Coppers Creek Outfitters Operating near the Iowa border in the west-central part of Illinois, Coppers Creek Outfitters is a Mecca of whitetail habitat nestled in 3,000 acres of corn and bean fields and a surrounding hexagon shaped maze of wooded fingers consisting of oak groves, hickory, hedge, cherry and elm trees. Streams and creeks meander throughout the Carlson’s property, providing ample water for resident deer. With the addition of well-placed clover and experimental New Zealand Grape and Wild Turnip food plots intended to peak the interest of hormonal bucks and does, that land is a whitetail bowhunting Mecca. Owning more than 60 years of farming experience and an intimate knowledge of the area, outfitters Tom and Beau Carlson and guide Derek Workman have more than 100 stand sites to choose from and they have plenty of land to keep hunters occupied. One interesting tactic that Beau relies on is the behavior of his show sheep. “Sheep are similar to deer and are hoofed animals. If the sheep are moving, so are the deer. Also, they have a very similar breeding period as deer, requiring cooler temperatures and shorter days. Naturally they want to be bred so the lambs are born in the spring and have an increased chance of survival. As the female sheep enter the breeding stage, I closely monitor the bucks’behavior on our property,” stated Beau. If interested in booking a hunt with Coppers Creek Outfitters, contact Tom or Beau Carlson at: (309) 537-3245; www.copperscreek.com.   In the last four years Coppers Creek’s Beau Carlson has helped make the Illinois bowhunting destination a turkey and whitetail hot spot.

Well before daylight I was situated within an old cherry tree, recessed slightly in the field's edge, hoping for morning activity. The next 5.5 hours I sat on stand hoping to spot a buck crossing or entering the field. Besides the sounds of fox squirrels and hedge apples falling from the trees, only the wind howling through the oaks could be heard. By 10:30 it was time to get down and meet Beau.

We arrived back at the lodge and Beau and I were on the same page. I made a couple quick sandwiches, stuffed them down and grabbed a couple bottles of water for the long day ahead. Beau also had a new strategy in mind for the evening hunt. Rather than drive to the powerline in the middle of the field, Beau was going to drop me off at the entrance of the field by the main road and told me to grab my scent line, freshen it up and walk the fence line toward the entrance of the field, along one side of the field edge and around the perimeter of the food plot to the south side of my stand. I also planned to spray doe estrus scent about 30 yards in front of my stand on the ground for about a 15-yard length, enough to hold a bucks attention at close range.

At 11:30, Beau's truck thermometer read 69 degrees. The temperature was as predicted, unusually warm for November, and stalks were blowing across the fields. I got to my stand and was settled in by 15 minutes past noon. Luckily, no deer were seen while walking in and setting up.

By 3 p.m. the weather had cooled a bit and the wind was right on cue with Beau's prediction, blowing straight into the bean field. With a slightly overcast day, what seemed like an increased chance of spotting a buck heightened my attention.

The Finale
About that time I began my routine blind calling cycle, starting with about a minute long rattling sequence, followed by a series of can calls, ending with various toned grunts. Some argue that blind calling is detrimental and educates deer. Maybe so, but I don't sit in stand steel eyed for nothing looking for deer all day. I consider myself to have good hearing and excellent eyesight for spotting deer. If no deer can be seen or heard, I'll attempt a blind-calling sequence. I also repeat the sequence every 20 to 30 minutes hoping that maybe a distant buck that responded to my rattling is now closer and within distance to hear my calls and pinpoint the direction of the sounds.

I was constantly swiveling toward my backside attempting to spot movement in the ravine or on the opposite ridge behind me. Strangely at 4:15 a sixth sense clicked and I turned back to take yet another look. A brown, ghostly shape could be seen on the opposite ridge; a distinctive white tine visible. It was a shooter for sure and luckily he was upwind approaching as Beau had hinted could happen.

I quickly pulled my can call and grunt tube out and attempted to draw him to me, to no avail he drifted out of sight into the ravine below, only offering a few seconds of visual inspection. I didn't want to overcall, so I gave him a few minutes, hoping he would head uphill into the field for food. After a tense couple more minutes without seeing him, I though it was over, the buck drifting unaware out of my sight through the ravine below.

I decided to try to make something happen. I grabbed my rattle bag and went to town on it harder than I ever have before. I smacked it against the tree and vigorously pounded it between my hands for a solid minute hoping the buck would venture my way to inspect the ruckus.