Birdwatching for... illegal hunters?

After leaving the Spring Bluff Forest Preserve I thought I would try my luck in the North Unit of Illinois Beach State Park.  I only saw several gulls, a few Canadian geese, and a couple cardinals in 30 minutes.  The most fascinating part of this trip clearly wasn't the birds.  Instead, four deer and two hunters in clear violation of Illinois law stole the show.

At first I only noticed the deer - they were just off to the right of the park's main road.  I got out for some pictures and found it really odd that, despite my close proximity, they weren't concerned about me at all.  Instead, they seemed agitated and kept looking in the direction they came from.  That's when I finally noticed two men in camouflage walking in their direction.  The deer crossed the road and started heading towards the Lake Michigan Biological Station compound.  I went on my way towards the lake to look for more birds. 

At this point I still didn't think much of the encounter.  I assumed the men were just out for a walk (it's not uncommon to see people wearing camo as everyday clothing in this area).  It wasn't until I was heading out and passed the trailhead the men were walking back on that I noticed one of them was carrying a crossbow.

Now, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources started a deer hunting program in 2015.  The seasons are short and licenses are incredibly limited, as are the areas in which hunting is permitted within the park.  The zoning map is below.  Note the the marked locations for the deer and hunters I saw today:

One of two things were happening here, possibly both.  The first possibility is that the hunters were actively hunting in the red zone. I wouldn't be surprised because aside from the two hunters, it appeared that I was only other person in the park.  They may have assumed it would be easy to get away with with less witnesses.  The other possibility is that the hunters were driving the deer (attempting to influence their movement to push them into a hunting zone or out of park boundaries).  Perhaps they were doing both - willing to take any clear shot, but hoping to get them closer to (or across) a hunting zone border.  Either way, both of these options are illegal.  I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I noticed they had their blaze orange gear shoved into their pockets.  It leads me to believe they were trying to draw as little attention to themselves as possible to keep their violation(s) discreet.  I had stopped a little past the trailhead and pretended to take pictures; I was hoping to get a visual so I could make a report.  When they emerged at the road crossing and realized I was still there, they turned their heads away and quickened their pace to continue on the other trail.  This was further validation that they were up to no good.

It's not just illegal hunting practices that bother me here.  It's also the fact that I watched these men walk off the designated path which disturbs the delicate habitat in this area.  Plus, I usually travel around this park on foot when I'm birdwatching.  No one should have to worry about dodging stray arrows in a no hunting zone, deer included.