Hey all, I'd like to try to plan a hunt for a few hunting buddies and myself in the near future. As much as I'd like for it to be in 2016, it most likely won't be until 2017. We all hail from western states (WY, ID, CO) and have hunted elk, antelope and mule deer for the past few years. 3 out of the 4 guys grew up in eastern states yet didn't grow up hunting and have therefore never hunted whitetail deer. I know there are good opportunities in the west to hunt whitetails and I am not opposed to that. I recently watched an older episode of OYOA where Randy and a friend hunt the Walk-In hunting areas in Kansas. It looked like really cool country and a very different hunt than what we are used to. I'd like to go all public land unless there is a opportunity for public hunting on private land that doesn't require a check. Any advice on good states to look into and anything else would be awesome. Thanks to all.
Future Whitetail Deer Hunt
- Thread starter nrpate05
- Start date
I hate to admit it, but I would move Iowa down your list if not off of it. Not very much public land compared to western states, and the tags are ridiculously priced IMO. A friend recently moved to Des Moines and has been hunting public land the last few years in central Iowa, specifically Guthrie Co. which is know as the land of BIG bucks. (private land) He is a great hunter and goes deeper and stays on stand from sunrise to Sunset, and he is extremely frustrated with the numbers of idiots he encounters each weekend.
7mm08mo
Well-known member
I live central mo around the lake of the ozarks and truman lake. On truman lake it is surrounded by ground owned by the Corps of Engineers and is open to public hunting, and well posted on the boundries, also within 20 miles of my house are 2 areas owned by the missouri conservation dept that are around 6000 acres apiece, and one more that is around 3000 acres. There are big buck around although not like in north mo but we have deer. Tags are at this time over the counter for any deer and cost 225 and doe only tags are 25, but you have to buy an any deer before you can buy a doe tag as a non resident. We also have a 4 point per one side restriction on bucks. If you want any more info PM me. If you want to see what a decent but not big buck looks like my boy killed a decent one last night and i posted pics his first two deer.
Gut Shot
Well-known member
What he said can also be said about Illinois. Add to that, both states have been hit hard by disease and bad winters that really knocked the hell out of the deer herd. Also public land in Illinois often doesn't allow gun hunting and may even have restrictions on bow hunting. I think Kansas or Nebraska would be on my short list.
