The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge hosted its first Family Deer Hunt on November 18-19 at Lost Mound Unit in Savanna, Illinois. This hunt combined the former Youth Hunt with Illinois’ First Firearms Season.
The change-over from a Youth Hunt to a Family Hunt had several benefits that included moving it from October to November, fewer mosquitoes and ticks, the deer rut was in full swing, and parents/family could hunt with youth.
Sixteen families participated that included five female hunters. Hunters were from Florida, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin. The Florida youth accompanied her disabled family members that hunted last week in the hunt for disabled hunters.
Four deer were harvested by youth that included three bucks and one doe. Three of the deer were harvested by young ladies. Max Ferguson from Savanna, Illinois harvested the largest buck, an eight-pointer.
Seth Nelson assisted hunters with his deer tracking dog, Maverick, a German shepherd. Seth is owner of Down Deer Recovery. This is the seventh year Down Deer Recovery has assisted Lost Mound hunters. This deer tracking service is critical in recovering deer that have been shot and travel a long distance without leaving a blood trail that hunters can’t follow.
Maverick relies on his keen scent to assist hunters in finding deer. He doesn’t follow a blood trail like hunters must do to find a deer. Instead, he follows the scent of a stress pheromone released through the hooves of a wounded deer and will walk past a deer that is not wounded.
District Manager Ed Britton explained “Lost Mound provides a unique hunting opportunity for youth and family. There are 35 hunt sites
and many of our youth harvest their first deer here due to the high-quality hunt.”
Special deer hunts for youth (ages 10-17) and hunters with disabilities began in 2007 at Lost Mound. They are conducted in areas that are closed to public access due to ongoing environmental cleanup at this shuttered military installation, the Savanna Army Depot. These special hunts require a tremendous effort on the part of Refuge staff and volunteers that enjoy the opportunity to work with hunters.
The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the most visited Refuge in the United States. It extends 261 miles along the Upper Mississippi River protecting and preserving habitat for migratory birds, fish, and a variety of other wildlife. This 240,000-acre Refuge was established in 1924.
