best whitetail state

[RUT JUNKEY]

RJ, why are you lying and showing all of these "replica" deer to these fines folks? We all know that Indiana holds only small, thin deer that taste horrible!! Further, I have on good authority that there are probably only about 2-300 deer left in the WHOLE state....everyone should hunt somewhere else for best results. May I suggest Illinois!!

. . .oh yeah. . .I forgot!! All of these were killed in Southern Illinois. . .thanks SFC for reminding me. . .Pike county I believe. . . LOL

 

[DAVIDKERR]

Having hunted public land in ia(where i live)ne.,mo.(all three states)public land only except ia i would say ne has the most deer and less people to worry about. Ne. Has whitetail&mule deer. They did have a big ehd outbreak last year(as did ia.)due to drought but hopefully that will be cleared up in afew years.my home state of ia rips off non/res hunters also $$$ but not as bad as mt.

 

[mr_steve]

From what I have heard you can find some nice whitetails in eastern MT because most are concerned about mulies not whities. I would go eastern MT if you are looking to be successful in getting a public land, 150"+ whitetail.

 

[mtmuley]

I just can't get into whitetails. Maybe their ears aren't big enough. It is nice to have a choice though. mtmuley

 

[buglum]

I've grown up and hunted MT my whole life, lived in WI the last two years and hunted whitetails in Buffalo county exclusively. I can say that I see way more deer in MT than WI but the potential for a true giant is much better in WI. I killed my largest buck ever last fall and the ones we have on camera are simply jaw dropping, unlike any I have ever seen in MT

 

[jlmatthew]

I would think any State that lets you shoot more than one buck when be hard to beat. When I was stationed in Texas, the deer numbers were unreal, but getting access to hunt them was a different story

 

[RUT JUNKEY]

I would think any State that lets you shoot more than one buck when be hard to beat. When I was stationed in Texas, the deer numbers were unreal, but getting access to hunt them was a different story

jlmatthew, I use to think that too, but, since Indiana went to the one buck per year thing. . .The smaller bucks are getting a chance to grow a little more. . .and every year I see more and more "book" bucks walking around. . .don't get me wrong I loved being able to kill 2, one with a bow and one with a firearm, but overall the one buck thing has dramatically increased the size of the bucks here. RJ

 

[hunt1up]

jlmatthew, I use to think that too, but, since Indiana went to the one buck per year thing. . .The smaller bucks are getting a chance to grow a little more. . .and every year I see more and more "book" bucks walking around. . .don't get me wrong I loved being able to kill 2, one with a bow and one with a firearm, but overall the one buck thing has dramatically increased the size of the bucks here. RJ

I would agree that a one buck state would be a little better, but I don't see the 2 buck limit in IL being that big of a deal. I would say the vast majority of hunters only kill one buck, if any at all. Some years I'll shoot 2 bucks, others none, others just one. My 15 year average comes out to 1 buck a year. It's nice knowing that if I whack a mature deer in early October that I can still hunt for 3 months with the possibility that lightning might strike twice.

 

[ric]

North central Idaho. Lots of public lands, and lots of big deer. If you are any kind of hunter at all you can shoot a little 130 brush buck, and if you put your time in you have a good chance at a 160 or better. I'd post a pic or two, but have no idea how to do it? URL?? Where's the browse and click?

 

[roadhunter]

I would think any State that lets you shoot more than one buck when be hard to beat. When I was stationed in Texas, the deer numbers were unreal, but getting access to hunt them was a different story

I disagree. Kansas does a great job at managing it's deer and one of the big reasons is because it only allows 1 buck even for residents and that tag has to be drawn for non residents. Mule deer tags are even harder to draw in Kansas for non residents. States to the North and South allow 2 bucks with OTC tags for most seasons.

Kansas also has quite a bit of public access walk in land along with state land which is managed really well with food plots for deer and other wildlife. IMO the best shot at killing a big WT is to archery hunt early November in Kansas. Right after harvest the deer are moving out of the fields and with the weather and rut kicking in it's a great time to hunt.

 

[Dave N]

I would agree that a one buck state would be a little better, but I don't see the 2 buck limit in IL being that big of a deal. I would say the vast majority of hunters only kill one buck, if any at all. Some years I'll shoot 2 bucks, others none, others just one. My 15 year average comes out to 1 buck a year. It's nice knowing that if I whack a mature deer in early October that I can still hunt for 3 months with the possibility that lightning might strike twice.

Yep, not many years I kill 2 bucks. I'm mainly out for freezer meat but will always welcome some wall ornaments!

 

[greatwhitebuffalo]

Plenty of giants down here in Georgia... killing them is the trick.

I'd be happy to share any GA information with you. Otherwise, head north. The bucks have to have a lot more body weight to make it through those hard winters & bigger body weight (usually) = bigger racks.

 

[174in]

There is a fair amount of public land here in SW Wisconsin and some brutes to boot. I have been hunting mostly private ground around here but they are small tracts. Killed three that net over 154" since 2000. The last one I shot was over 170 gross on 25 acres of wide open ground. Most all the bucks over 120" I have shot here has been on open ground without woods.You can shoot a buck for every doe you shoot and there are still a lot of jumbos running around if you can put your time in and hunt smart. Most of the public land here is untouched during archery season and a lot of the swampland public dosnt get much pressure during the rifle season.Its also all accesible if its public around here. They are not around every corner though.

 

[maceman]

If you are serious about a Midwest hunt in either Iowa or Missouri, email me and we can talk. It will be an all private land hunt and you will have plenty of area to hunt. Drop me an email at [email protected]