Best state to kill a BIG whitetail - GO!

[22lr]

The best state for monster deer? Any state that grows good corn! The smallest doe I shot growing up as a kid in Indiana was larger than the largest doe ive shot in Lousiana. I love a good corn fed deer!

 

[bjfoxhoven]

I'd say the way you stated that you regularly see 200" deer leades one to believe you are saying you see them all the time driving down the road. I'd say regularly would be every year to me, not really 5/7 however it is still pretty impressive.

I wouldn't be going on the internet to tell everyone about it, but that's just me. Never understood why everyone brags about big animals, then complains about people hunting everywhere.

5/7 is crazy good odds of seeing a 200” buck. I’ve hunted good areas for 15 years and never seems. 200. Several over the 180” mark, and there are 200”rs killed about every year around. But that is pretty nuts.

 

[tgus59]

5/7 is crazy good odds of seeing a 200” buck. I’ve hunted good areas for 15 years and never seems. 200. Several over the 180” mark, and there are 200”rs killed about every year around. But that is pretty nuts.

Agreed. However, if I was seeing deer that big, that often, there is a 0% chance I would be posting that on the internet!

 

[bjfoxhoven]

Agreed. However, if I was seeing deer that big, that often, there is a 0% chance I would be posting that on the internet!

Haha dido!! Unfortunately most of the Midwest states have general rifle tags during the rut, I believe that is the biggest hinderance to many large deer. Need age to get that big.

 

[Mt Al]

Have seen some very nice deer while hunting south dakota.

I've only hunted South Dakota twice, total of six days, and have barely hunted outside of Montana so not an expert. However, I was amazed at how many big white tail I saw in SD. A local I was hunting with shot a big framed, really nice 5x5 white tail. I'm running over to high five him and whoop it up, only to find that he was really disappointment at how small it was!

 

[2rocky]

It's Not a State it's a province. Saskatchewan, CANADA.

Based on Bergmann's Rule

 

[MallardSX2]

IW
KS
OH
IL

In that order in my opinion.

Anywhere around the subburbs of Pittsburgh PA also pruduced huge bucks that nobody hears about....trust me.

 

[Southforkguy]

being from Wisconsin i want to believe their is some other sacred place but the fact is this is the best state to Kill a BiG Buck. Second would have to be Sask or Alberta.

 

[Billy Goat]

being from Wisconsin i want to believe their is some other sacred place but the fact is this is the best state to Kill a BiG Buck. Second would have to be Sask or Alberta.

Seems like all these other places must not enter in the record books. They did start to keep stats for a reason, I guess it must be those long winter's up there y'all don't have a thing to do but sit around and measure deer.

 

[Southforkguy]

Seems like all these other places must not enter in the record books. They did start to keep stats for a reason, I guess it must be those long winter's up there y'all don't have a thing to do but sit around and measure deer.

Im not sure what you mean? our winters are only 6 months long

But really, if you cant find a big buck here I think the problem is more operator error

 

[Tonycoover]

I've only hunted South Dakota twice, total of six days, and have barely hunted outside of Montana so not an expert. However, I was amazed at how many big white tail I saw in SD. A local I was hunting with shot a big framed, really nice 5x5 white tail. I'm running over to high five him and whoop it up, only to find that he was really disappointment at how small it was!

We hunt opening weekend of pheasant season and most every year we see several nice bucks and at least one dandy.

 

[gjs4]

It’s not WI. I’m lookin at MO, MN, and OH.

Always curious why you guys dominate the record books but it supposedly sucks now. Not disagreeing but would love some better understanding.


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[KChunter71]

I’ve whitetail hunted Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Kansas. All horrible and no deer ; rona killed them all. I do bump into Michigan plates a lot in Missouri, again no deer !

Might hit Nebraska this year!

 

[cjl2010]

Sonora Mexico

 

[ianpadron]

How about the state with the most B&C bucks? Wisconsin.

Better have deep pockets or find yourself a farmer's daughter to settle down with though haha!

 

[NEWHunter]

Always curious why you guys dominate the record books but it supposedly sucks now. Not disagreeing but would love some better understanding.


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A couple of reasons I think. And I don’t think any of this stuff is new either. Our deer here get pounded, I think we hunt harder than just about any place else in the country. We kill a way higher percentage a yearling bucks here. We’re at north of 60%, whereas the national average is about 30% on yearling bucks per QDMA. As a state, we have an it’s brown it’s down mentality. That coupled with relatively fragmented land ownership in the southern 2/3 of the state where we have a good wooded/ag mix makes it tough to consistently take big deer or big deer at all.

I think a lot of guys luck in to these big deer. We certainly have the habitat and climate to produce them and when we do, they get shot eventually. We have a lot of hunters and a decent amount of deer. This helps ensure that any of these deer that get old often eventually get shot. I’m sure we’re up there with PA and MI as far as hunter density goes. We have some areas that are consistently strong producers like around Buffalo and Waupaca Counties. But good luck hunting there unless you own land there or are related to someone who does.

Sure there are guys that own some great ground out there that consistently produces for them, but that’s the exception not the rule. I think there is a reason these TV guys own land in IA, MO, IL, and even MN and not WI. There are also comparatively few options for guided hunts here as compared to the aforementioned states or say KS or OH from what I’ve seen - there’s a reason for that.

And we do have massive amounts of public big woods hunting in the northern 1/3 of the state. But you have to be some kind of hunter to have a chance at, let alone consistently shoot big deer up there.

The only thing that’s changed much in my lifetime as far as deer go in WI is that numbers used to be a lot higher in the late 90s and early 2000s. Of course that might be a lot of places. Also, my experience is in the eastern 1/3 of the state, I think things are a bit better the further west you go. If we could ever get our act together and get some antler point restrictions in place, WI would be a great place to hunt and kill big deer.

 

[Buckeye Htr]

My vote is your home state! You may get lucky on an out of state hunt and kill a booner but to do it consistently takes time to scout and learn your hunting area. Unless you are paying a guide to hunt for you and you are simply the shooter stick to home and figure them out!

 

[Lukem]

On a per buck harvested rate from 2007 to 2017 the bucks killed per Boone and Crockett entry over the same timeframe, the top 10 are:

Kansas	1246​
Iowa	1246​
Indiana	1288​
Kentucky	1512​
Ohio	1688​
Illinois	1884​
Wisconsin	2149​
Nebraska	2564​
Minnesota	3093​
Missouri	3385​

 

[hunt1up]

"Best state" is a pretty loaded question. I've hunted IL for 20 years in what I would call a marginal area compared to the Gold Triangle areas and the well known counties, and big deer genetics are statewide. Quality varies greatly from region to region, county to county, and also property to property that may only be a few miles apart. A 230" non-typical was killed 4 miles from my parents property and the biggest I've ever killed or seen on our ground was 147".

Given that the genetics are good statewide, the two big factors for quality in my opinion are tract size and pressure. Around our area the properties are very linear along creeks and rivers and bucks cross property lines a lot. So a lot of good 3 year old bucks never make it past that age. Additionally, in the more prime parts of the state, the tracts of land are much larger. This leads to an older age structure and more effective management practices.

Even in our so-so part of the state I still see a ton of deer and big ones are killed on a routine basis. It's all about the property. So I'd take any of the midwestern states listed and try to find a good area within any of them.

 

[Benjy howell]

Iowa
Kansas
Ohio
Missouri