About GRO

Our hunting properties are located in the northwest corner of Illinois, which features dramatic lofty geological precipices, the highest point in the state being at Charles Mound, and the darkest area at Apple River Canyon State Park, well known to astronomers.

The topography of our 'Driftless Area' is strikingly different from the rest of the state. Dozens of streams and rivers that empty into the Mississippi River form an intricate web separated by ridges and valleys that are thickly carpeted with forest. Ravines and valleys crisscross the region in every direction, their slopes form the main feature of our beautiful landscape. Interspersed with working farms that are mostly dairy and beef, as well as large agricultural farms, they help form the perfect habitat for our abundant Whitetail Deer and Turkey populations.

The region is basically an island that escaped the continental glaciers that advanced and retreated during the great Ice Age, avoiding this area of the Midwest.

Although sparsely populated, Jo Daviess County, the town of Galena and the surrounding countryside, is the third most visited area in our state, second only to Chicago and Springfield. The area is well known internationally as a natural national treasure. As our area's town signs reveal, this is also a Midwestern sportsmen's paradise.

Your interest is hunting and the facts are pure and simple. Jo Daviess County is TOPS for Turkey and has always been one of the TOP Whitetail counties in the state of Illinois. The region has held that position not only in numbers harvested for both species, but as a top producer of both Boone & Crockett, and Pope & Young Whitetail!

Come and enjoy the Galena area while experiencing a quality free-range hunt, as well as an opportunity of harvesting true trophy quality animals at a reasonable price.