Hadley Creek Outfitters
Hadley Creek Outfitters
Rated 3.25 out of 5.0 based on 34 Outfitter reviews.
Contact: Stacey Ward
Location: Barry, Illinois
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer, Turkey
State(s) Hunted: IL
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Submitted by: George Wanhainen
Review Submitted: Jan 6, 2014
Hunt Date: Dec 14, 2013
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 3
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Muzzleloader
Price Range: 2000-2999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
No Luck
Hunted 2013 Illinois muzzleloader hunt with Hadley Creek. Had poor weather (rain/ice/snow/wind) 1st and 2nd day. Good conditions on the 3rd. Lots of deer but the 140" minimum kept me from shooting. Saw a couple in the 140 range but did not feel they were in range (200+ yards)for my TC (and my skill). Farms & stands were good and they had just bush hogged down the corn so the deer were coming in. I felt the guides do a good job but you need luck on your side too. Food and lodging is 1st rate. The Illinois season is too short! Will make it back to them for a week long bow hunt down the road...
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Submitted by: Mark Doming
Review Submitted: Dec 1, 2012
Hunt Date: Nov 25, 2012
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 3
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Bow
Price Range: 1000-1999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Bad Three Days
This hunt for three days was terrible. There was 16 Hunters for the three days and one hunter seen a buck that just would make the 140 class min. Guides wasn't very helpful. I thought that it was the guides job to help you kill Deer, but that was'nt the case. They would put you on the food plot and you would see deer, but the big shooters are not coming to food polts during day light. They are in the woods. Every day you would change guides and farms. This is to prevent you from figuring out the deer on the property. So it was all about the money for this Outfitter. I asked my guide the question about the 140 class min 0n how strick they would be,which is a 1000.00 fine, an his responce was pay him 500.00 cash and we can pick up deer at his place on our way home. So I can go on, but thats enough. I diffently will not return ever again. Poor, and very unsatisfied hunting.
Submitted by: Lyle Burnette
Review Submitted: Jan 19, 2012
Hunt Date: Oct 20, 2008
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 6
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Bow
Price Range: 2000-2999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Great Experience
All three of us had a great hunt. Did not kill anything but had shots at 120's to 130's. From NC and the deer were not pressured like home. Saw some great fighting and every stand I hunted that Mike Bradshaw put me in made me feel like I had a chance. He went abouve and beyond. Food and housing was great also but the chance to hunt deer of that size in that area of the midweat was worth it all. Its hunting, not killing. Some other guys in camp didn't mind spending the extray money for a buck that did not score 140. Wish there was a way to reward folks who let 130's walk, but the world isn't perfect.
Submitted by: Scott Pyle
Review Submitted: Jan 2, 2012
Hunt Date: Oct 8, 2011
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 2
Hunt Type: Semi-Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Shotgun
Price Range: 2000-2999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Hadley Creek Fantastic Hunt
My son and I hunted the youth hunt this year (2011) at Hadley Creek Outfitters. It was our first hunt with a PA outfitter and we were more than impressed. Jarad Heller, our guide put us on this great Hadley Creek whitetail the evening of our first hunt. Let me also say how tough the weather was to boot. Hot and windy! That morning we saw a lot of deer but no shooters so we decided to sit in the same stand that evening. Jarad told us to be looking for a ten point that they he had caught on the trail camera around 6:30 pm when he showed himself. Jarad also told us that he wanted us to call him at 6:30 and tell him he was on the ground. Well, Jarad was wrong, we saw him at 6 pm following other deer and hanging out around the edge of the field. He then came into shooting range and my son, Christian shot him broadside at 50 yards with Michelle's shotgun (Stacey's wife). That is correct, they let him use their personal shotgun. So, when I texted Jarad it was 6:32pm, not 6:30. Ha, ha, ha ,ha! Can you believe that, he almost nailed that deer for us to the minute. I was super impressed with his knowledge of the farm, his deer and their patterns. He was so gracious to my son and I! He brought another guide/friend over to help drag the deer out due to my bad back. He and the Hadley Creek crew were fantastic! Stacey and Michelle were great to work with and Christian and I put our deposit down on 2012 before we left. We look forward to hunting with Hadley Creek this year and in the years to come. This trip was the beginning of the best deer season of our life! I took a big SC deer at a friends property two weeks later to the day while Christian spotted through the binoculars for me. I want to thank Jarad, Stacey and Michelle along with the rest of the Hadley Creek Outfitters team for making our hunt so enjoyable. Oh, the food was great as well!
Submitted by: RICHARD SNOW
Review Submitted: Nov 29, 2011
Hunt Date: Nov 18, 2011
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 3
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Shotgun
Price Range: 4000-4999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
GREAT HUNT
MAYBE I JUST GOT LUCKY I DONT KNOW BUT HERE IS MY STORY ON THIS PLACE. ID DONE PAID MY MONEY ALSO ON THE HUNT BEFORE I FOUND OUT ABOUT AND READ SOME OF THE REVIEWS. YES THEN I WAS VERY NERVOUS BUT I WENT ON UP ANYWAY.THE CAMP I WAS IN HAD 16 HUNTERS AND 8 OF US TOOK DEER OVER 140 AND THE REST OF THE HUNTERS AT LEAST HAD SHOTS BUT JUST FLAT MISSED. JOE AND PATTY RAN THE CAMP THAT I WAS AT AND THEY WAS VERY NICE PEOPLE THAT DID ALL THEY COULD TO MAKE OUR STAY NICE. THE GUIDES DID NOT HUNT AND YES THEY GET A NICE BONUS FOR EVERY DEER THAT THERE HUNTERS GET. SO THEY DO TRY TO PUT YOU ON THE HOT TREE'S WITH GOOD DEER AROUND THEM. THEY WANT YOU TO GET YOUR 140 CLASS DEER. MY GUIDE'S NAME WAS CHRIS(PEACHES)LACROIX AND I REALLY THANK ALOT OF HIM. HE IS A GUIDE ON TOP OF HIS FARMS TO HUNT AND HE WILL PUT YOU ON THE DEER. YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE IN YOUR GUIDE'S AND WHAT THEY SAY. CHRIS TOLD ME WHAT AND WHERE TO GO AND I DID AND THE FIRST MORNING AT 7:30 AM IT WAS OVER. NOW I HAVE READ ALOT OF BAD THINGS ABOUT HADLEY CREEK BUT MY HUNT WAS A HUNT OF A LIFE TIME. YES I AM GOING BACK IN 2012 SO I DONT KNOW ABOUT ALL THE CAMPS AND THE REST OF THE GUIDES BUT I DO KNOW ABOUT CHRIS, HIS BROTHER, AND BRUCE AND JOE AND PATTY. THEY ARE SOME OF THE NICEST PEOPLE THAT YOU COULD EVER MEET. MICHELLE THANK YOU FOR TELLING ME TO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING I WAS READING ABOUT HADLEY CREEK AND COME ON UP AND SEE IT FOR MYSELF. WELL I AM VERY GLADE I CAME TO HADLEY CREEK TO HUNT. NOW I CANT BELIEVE THAT MY STORY IS THE ONLY ONE ON HERE RIGHT NOW, FROM THE HUNT OF 11-18-11 TO 11-20-11 MAYBE OTHER HUNTERS DONT HAVE ACCESS TO A COMPUTER TO DO THIS REPORT. I KNOW AND I SEEN IT WITH MY OWN EYES. HADLEY CREEK IS FOR REAL. AND YES I WILL AND HAVE GOT MY HUNT FOR ME AND MY SON ALREADY IN THE WORKS FOR 2012. MY STORY IS FROM THE HEART AND IS TRUE. IF YOU WANT TO TALK TO ME ABOUT ANY OF IT YOU CAN FILL FREE TO CONTACT ME. I CAN TELL YOU NOW THAT I WONT HAVE ANYTHING BAD TO SAY ABOUT HADLEY CREEK AT ALL. THEY DID RIGHT BY ME. OH ONE LAST THING IT DONT MATTER IF YOU HAVE DEEP POCKETS OR NOT THOSE STORIES ARE BULLS&^T. THE GUIDES AT MY CAMP DID NOT PLAY THAT GAME. I DONT KNOW ABOUT THE PAST HADLEY CREEK AND ALL OF THE STORIES BUT THE ONE I WENT TO IS FOR REAL. CHRIS STAY OUT OF TROUBLE AND I WILL SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR. I HOPE YOU GET YOUR TAIL GATE FIXED BY THEN.
Submitted by: Steve Brazda
Review Submitted: Oct 28, 2011
Hunt Date: Oct 31, 2011
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 5
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Bow
Price Range: 4000-4999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Disappointed
I was looking forward to my second trip to Hadley Creek. However, underwent neck surgery in Sept.- expected to be released by doctor in time for the hunt; did'nt happen. Long story short, Hadley folks were unwilling to work with me concerning carryover of deposit [or portion thereof]for next year. Additionally, they would not apply my deposit to a hunter in my party. This guy has made multiple trips to HC, and has arranged large groups to hunt at HC. In any case, I'm disappointed in this outfitter. I expected more than an implication that I should "read my agreement".
Submitted by: JASON PURVIS
Review Submitted: Oct 13, 2011
Hunt Date: Oct 18, 2008
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 5
Hunt Type: Semi-Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Bow
Price Range: 2000-2999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
2008 nightmare
3 or 4 camps. 20 plus hunters per camp. All the guides hunt. The food most of the nights is like jiffy store eats. If you want to pony up and pay your guide on the side $1000 or more you may just get to see a deer. You just get the feeling they really dont care if you c a deer. They really dont care if you come back. They really dont care about anything but the guides themselves killing a buck. They have a side bet to see how big of a buck they can kill. I E your not going to be where that buck is if they know about it. You cant film your buddy if you have tagged out. You can even pay full price and go film your wife or buddy. I was told that they dont allow filming because 'the drurys do that for us' ???? What the drurys have to do with me filming my wife is beyond me, and it is a testament of how little knowledge the owners have of hunting and what it means to hunt with family. Would NEVER EVER EVER recommend this place to anyone and it is a great dissapointment that the drurys and mossy oak tie themselves to such a terrible operation. NOTE THEY HAVE A HIGH FENCE WITH WHITETAILS IN IT THAT IS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOME OF THEIR PROPERTY. OWNER IS NOW UNDER INVESTIGATION ON 40 COUNTS OF RELEASING PEN RAISED DEER INTO THE WILD!!!!!! Enon plantation in Alabama was our favorite place to hunt , but it is now closed. Just do your homework. Ask for references. If an outfitter has many many many bad reviews just beware. Im not saying that you cant go to HC and have a good time and kill a good buck. Im just saying we had a bad bad experience and will never go back.
Submitted by: Tim ONeill
Review Submitted: Oct 6, 2011
Hunt Date: Oct 1, 2011
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 5
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Farmland
Method: Bow
Price Range: 3000-3999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Hunt report
Terrain and bucks were amazing, they have the land and the animals. Stands didn't seem over hunted but we were first season. Almost everyone was the first hunt in their stand and if they weren't the guide said so and explained why. Each guide was assigned to a particular farm and they all seemed to know their area well. We had 21 guys in our camp ( they have 3 camps) and everyone seemed happy. Almost everyone saw at least one shooter wirh several of us seeing 4-5 big bucks. A few true boomers were seen also. I took a 145 8pt. Our camp was 8/21 with a wound and a few passed shots. We made plans to go back along with several hunters we met there, I think any serious hunter would be happy. Also, food wasn't bad, they had it catered everyday.
Submitted by: Chris Carlson
Review Submitted: Sep 18, 2011
Hunt Date: Oct 11, 2010
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 5
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Any
Method: Bow
Price Range: Any
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
Good Experience
I was impressed with my hunt at Hadley Creek. I did not harvest a buck but saw shooters nearly every sit, inlcluding a number of bucks which were in the 150-165" class. I was pleased with the guides, the stands were well-placed and safe and the overall experience was very good. I re-booked for this year and will be back in Pike County in October. And for what it's worth, one of our guys had an emergency and had to cancel, and we had NO ISSUES with Stacy's refund policy.
Submitted by: John Costo
Review Submitted: Jan 18, 2011
Hunt Date: Nov 20, 2009
Species Hunted: Whitetail Deer
Days Hunted: 3
Hunt Type: Guided
Primary Terrain: Any
Method: Shotgun
Price Range: 3000-3999
Number of animals seen, met expectations?
Size of animals seen, met expections?
Hunting pressure in the guides area, met expectations?
Would you hunt with this Guide again?
They are BAD BAD news. If you call them to book a hunt they will you call back A.S.A.P But if you call them to cancel a hunt and ask for a refund they wil not respond. I hunted with them in 2009 for shotgun seasons , and will never go there again .They are not stand up people. If you like check on them with Illinois BBB you will see why they have a F rating
note: The following reviews predate the numeric rating system and are not included in this outfitter's overall rating.
Contact: Justin Johns and Ben Harris
Location: Hotchkiss, Colorado
Species Hunted: Elk, Mule Deer, Black Bear, Bobcat, Mountain Lion
State(s) Hunted: CO
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Illinois Hunting Information
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