In this section we’ll discuss information about each of the states we’ve hunted. Tons of questions come in every day about this topic.
Question: Is a state like Iowa worth it to apply and wait four-five years to draw the tag?
Answer: Depends on your goals. There is some great whitetail hunting in Iowa especially on private land. Public land hunting during the rut can be amazing. However, if your goal is to harvest a B&C caliber buck with a bow on public land - be prepared to spend a ton of time finding those specific deer to hunt. For a high quality rut hunting experience with multiple opportunities at nice bucks, IA is hard to beat.
Question: What is the best state to experience the rut?
Answer: Kansas and Iowa are the most well known but many states have deer seasons taking place in the rut.
Question: Which state has the most public land opportunities for DIY whitetails?
Answer: MO, TN, PA, OH, and WI have large amounts of quality public opportunities.
Question: Which state is your favorite to hunt?
Answer: Let’s discuss our experience and opinions on the states we’ve hunted.
We'll do our best to rate these based on the following criteria:
1) Affordability of tags
2) Overall access to huntable lands
3) Hunting pressure
4) Quality of deer
As you'll see, there are many hidden gems across the country for whitetail hunting. States like New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Dakota can all provide excellent deer hunting experiences. If you're planning a DIY trip out of state, keep all your options open. The #1 factor when it comes to harvesting mature bucks is time in the field so efficiency matters when picking a state.
In this section we'll summarize our experiences from each state we've hunted. The most attention will go to places like Iowa and Kansas for good reason. They are tremendous whitetail hunting destinations, but don't sleep on these other states where you can hunt more often with more public land options.
