Whitetail hunting dummy here

[hopper]

Hey you whitetail gurus, never shot one, finally decided that I want one. I have no desire to hunt with a guide. I like my alone time on a hunt. any Ideas from you Pro's out there? I am from Utah, looking for a state with some public ground and a fighting chance at a deer. I am picky with my mule deer, suppose I would be the same with whitetail. Any Ideas?

[TheGreatwhitehunter]

to the Madness a few states to check out would be Idaho, Montana,Wyoming and Kansas

[6x6 bull]

I would apply for IL, Iowa, Kansas, and if you didn't get drawn in any of these states try MO. Tons of public land and if you are willing to hunt when and where the rest of the crowd doesn't , you will find plenty of P&Y bucks. Mo is over the counter for everyone at a very reasonable price also.

[waynedevore]

It does seem like it's best to go to the Midwest for Whitetails. Minnesota has over the counter WT licenses for NR's. Lots of public land in the North. Odds of getting a mature buck aren't good however.

[bowcrazy]

Minnesota is OTC for non residents both archery and rifle. The northern half of the state allows rifles. The central and southern part of the state allows shotgun with slug no rifles. I lived in MN for 15 years started whitetail hunting with rifle after two years switched to archery and never looked back. I have taken many nice whitetails throughout the state. The south eastern part of the state has the largest number of trophy deer taken every year. Check the stats and you will see Houston and Winona counties are always ranked at the top. Public land hunts are not easy in the southeastern part of the state. The public land receives intense pressure during the gun season...which if I recall is a week long including two weekends. Archery hunting on the public land is the way to go...hunt that week prior to gun opener. Gun opener for deer is first weekend in November...always.

The second best place in the state is the Northwest part of the state, where the prairie meets the woodlands. Near the towns of Bemidji, Alexandria, Ottertail, etc...there are public lands that receive pressure from gun hunters...but nothing like the Southeast. The state forest land in the NW has parcels that are thousands of acres...hunt deep get there a couple days early to set up camp and hang your stands. Check my post in December of the whitetail I took this year in SE Minnesota. That deer was taken on private land. If you want more info...send me a PM and I will give you some more specific details.

[mching]

Nebraska Plattevalleywhitetails.com

[TommyColey]

If your going to come east of the mountian states for whitetails on public land bow hunting is the best way to go. There are lots to choose from. For OTC Mo. is hard to beat most of the norther half of the state has a 4 on one side rule. there is also some good bow hunting on public land in the south I've hunted Alabama and Lousiana in January. The weather is not to cold either.
Good luck

Tommy Coley

[az/wibucks]

First time on forum,hi to all.I think Wisconsin is always a good bet for a nice deer.The numbers don't lie when it comes to trophy quality,look it up.There are alot of deer,and along with that comes hunting pressure,but a nice buck can be had with a little work.As a few other people have said,the bow season leading up to rife season can be terrific.WI rifle season always starts the Saturday before Thanksgiving and runs for 9 DAYS.NON-RESIDENT TAG WILL SET YOU BACK 160.00 DOLLARS and doe permits for non-resident can be bought for 20.00 DOLLARS.

Good luck

[Bowhuntrben]

I have to agree with bowcrazy....SE Minnesota is a great place for big whitetails. I have hunted SE MN my whole life, and the number of big bucks there now seems to be as good as ever. I hunt private land and have great success. I have, however, shed hunted the public land and found nice sheds from P&Y bucks. I hunt in Houston County, but other counties are also good. Whitewater WMA is a big piece of land (for the midwest), and giant bucks are taken there every year. I would also recommend hunting the bow season rather than gun to avoid the large number of hunters (especially in Whitewater).
If Minnesota doesn't interest you, I would still go with a midwest state. Iowa has probably the best whitetail herd in the nation with many great bucks being taken there every year, but getting drawn is an issue here whereas other states are OTC. The gun season is held after the rut here, which helps bucks survive to an age where they will have large antlers. Wisconsin and Illinois also hold huge bucks. I don't know how much public land is available in these other states though.