Southern Illinois has steadily grown in popularity as a prime hunting destination, especially for those in pursuit of trophy whitetail deer. With its diverse terrain of rich farmland, rolling hills, hardwood forests, and thick river bottoms, the region provides ideal habitat for growing big-bodied, heavy-antlered bucks. Each fall, hunters from across the country descend on southern Illinois in hopes of tagging a mature whitetail, and the area’s reputation for producing Boone and Crockett class deer only adds to its allure. Counties like Pope, Union, and Williamson are particularly renowned, thanks in part to carefully managed private lands, strict local harvest regulations, and a culture that prioritizes quality over quantity. Many hunters return annually, developing long-term leases or booking guided hunts with local outfitters who offer deep knowledge of the land and deer movement patterns. The region’s mild climate, long growing seasons, and access to agricultural crops such as corn and soybeans help create the perfect environment for deer to thrive—both in population and size. Trail cameras in the region frequently capture images of bucks with wide spreads, thick bases, and impressive mass, making it a bucket-list spot for any serious whitetail hunter.

Trophy Whitetail Destination

In addition to its own rich offerings, southern Illinois also serves as a launching pad for hunters involved in partner hunts across other parts of the country. Many outfitters and hunting groups in the region have formed networks with operations in the western United States, giving their clients access to a wider range of big game opportunities. One of the most highly sought-after experiences is the chance to secure elk tags in New Mexico, a state famous for its vast, mountainous terrain and thriving elk population. Unlike the lottery systems in some states, certain private landowners in New Mexico are allocated elk tags through the Landowner Permit system, making it possible for hunters to bypass the public draw process and hunt premium units. These guided elk hunts are often coordinated through outfitters based in the Midwest, including Illinois, who have long-standing relationships with ranches and guides out West. It’s not uncommon for hunters who tag a trophy whitetail in Illinois in November to head to New Mexico in early December for a high-country elk hunt, creating a multi-state adventure that offers both challenge and reward.

Partnership Hunts

Partner hunts provide more than just variety—they build community among hunters, create cross-regional support for conservation efforts, and allow for a richer understanding of America’s diverse wildlife ecosystems. They also offer unique learning opportunities, as hunters must adapt to different terrain, species behavior, and shooting scenarios. While stalking a bull elk in the high elevations of New Mexico’s Gila Wilderness is a far cry from sitting in a tree stand in the oak ridges of Illinois, both experiences demand patience, precision, and respect for the animal. For many outdoorsmen and women, the journey from southern Illinois’s legendary deer woods to the bugling elk valleys of New Mexico represents the full spectrum of what American big-game hunting has to offer—rich tradition, thrilling adventure, and the pursuit of excellence in every season.

The new trend in virtually all areas is upcycling. It is the process of taking something old and giving it a new and more beautiful life. If you have an old table that looks well used, you can sand it down and either repaint or restain it. New life has been brought to it at that point and instead of being an eyesore-it can be your new favorite piece. If you only take a calculated effort to repurpose and reuse those things, you will get new furnishings without the cost of new furnishings. You will also be saving the world and keeping things more beautiful.

Why Repurpose and Reuse?

Basically every county in every state has a public landfill. Have you ever truly considered how much furniture that still has life in it, has been tossed away? The truth is, there are old dressers, old tables, chairs and more being tossed out because they have a small stain or tear in them.

By taking a little time to repurpose and reuse, you are going to have a piece of furniture that looks fantastic for years. It doesn’t take a lot of effort usually, and the end results can astound you, your family, and anyone else who stops by your home.

The Best Results for All Your Projects

It is easy to get desirable results from a DIY project where you take this and turn it into that. You can turn a dresser into a chair with a little creativity. Pallets can become end tables, coffee tables, and benches. The key is to pick your stuff and come up with a plan. With the right plan, you can do it and virtually eliminate any waste at all.

Let’s say that you want to turn an old wooden dining room table into something beautiful. I can be done by sanding it. Then, if you want, you can cut it down the middle. Take it apart if you want. Make it larger or smaller by creating an epoxy river or taking out a piece of it to save for times when you want to make it larger. If you take wood away from it, you can use that for another project. To epoxy over the table, you can use an epoxy calculator to further save on waste.

Saving Waste-Saving Everything

The best thing about upcycling and repurposing items that you have around your home is that it can lessen the environmental impact that comes along with the “waste”. This is very important to most people who try to upcycle everything. It is about much more than turning old into new. It is about using what we can and saving everything that would otherwise be tossed out. In today’s world, this is perhaps one of the most valuable things that we can do. It may be what saves us all from leaving our world in a mess for future generations.

A sad truth is that we live in a world where most people are concerned about their overall safety. Crimes and violence are on the rise. The one place that we should feel most safe is also at times being attacked. It is our home that some people try to invade. They come in and rob us, but at times, they may also cause violence while they are there. For this reason, a lot of concerned citizens want to increase their home’s safety, but most also want to know that they are safely going green while they protect their home and family.

Why “Green” for Home Security

When we think of home security, we often think of all the things that require power to work properly. For instance, security cameras, motion lights, street lamps, and security systems that protect all doors and windows with an invisible layer of protection. All of these things make us feel safer, but they do require us to run power to all these devices, which adds up over time. The more power we use in our homes, the more our bills go up and the more power our local power plant has to produce. Beyond that, we also use fences and gates to keep us safely inside of our own little “world”. The fences are often trees that have to be cut down, which also affects the environment, or steel which could eventually end up in a land field. How do we gain the “safe” feeling while making less of a negative impact on the world that we live in? It is something that puzzles most homeowners, but it really isn’t that complicated.

Upgrading to “Green” Security

Solar power is one of the easiest ways to ensure that all your security devices stay powered up without running up your electric bill. There are some very small solar panels available that have more than enough power to handle security cameras, lights, and more. There are also solar powered gates that you can put at the end of your driveway without running a power supply to it. The sun gives them a charge and they will work throughout the night and open for you to be able to go to work, school, and running errands. If you are worried about the trees that get damaged by your fences or the steel that will rust over time, you can search for other options. You may plant trees to replace the wood that your fence uses. There are PVC fences and posts that you may opt to use instead. There are many choices for Earth-friendly things.

For the Good of All

Although we live in a time where safety matters, so does the planet that we live on. If we all think about the options we have available, we can overcome both issues. It is easier than you may expect. There are a lot of ways to live in an environmentally friendly way. You simply have to think a little outside of the box.

We all, despite our differences, live in and share one world. This is why so many people are attempting to take care of it. We have to, because when this world is beyond repair, we cannot get a replacement. With that, we are also trying to maintain a delicate balance that includes trying to solve the problems that we have with the Earth, without causing more damage than we can repair. One example of this comes in the form of pest control. Virtually everyone hates insects, but are pesticides safe for the environment?

The Problem with Pests

In general, pests are an annoyance that can sometimes cause painful, itching bites. They are most commonly an issue during the spring and summer months when we all want to get into the great outdoors and spend a little time enjoying life on our planet. These insects spread diseases and prevent us from doing the things that we love because no one wants to get bitten. Some people also have allergies that get worse when bitten. A yellow fly or a horsefly bite can swell some people up very bad. The effects of these bites can be very bad, depending on where the bite takes place. We have the option of spraying repellents on ourselves, but then we also have to wonder if it is good for our skin and body to do so. What do we really need to do?

Keeping Earth Safe

There is a concern that if all homeowners start spraying pesticides, we will end up causing more damage than good. There are a lot of chemicals in many of the sprays that we use and depend on. Is there a good option if you want a mosquito killer spray? The answer to this is, “yes”. It is a killer spray like this that is able to get rid of the insects without causing damage to all who are exposed to it. It is also a better choice for the environment, especially if you use it alongside of other pest control options.

Take Back Your Summer Life

Other pest control options include keeping damp leaves picked up, ensuring you do not have standing water nearby, and more. If you eliminate insect homes, breeding areas, and more; you are going to be finally taking a stand against them. With a little effort, you can win. This will enable you to get back into the great outdoors where you want to spend your summer months. You will be able to go swimming without concerns about bugs coming to sip from your pool and potentially bite you. You can host a backyard barbecue without worry that you will spend the entire evening scratching those itchy bites. You can sit in a hammock and read a good book without worry about gnats or Noseeums swarming around your face. It will be freedom from all things that may be “bugging” you, and you can enjoy it throughout not only the summer months, but all other seasons as well. Are you ready to enjoy summer again?

When you look around you at the world we live in, you see trees, flowers, water, and much more. What we do not often see or think about is how all those things come to be where they are. What makes the plants grow? The trees grow? New flowers to bloom during the spring? The simple, most surprising answer is bees. Beauty depends on bees and we do as well.

Bees and Nature

When you look out into a field, you will see a lot of wildflowers in full bloom during certain times of the year. If we lived in a world that did not include bees, we would be living in a world where there were no plants, no trees, and no real color. There would be no wildflowers filling the fields with colors that range from white to deep purple and blue. Without those things, there would be no fresh air for us to breathe. This makes them vital to our existence. We have those things because bees take care of pollination. They spread pollen from one plant to another and enable it to continue to grow.

Bees Do More than Pollinate Flowers

We have fields of vegetables and fruits. They are an important part of our survival. Each of those trees, bushes, and plants form a flower before they produce a fruit. Bees land on the flowers and pick up pieces of it which they transfer to other things. It is also what enables them to make honey. Honey is a portion of what makes them even more special because many people love in its purest form. Honey is also mentioned throughout the bible and many people wonder what does honey represent when it is used in that context. Either way, if it is noteworthy enough to be mentioned in the “good book”, shouldn’t we strive as a world to preserve it?

Preserving the Bee Population

Many people are trying to find ways to preserve bees since they are such a vital part of our life. Many farmers have bee hives near their crops to ensure that bees can “dine” freely and flourish. It also makes their crops grow better than ever before. You can also take part in it. You can plant bee-friendly flowers, support your local farmers who grow crops, keep some of the “good” weeds in your yard, avoid pesticides which may hurt bees, and more. If you are concerned that more bees could mean you will end up being stung more often during the summer months, remember that bees do not want to enjoy meat. They are vegetarians and feel that you are in their way, so if you attempt to stay out of their path; you will be fine. Stay calm if they happen to land on you, or you do stand a higher risk of being stung. Even a very small thing that you can do to help bees survive, is put a little water out for them if you do notice that honey bees frequently come onto your property. A small bird bath with stones for them to rest on is ideal for small honey makers.