NR Whitetail hunts

C

C_Dick_Run

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Joined
Dec 4, 2016
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66
Location
Laurel, Montana
I'm a Montana resident so I'm lucky enough to get to hunt WT every year with a general tag. In the future (4-5 years) I'm hoping to have some time available to expand to some out of state WT hunts. I've just started doing some research into other states I could drive to (WY, ND, SD, NE, KS, IA) seasons/tags/points tyring to figure what state or states would be best to focus on. DIY with good public access is the kind of hunt I'm looking for. Rifle would be my first choice but open to shotgun/archery as well as that would likely lead to more tag opportunity. Just looking for opinions on which of the states listed offers the best opportunity, or others I might be overlooking?
 
Different type of hunting but I would look into Western Kentucky bow hunt on public land.
 
From the state options that you gave I would go with either Kansas, or Iowa with a slight edge going to Iowa strictly because of the less hunting pressure of the two and the higher quality of deer. It will take you four years of preference points until you draw there. My advice is to go for an archery tag as well just because the less hunting pressure and the time of the year when you can hunt in the rut. Iowa has some very good public ground as does Kansas(walk in hunting).

The other states you mentioned are mostly over the counter tags and have more public ground but the quality of deer might not be as high as Kansas and Iowa.
 
Nebraska and Idaho. Tag opportunities abound. And so does public land. Nebraska is overlooked and has over a million acres of of land to chase WT on. And way more cost effective than say Iowa or Kansas. I lived in North Dakota and there was good hunting opportunities along the little Missouri river. Not sure what part of Montana ur in but that would be an easy drive probably.
 
ND has some decent whitetails. Archery is otc rifle is a draw. There are decent numbers on public but a lot of them are on the private. If you hunt the edges you can do fine.
 
If IA archery will enable you to hunt during the rut and greatly increase odds of harvesting mature buck. Public land is limited but I've found there's actually not a ton of pressure in most places, especially if you get away from the population centers. If you do start planning a IA deer hunt feel free to shoot me a PM.
 
Kansas whitetail any deer ("buck tag") and/or muledeer archery/muzzleloader application period for NR hunters is 4-1 thru 4-26. Lots of WIHA land allows for decent chances of success.
 
IA bow or late muzzy plenty of great opportunities and places to go as long as we can keep the farm bureau and our state legislators at bay
 
IA PALES in comparison to public access and cost to Wisconsin. Im from iowa and the cost for a buck tag is beyond stupid. Wisconsin is where it's at. More public land and they register bigger bucks then the snooze fest flat ground of the Hawkeye state. Head to Wisconsin where a buck and a doe tag are under $200 and you get 50% off if you are a first time buyer. Since 2008 Wisconsin has almost TWICE as many bone and Crockett bucks registered then Iowa. So if you want to hunt smaller deer for more money then go to the hole that is iowa. Oh.... did I mention there is no such thing as preference points in wisconsin? It's all OTC. You're welcome
 
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Colorado has some easy WT tags to get in the eastern part of the state. Some good river bottom hunting and some open plains. Archery tags are really easy to get.
 
Iowa tags are crazy expensive, like $700 if I recall correctly. Having lived in Kansas, it's a good option. Also, having lived in Southern Illinois is another good option, plus Western KY is close by as previously mentioned. KY is a sleeper state.
 
WY was mentioned and I think there are quite a few walk-in areas within two hours of Laurel that have whitetail if close by was a factor. I don't know if they have quite the crazy numbers I used to see outside of Columbus, though.
 
I do Wyoming about every 3 years. Tags are pretty easy to draw and it isn’t hard to find a place to hunt. We have seen some nice bucks and lots of deer on these hunts. Pick up a fall turkey tag and take a shotgun too. More than once I have tug out early on deer and turkey hunted. Twice now the rifle got used on big gobblers.

If you fancy a trip east PA has some nice bucks. Do your research and choose an area with rifle deer and bear overlap for a 2 species hunt. Some of these hunts have a lot of people pressure, but you can use that to your advantage. Llike any place else you can find pockets of less pressure too. These hunts sometimes have few deer and you’ll hunt hard to find them, but when you do there is a good chance of a nice buck.
 
Yeah I'd be checking out MO or WI. Both are over the counter for gun and archery tags and the prices are great. I live in IA and hunt all three depending on the year. Of course all three have great possibilities for public land Booner's.
 
fwagner said:
IA PALES in comparison to public access and cost to Wisconsin. Im from iowa and the cost for a buck tag is beyond stupid. Wisconsin is where it's at. More public land and they register bigger bucks then the snooze fest flat ground of the Hawkeye state. Head to Wisconsin where a buck and a doe tag are under $200 and you get 50% off if you are a first time buyer. Since 2008 Wisconsin has almost TWICE as many bone and Crockett bucks registered then Iowa. So if you want to hunt smaller deer for more money then go to the hole that is iowa. Oh.... did I mention there is no such thing as preference points in wisconsin? It's all OTC. You're welcome
Click to expand...
most everyone i know doesn't get anything officially scored anymore.. We've never booked any of ours. the glory days are gone for sure but theres plenty of great hunting to be had
 
SandyCreek said:
most everyone i know doesn't get anything officially scored anymore.. We've never booked any of ours. the glory days are gone for sure but theres plenty of great hunting to be had
Click to expand...

Im from southeast Iowa land of the giants.....good luck finding public land there and don't even think about asking to hunt private land. Plus why pay 600$ for a lesser of a state when Wisconsin has bigger bucks (evidence based) then Iowa and way way way more public land.
 
FWIW, I drive straight through WI to hunt other states/provinces (public land). Heck, at this point I’d almost say it’s safe to say MN public land is better than WI now.

P.S. I live in a state that borders WI and have a lot of hunting friends living in WI. Even they say there’s no public land in WI worth traveling to in this day and age.
 
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