Mentored Archery Deer Hunts at State Sites, Making Access Easier for New Hunters

by Kaleb Wood | August 1, 2025 | Recreation

A group of white-tailed deer graze in a mowed grassy area.

Photo by Dan Stephens.

The call to hunt can come at any point in life. Plenty of adults are starting to pick up hunting to experience the outdoors in a different way, provide food for their family and friends, or to learn a new skillset that can provide for generations to come. No matter the reason, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is always happy to see new people get their first hunting license, whether it be trying out hunting with an Apprentice Hunting License or by completing IDNR’s Hunter Safety Education course to buy their first regular hunting license. These new hunters can take part in all that we, as managers, work so hard to create and maintain.

A young hunter kneels on the forest floor covered by leaf litter and poses with her successful harvested white-tailed deer. In the background is woodland. — Photo courtesy of Todd Gatlin.

While many young hunters are lucky enough to have a parent or relative to show them the ropes when the call to go hunting comes, some new hunters do not have that luxury. Two of the largest barriers that new hunters, youth and adult alike, struggle to overcome are: 1.) learning the skills and knowledge of hunting, and 2.) finding accessible property to hunt. IDNR’s Hunter Heritage Program (HHP) is working to lower those barriers and allow new hunters to access low-pressure areas of public land with a mentor. Sharing a blind with a mentor allows new hunters to learn the craft of hunting in a comfortable environment and hopefully have a successful experience in the field.

Mentored Archery Hunt at Kickapoo State Recreation Area

Beginning in 2020, Kickapoo State Recreation Area in Oakwood (Vermilion County) has hosted a Mentored Archery Deer Hunt, with fixed blinds that are equally allocated between youth and adult hunters. Blinds are located in easily accessible areas that typically see zero deer hunting pressure, and where other means of public traffic are closed during the hunting period. For hunters to participate in this hunt, they must meet a few qualifications: 1.) Be an Illinois resident, 2.) Not have harvested a deer in the past, and 3.) Not have more than a combined three years of deer permits issued in their name.

A hunter in camouflage gear pauses to kneel and pose next to a brown wooden park sign while carting out his successfully harvested white-tailed deer. In the background is an agricultural field planted to corn and left for wildlife in winter. — Photo by Dan Stephens.

Prospective hunters will be able to enter a publicly announced lottery in October/November. If they are drawn for one of the hunt periods, they will be assigned a blind for a one-week period. With their own mentor and equipment, they can hunt an area exclusively for that one-week period, coming and going as they please, until they harvest a deer or their period ends (we always hope for the former). For a glimpse into what the experience of these hunts is like, check out this great synopsis from the perspective of mentor Dan Stephens who is with Illinois Learn to Hunt.

Program Expands to Fox Ridge State Park

With the response received from new and novice hunters, in 2024 the IDNR HHP expanded the program to Fox Ridge State Park in Charleston (Coles County) offering more opportunities for new hunters to get out and comfortably learn about hunting.

While these opportunities currently are restricted to IDNR’s Region 3 (east-central Illinois), IDNR’s HHP staff are actively working to expand the program to all five regions, allowing new and novice hunters throughout the state the chance to experience a hunt with the Mentored Archery Deer Hunting program.

How to Participate in a Mentored Archery Hunt

A hunter wearing camouflage gear and kneeling next to his successfully harvested white-tailed deer. In the background is a brushy woodland. — Photo by Dan Stephens.

The 2024-25 harvest success rate for archery hunters in Illinois (harvest/permits sold) was 31.6 percent. Harvest success rates for hunters in the Mentored Archery Deer Hunting program range from 50 to 60 percent from year to year. If you are a new or novice hunter that would like to try out archery deer hunting, watch for an October IDNR press and social media posts announcing that the lottery is open.

Check out the Illinois Learn to Hunt program for information on their many workshops and seminars and webinars. These may provide you with the opportunity to brush up on skills and possibly connect you with a mentor if you need one.

If you have any questions about the program, or have a site in mind in your region that you would like for the IDNR Hunter Heritage Program to look into for possible future program expansions, email DNR.MentoredHunts@Illinois.gov.

Good hunting!

Kaleb Wood earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from Eastern Illinois University and he is completing his master’s degree from the university. As an IDNR District Wildlife Biologist, Wood covers Champaign and Vermilion counties. Another component of Wood’s job is as a Hunter Heritage Biologist where he works as a hunter access specialist.