Kingcreek - I was talking with the guy in Southern Illinois over e-mail, they have a "big group" that gets together every year.
You willing to give some one on one scouting advice, would be real interested. I'm not that far from you and would happily make the drive out that way. As it sits I can't tell deer scat from dog scat, and would likely miss every sign they leave. The only way I know a deer has been through my yard is when they eat my veggies in the garden and leave tracks in the snow or mud.
I've been giving some thought on what I need to learn (without DOING it, it's hard to know where I am short on knowledge); I know I could *probably* find out all of this stuff with enough digging but I work 60-70 hours most weeks and with 5 kids, just don't have the time. Got one day a week I don't work (Sunday). I figure a day with someone and I could soak up what I need to know very fast.
* How permit stuff works (only familiar with how to do wild turkey permits, but I managed to screw THAT one up this year and got a tag for a county I don't have anyplace to hunt at)
* Where I can hunt, and what's involved with doing so.
* How to scout for sign (I assume this is done well in advance?)
* How to pick a spot
* What gear I'll need (tree stand?!), and what I can live without. I don't want to go to a sporting goods shop and buy a bunch of useless junk.. have enough of that cluttering up my garage / basement.
Most importantly.. how to field dress a deer. I can clean a turkey. I can clean a fish. I even cleaned the dishes once (wife won't let me do it again; there was an incident involving baby bottles, a wire brush and a high speed power drill). The thought of cleaning a deer is somewhat overwhelming, wouldn't even know where to start!
Scouting trip would be fine, I'll bring along whatever and help out for the day. Gotta be on a sunday or a saturday (and saturday, only on 3 day weekends), though.