you hate being in Illinois... say you hate being in Chicago. I live just south of I80, and I might as well be in another country when compared to Chicago. But I definitely don't take any offense anyone saying they don't wan to be in Chicago... I hardly like to even visit

[Big Horse]

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-New ... ois-divide

[largemouth19]

Well the article Big Horse posted goes along with what my response was going to be.

Deebz you are partially correct in that it is more Chicago I hate than Illinois. Most of the state is very beautiful and reminds me of home, which isn't a surprise since they are right across the pond from each other and in the same part of the country.

But based on the politics of Chicago it has ruined what enjoyment there is to be had through out the rest of the state. Same can be said for Detroit though, if we could just cut that off and float it out into lake Erie, minus the Tigers, Wings and Lions. Only problem is Detroit would pollute the rest of the lake lol.

[Woods Walker]

As much as I love that idea of giving Illinois a Chicago enema....a permanent one...it will never happen. We'll have CCW before we have that.

[Big Horse]

As much as I love that idea of giving Illinois a Chicago enema....a permanent one...it will never happen. We'll have CCW before we have that.

Maybe we can give it to Canada. They can access through the lake.

[charlie 01]

Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe that there's any deer hunting whatsoever permitted in Cook County.

It is legal to shoot a deer in the county of Cook in Illinois. For many years it was illegal, but somewhere in the late 70's or early 80's ( I'm not quite sure ) the Cook Co, board changed that ruling and made it legal. I have the notification of it somewhere in my files. The hard part is finding a place to hunt in Cook Co. There is not much open land to do so.

[kellory]

As much as I love that idea of giving Illinois a Chicago enema....a permanent one...it will never happen. We'll have CCW before we have that.

Maybe we can give it to Canada. They can access through the lake.

Tha t's it, let's piss off yet another country.