I live a sheltered life, hunting wise. Outside of one Colorado gun hunt, I've hunted primarily here in Oklahoma. All I know about other states is what I read and I figure it's probably not the reality. So my question to you is, what do you "perceive" the hunting to be like in other parts of country and feel free to set the record straight if someone's way off base about your locale I'll start off with a few ... Midwest (Kansas, Iowa, Illinois, etc.) - I think of lots of BIG bucks, relatively the "easiest" place to kill a wallhanger b/c #1 there's more big deer there and #2 the agricultural fields give off where alot of feeding will take place Northeast - I think of lots of deer but also lots of hunters competing for those deer .. in cold ars weather too West - I think it'd be tough to bowhunt in that big open country, but it'd be a nice challenge one of these days Southeast - I think of hunting in hot weather around similar terrain to what we have in SE Oklahoma. Lots of deer but not alot of big bucks compared to other areas (again, similar to Oklahoma)
there isn't a lot of deer in the northeast or atleast where i am yeah there is a lot of hunters but sometimes that is to our advantage but in the midwest the vegetation found in woodlots soak up the minerals from the fertile soil which is then transferred to the deer as it eats it.
As much as the great nutrients/soil help the bucks in IL, I think the short firearm season (and lack of a rifle season) helps just as much if not more. Missouri has some very fertile soil yet doesn't have the reputation for being a big buck state.
Lets see here.. Midwest- I imagine the hunting pressure to be low (compared to here in PA) and the land access to be even lower than that,with a need for a more strategic hunting plan. Canada- Friggin cold and boring until a giant walks in South- Small deer, crappy hunting conditions (heat and bugs) West- A much more physically demanding hunt.
Perceptions are just that.. perceptions. I don't care much for which state I'm hunting in.. it's more like what county.. and what property in that county I'm hunting. State and region mean squat. I don't care if you're right smack in Iowa.. if you ain't on the right piece of ground when he's there (assuming your looking for a good buck).. you ain't gonna kill him. But.. if there was 1 place in this world I'd choose to hunt.. based on my perceptions.. I would choose Montana.. LOW populations of people and BIG deer would be a hunters true friend.
My perceptions New england-sucks because there are no deer. MD-million deer if you have a place to hunt & some REALLY nice bucks running around Rest of the south-tons of deer, not much pressure, shoot em like squirrels Midwest-No booner behind every tree, but its obvious why so many people flock there to hunt. West-way too much space, not that many people, but game is plentiful when you find em. Everywhere except michigan the hunting pressure is lower than PA, most places so much lower you don't know how well you have it. Texas-tripods, feeders & you just wait until the buck gets old enough, then go shoot it.
This perception is very close to reality. I was looking through our annual report for 07-08 and this what they had to say: Eighty-four percent of the archery harvest came from private lands. The majority (87%) of the firearm harvest was taken on private property. Muzzleloader hunters took 88% of their total harvest on private lands. As you can see 86% of all deer taken in MD were taken on private land. There ARE some really nice bucks running around, but............ http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/gpar/md_annual_deer_report07-08.pdf
All I know is that in the east (PA, NC, OH) there is literally a herd of deer just around every bush, tree and ditch. :love: :d
I'll do the same......let's see how I do.... hm hm...... You have to be good enough to attend Top Gun to kill deer in the midwest. Hunting back east is so easy, even a caveman can do it. LOL :d :d
My perception is all places are pretty much the same. You need good access within an area, or it all boils down to the same thing. Hunting pressure is high EVERYWHERE, gun hunters are "bad" EVERYWHERE, access is limited EVERYWHERE (besides out west). Guys down south say the midwest is where to hunt to kill a "mature" buck, because they hunt mediocre grounds back home and inconsistently kill a MATURE buck. SO they book with an outfitter who leases primo land for $40+ an acre and pay them $3500 for a 5 day hunt on this awesome land, and low and behold......the hunting IS better. gasp. I mean, who would have thought it?! The midwest DOES have huge bucks behind every tree (can you expect any less for $50/acre leases?) They could likely stay within their own state lines and book on primo land to have VERY similar results, but hey, that wouldn't play into the stereotypes of what hunting is like by region. I am 90% going in on a lease in IL next year, it won't be too cheap, but not too terribly expensive either. It is managed well, and has some HUGE bucks....but they certainly arent behind every tree, and I can't expect any better caliber deer there than I could here at home.
Wherever Rob hunts, there's a butt load of weird horned bucks. Wherever GregH hunts, there a butt load of big bucks. Beyond that, I pretty much have an open mind...it's hunting.
Meh, I am going in on the lease to have a LOT of extra access to land within 3 hrs of home, with good trophy potential. Plus an extra tag. I can kill one buck in KY, and I have checkerboard access on the fringe of amazing deer areas. I have just as likely chance at a bruiser here (areas past bucks), but to have access to 1400 contiguous acres sounds MIGHTY tempting and STILL have a tag here at home for the areas I currently hunt. I realize a lease in KY could produce the same results, problem is I haven't found one this size, for this price, with this good of a layout. State lines don't really matter to me.
If I get in up there, likely every weekend until I connect....perhaps a transfer of colleges is in store?:d
my dad put up a "wallhanger" in AL a few years back, deer field dressed at about 250-260 but the rack was a non-typical that probably only would scored about 115-120ish... down there it was a friggin MONSTER but the rack wasn't anything special... i think there are more big deer in the central midwest (IL, IN, MO, KS, IA)... but if you wanna put meat in your fridge, its really tough to beat the SE... they have does a plenty there and in AL its a "deer a day" limit (2 if you take a buck and a doe)... and out of state license is only like 175 bucks... but all that being said, i furiously want to hunt out west for elk and antelope... now, i've seen some trail cam pics on our property in AL and i've seen a couple of 140+ bucks... but damned if they aren't tough to even see much less get a shot at... some alteration in our food plots and mgmt will help this situation over the next couple years...
I perceive that everyone on here has better whitetail hunting than I do here. Boo-hoo. I know, you're all broken up over it for me...
