Illinois public land. Kaskaskia River SFWA

[deltastrutter]

Not looking for specific spots but am interested if anyone knows much about Kaskaskia River public land turkeys in Illinois or other public lands in Randolph county. Any info would be helpful. I got drawn fourth season for Randolph county and Kaskaskia looks like it has lots of water.  I'll be driving 8 hours and didn't know if a boat would be worth hauling g up there.  Lodging eating would also be a plus if anyone knows. Thanks!

[fallhnt]

Kaskaskia is mainly private from the land side so a boat would be your best way to access. Check for flooding before you go. If the river is out of it's banks the birds may be pushed to private ground. Turkey Bluffs is also worth a look. I'm not sure what areas need a site specific permit. I'm assuming you have a Randolph Co. permit.

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[bigbird]

Have you tried the pyramid yet? I saw some around there when I lived out there while we was building the lively grove powerhouse.

[deltastrutter]

Fallhnt: thanks for the info. New to Illinois public land hunting. Been a learning experience in tags and such. MS you buy license and go hunt so there's slight learning curve for sure. I should see if Kaskaskia is site apecific but I did draw Randolph county tag.   

[deltastrutter]

Big bird:  I have not. I'll have to look into that place.  Thanks!

[bigbird]

I'm not a resident of Illinois and all the seasons and stuff they have are kind of confusing. But that place might be a draw area.

[renegade19]

Not being from the area, I'd be real careful about going in by boat in the dark.  I don't THINK any of the public areas in Randolph county are site specific.   If you're coming up from the south, make sure to check and see if Route 3 is open.  It gets closed by the Mississippi fairly often near the Randolph/Jackson County line.

[fallhnt]

You are good to go at Kaskaskia with a Randolph co. permit. The best way to know if it's a special draw site,is to look at the permit application. All the names of site specific ares will be named. If you draw for a site specific area you can not hunt any other area with that permit. Feel free to ask any questions. It's not as hard as it seems to figure out the process after awhile. As for the boat. Be safe. I launch my boat by myself alot. Don't let that stop you. Allow extra time. It's a rewarding experience.

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[deltastrutter]

Fallhnt and bigbird thanks for the tips and advice!  Hopefully in another month I'll be able to come back to this thread with a good Illinois  turkey story!  Best of luck this year!

[deltastrutter]

Renegade 19 thanks for the tip on route 3!

[deltastrutter]

Thanks for all the advice. I was able to kill a bird on Kaskaskia.  It was tough as the birds weren't very vocal rained the whole first day. Boat motor troubles the second. Typical turkey hunting. It was my biggest turkey to date.  Met some local guys that were wealth of knowledge and pointed me in right directions.

[renegade19]

 

[fallhnt]

Congrats

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