Waterfowl Hunting
With over 60 acres of flooded corn and millet, 90 acres of lakes for hunting and refuge and 21 pits and blinds at our members disposal, its no wonder waterfowl hunting is our specialty. We utilize five wetlands, ranging from 6 acres to 12 acres, specifically designed for the purpose of flooding in the fall. We have blinds strategically placed on each wetland to optimize wind and weather to increase our hunters success Below is a breakdown of our waterfowl options. Located just West of Double Cluck is Double T State Fish and Wildlife Area, which is operated as a public hunting area by the State of Illinois. This area has a large refuge and is only hunted 3 days out of the week. This is a huge area (2,000+ acres) that helps us hold lots of birds during the fall migration. On the East side of the club is Lakeland Park. This park is not hunted and is perfect for roosting birds and holding geese. Sandwiched between the two gives us a huge advantage, considering we have tons of food available for the birds. That’s not all that sets us apart from other waterfowl hunting clubs…don’t forget we provide breakfast and lunch on weekends, free bird cleaning, decoys and even guides for our members and their guests!
Ducks
While most duck hunting clubs up and down the Illinois River typically restrict their members to morning hunts, here at Double Cluck we allow our members a chance to hunt when it is convenient for them. By managing which wetlands are hunted each day and by allowing members a chance at afternoon hunting, we once again, have set a new standard for duck hunting clubs. We offer easily accessible blinds by boat or waders. We even offer bank blind options, at each wetland, for even easier accessibility. The blinds are built comfortably, allowing you a chance to sit while the action is slow but still giving you 360 degree shooting capability. The blinds are kid friendly and don’t forget to bring your dog. Building, maintaining and brushing of blinds are done annually by the manager and guide staff. Each blind is built for duck hunters by duck hunters. We use a “beaver hut” style when brushing blinds to help them blend into their surroundings. Each wetland is equipped with an Ice Eater for late season hunting. Decoys are picked up daily and provided by the club. If you forget a robo duck, don’t worry, we got that covered as well. Some duck decoys, Big Foot goose floaters and even a few Big Foot goose decoys will add to the realism of your spread and get the birds close.
Geese
Oh man…do we have geese! This could possibly be the best goose hunting in Illinois! We have 10 pits to choose from, ranging from crop fields to water holes kept open by aerator systems. With geese in mind, we manage Winter Wheat fields, clover fields and rotate row crops to keep the birds coming back for more. Canton was once considered the “Goose Capital of the World” and hunting at our club will show you exactly why! Located less than 5 miles from Cilco and its cooling lake, that keeps birds in the air all season long. We have over 500 Big Foot full body decoys at our members disposal. You can load up your pickup truck or hook on to one of our trailers, with 100-150 decoys, ready to go and hit the pit for a morning, afternoon or all day hunt. Our large spacious pits, Mr. Heaters, and a thermos full of hot coffee from the lodge, is all you need to hunt in comfort. Step up platforms are available for shorter hunters or youth hunters. A tried and true team of expert goose hunters will act as your guides and believe me, these guys know how to work a goose call! When the day gets slow, slip out of the pit, grab a hot meal for lunch and slip back into the pit for the rest of the hunt…that’s only if you didn’t kill a limit before noon of course! During the coldest parts of the winter we have a refuge called Big Lake, that remains open virtually all season long. This deep strip mine lake will hold 10,000-20,000 ducks and geese when conditions are right and the hunting can’t get any better than that. Don’t forget to take a few of our Green Head field mallard decoys with you, because when the ducks are hitting the fields around the club, you can double up on a limit of geese and ducks! P.S. You might want to make room on your lanyard for all the bands you will collect while hunting this club! (See below)
Why Our System Works
It can be argued that hunting in the afternoons runs birds off and will ruin the hunting. While that might be true in the Illinois River bottoms, we are in a unique situation at Double Cluck Farms! Being surrounded by refuge areas on three sides of our property, allows birds a chance to rest throughout the day but come to us, to feed in the mornings and evenings. We rest a large majority of our deep strip mine lakes, we provide food and low hunting pressure on the club to maximize the number of birds using the property at any given time during the year. We manage around 30 goose nesting structures on the property and work closely with the IDNR to band birds on a yearly basis. Winter wheat, clovers, and grasses are maintained for nesting birds throughout the year and provide great food and cover for geese trying to raise their goslings on our club. This large population of local birds helps bring in the migrators later in the year, so we do what we can to take care of them. Waterfowl management for the purpose of hunting is simple…managing a club to provide for wildlife and waterfowl all year long takes commitment and that’s what we do at Double Cluck Farms!