Best out of state hunts....?

[IkemanTX]

So, I am a few years from doing a true out of state whitetail hunt (I don’t count Oklahoma as such, because it is only an hour and a half away), and I am trying to figure out what state I will chose to jump into for a first trip.

I know everyone dreams of drawing Iowa, and lots of guys put in for Kansas. But, I am trying to balance price, pressure, high herd population, age structure, public land access, and realistic expectations of buck size. I don’t want to hold out for an expensive, 4-5 year draw system when there may be a state with inexpensive over the counter tags where I could realistically take bucks within 15” or so of size. I don’t need a monster. I just want great experiences and a really good chance to see deer movement from the tree.

Some areas I have considered are
Montana
The Dakotas
Idaho
New Mexico (Muleys, since its close)

And of course eventually getting to Iowa at some point.

For you guys that hunt frequently out of state, what recommendations do you have?


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[g2outdoors]

The Dakotas and Eastern Montana are on my short list. Those are a couple states where you see a ton of deer and have a relatively good shot at a P&Y animal. You don't really see the Booners come out of those states like you do the more traditional AG states like IL, IA, IN, OH etc.

I've hunted WI, IL, IN, MT, CO, NY, KY, GA, FL, AL, MS, TX, VA, WV, NY, PA, and Saskatchewan

 

[EricS]

I’ve had a hard time convincing myself to hunt deer outside of Georgia. I’ve hunted deer in GA, AL, FL, PA, and NY. I wouldn’t consider Georgia a destination state unless you live in Florida. I see pics of several deer a year killed in GA that are 180”+. They are few and far between but enough 150+ deer that if I plan an out of state it is for something other than whitetail. The only reason I hunted PA and NY is I was there on vacation during deer season. If I had to plan an out of state hunt it would probably be Kentucky Indiana or Illinois. Wisconsin is a place I always wanted to hunt but I haven’t heard much about it the last few years.

 

[Apex7]

So, I am a few years from doing a true out of state whitetail hunt (I don’t count Oklahoma as such, because it is only an hour and a half away), and I am trying to figure out what state I will chose to jump into for a first trip.

I know everyone dreams of drawing Iowa, and lots of guys put in for Kansas. But, I am trying to balance price, pressure, high herd population, age structure, public land access, and realistic expectations of buck size. I don’t want to hold out for an expensive, 4-5 year draw system when there may be a state with inexpensive over the counter tags where I could realistically take bucks within 15” or so of size. I don’t need a monster. I just want great experiences and a really good chance to see deer movement from the tree.

Some areas I have considered are
Montana
The Dakotas
Idaho
New Mexico (Muleys, since its close)

And of course eventually getting to Iowa at some point.

For you guys that hunt frequently out of state, what recommendations do you have?


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Ohio is a great place to hunt. Licenses are responsible and there is alot of public land and some big bucks.

 

[Wirrex]

I’ve had a hard time convincing myself to hunt deer outside of Georgia. I’ve hunted deer in GA, AL, FL, PA, and NY. I wouldn’t consider Georgia a destination state unless you live in Florida. I see pics of several deer a year killed in GA that are 180”+. They are few and far between but enough 150+ deer that if I plan an out of state it is for something other than whitetail. The only reason I hunted PA and NY is I was there on vacation during deer season. If I had to plan an out of state hunt it would probably be Kentucky Indiana or Illinois. Wisconsin is a place I always wanted to hunt but I haven’t heard much about it the last few years.

Wisconsin sucks. It’s one of if not the cheapest non res tags you can get. Unless you can find some private land I would look elsewhere. Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska are the states I have been hunting the last few years with far better results than my home state.

 

[sureshotscott]

Ohio is a great place to hunt. Licenses are responsible and there is alot of public land and some big bucks.

I also hunt Ohio and like it, but FYI the non-resident fees are rumored to be increasing for 2018/2019. I googled but could not find specifics.

 

[clint6760]

I hunt private land in Kansas every year. Licenses and tags are expensive for whitetail at about $500. I’ve went for 6 years in a row and have killed three over 150” and two over 135”. Sure is a lot better/different than arkansas hunting.