What are the best states for Whitetails?

DallanC · Site Admin Joined: Jan 18, 2005 Posts: 3572 Location: Utah

What are the best states for Whitetails? Large racks are cool and all but there has to be a reasonable chance of harvest too. What are the best overrall states for whitetail hunting with regard to size as well as harvestability?

-DallanC

heritage1550

DallanC, you might end up with at least 50 answers on this one, one for each state in the Union!! LOL!! I'd have to vote for Texas. We've got some monster bucks here that are readily havestable. The only issue here is money. It costs big bucks to shoot a big buck here. In some cases five figures big.
When you get time you might surf the web and see what you can find. The King Ranch is well known here. South Texas is probably where the biggest population of monster bucks hang out. Mexico also has some decent ranches. Again, it just depends how much you want to spend. If you want, you can shoot a buck off my back porch. It will only cost you a case of Miller Lite. I guarantee you that if we drink enough of them that buck will certainly be a Boone and Crocket deer. LOL!!
Good luck.

1895ss

Saskatchewan............ ooops it's not a state........ !!!!! YET...........!!!!! Very Happy

Blaine · Member Joined: Feb 24, 2005 Posts: 260 Location: Maine

One state to look at is Pa. The herd is so big that the annual road kill is more than the total estimated herd here in Maine. I don't know about size, but if sheer numbers = probabilty of success, Pa has to be right up there.

Blaine

Spacedone · Member Joined: Nov 04, 2005 Posts: 266 Location: missouri

northern missouri has huge bucks and southern missouri has average bucks. for does southern missouri is hard to beat. most counties have unlimited doe tags you can buy. bow season starts like oct 1st and run until jan 15th and we have a gun season and a black powder season. a out of state buck tag runs about 150 dollars and then you can buy all the doe tags you want for 7 dollars each.

mikekuzara

I'll suggest North Central Wyoming. Sheridan or Johnson County. There is plenty of public land as well as land owners who still let people have access for free. The population has exploded in the last 10 years, I have counted over 1200 head in one 100 acre field more times than I can remember.
Between me and my relatives and friends over the last 4 years we have taken 2 160 class, 3 150 class, and 6 140 class bucks. Due to the large population, you can get one buck and 4 does. Also, if the whitetail hunting is slow, you can use the general tag for a mule deer or go turkey hunting.

BobCatt · Rookie Member Joined: Feb 14, 2006 Posts: 1

Ohio has been taking some big deer and there are plenty of them in the southeastern part of the state. Lots of public hunting too.

Crackshot

South central Michigan. And the lower Upper pennisula.

glockman55

Michigan has a few, either the southern counties, or way north, UP. I live in the thumb and see a few taken every year but I like the UP. Less people, less deer, but if you are willing to hike in a few miles you have a good chance to see a monster. 250 lb.+ tough getting him out.

Crackshot

Most of us who hunt the UP, use a ATV and a snowmobile, thats how I get my deer out any way, as long as the hills are not to steep. Most are, but nothing worth haveing comes easy.

glockman55

We also use ATV's while hunting, but we found an area that the trails are closed to both atv's and snowmobiles, we hiked in about four miles, and started seeing some great undisturbed big buck sign, the further we walked in the better. It was one huge wet slue with oak ridges running through.no way to drive in, even if you could. We seen few deer but most were bucks.Didn't hunt it much, too hard to get too,( for the old farts I hunt with, LOL) Next year I'll spend more time in there.

Dawgdad

Illinois grows 'em big. Corn fed is good eating too! The hunter success ratio is decent at about 45%. Over 114,000 deer taken last year.

Finding public ground outside the Shawnee Forest is a bit difficult.

SeniorCoot

Well before you throw out Wisconsin -just look at the Books- B&C has more from WI than most any other state- and we kill around 600,000 evety year- yes Sask has big bodied big horned deer-BUt i can't stand sitting in a stand with pee bottle all day- as for texas- yes big ones but not as much mass a some other places--and expensive to hunt- Kansas-MT-Wy- ID-NE have all shown me big boys on occasion-and then don't laugh at Iowa- look at records from there some really good shotgunnnig,muzzleloading or pistol hunting.

Jack · Member Joined: Oct 19, 2005 Posts: 98

Take a look at some of the southern states, like Georgia, South Carolina, or Alabama.
Loooooonnnggg deer seasons, liberal limits.
Don't know that you'd find the world record there, but plenty of deer from the south make the book, if you're after a big trophy.

yotebuster · Member Joined: Oct 16, 2005 Posts: 216 Location: Georgia

What Jack said. You'd be surprised what the South can offer up.
YB