The 5 Best States to Hunt White Tail Deer

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 12/9/20 | C Rice

[w1n1]

Want to bag a buck? Head to the South and Midwest, where the huntin’s good for America’s deer.
The deer hunting sector has been changing over the last few years, with new entrants moving into the top positions as far as the number and quality of white-tail deer hunting is concerned. Judging which states are working hardest to produce a high number of deer for hunting can be difficult, but there have been many changes to the states that sit at the top of the list in the last few years. The best States for deer hunting are spread through the eastern half of the nation and take in areas from Kentucky to Texas and east into Georgia.

Texas
The state of Texas has been growing in white-tail deer hunting importance for the last decade or so. The Lone Star State has seen impressive gun-deer harvests for the last few years, with 2018 and 2019 being more than 800,000 with the success rate climbing.

Georgia
Back in 2017, Georgia was sitting in tenth place on the list of the top ten best white-tail deer hunting states. The state of Georgia has risen to the number two spot on the list with the consistency the state has shown over the last five years with a white-tail deer hunting harvest of over 350,000 in 2019.

Michigan
The Midwest has been changing the way it addresses hunting, with Michigan now at risk of falling way down the list of white-tail deer hunting states. Michigan is still ranked in the top echelon of deer hunting regions but runs the risk of falling away in the coming decade. Read the complete best states to hunt white tail here.

[Hot Tabasco]

Michigan has some monsters that look more like Mule Deer.

True dat but at least they don't bounce when they run..........LOL!

[Beagle8U]

“Michigan has some monsters that look more like Mule Deer.”

My son shot a buck in bow season this year, 9 point with a 23 1/2” spread that weighed 215# dressed.

The bad part is the day before he shot that one his wife saw a much bigger one fighting with that one, and kicking his ass!

[walkingdead]

Yesterday my buddy showed me a video of a guy in a tree stand shooting a whitetail over and over again with a nerf gun. Darn thing just stood there.

Whitetail hunting sure is alot different than mule deer hunting......

[BuffaloJack]

The last time I went deer hunting was about 20 years ago. I took a 140 pound buck and then had to drag him just under 7 miles through the woods to my car. That was just too much work.

[showme_the_Glory]

I recently got a 200 lb buck and a 130 lb doe. They aren’t little blacktail, and thery’re not muley’s. Remember everything is bigger in TX.

[faucetman]

I don’t know why New York was left out.

“Hunters in New York harvested an estimated 224,190 deer during the 2019-20 hunting seasons, State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today.Mar 30, 2020”

Not as big as Texas, by a lot! Not too many deer in NY City.

Where I live, it is filthy with deer. Many with YUGE racks.

Many counties in NY have large, healthy, managed deer population. I see deer EVERY DAY! Many times in my YARD! (I do have a big wooded yard, directly across the road from the State Park (where bow hunting is legal).

[Clemenza]

State Mammal of New Jersey: Dead Deer

State Bird: Turkey Vulture (to eat the countless dead deer on the road)

[PAR35]

From my terrace I see bucks and their families

I trhought bucks tended to have baby mommas, not families.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Come to our deck in Lilburn, GA and shoot a deer while drinking a beer. GA is lousy with deer. The limit is 12 deer per season, two per day.

[cornfedcowboy]

Iowa has trophy bucks galore. The author of the article is right though....difficult for out-of-staters to get tags.

[JBW1949]

Heard in a sporting goods store:

“I got me a ten point buck yesterday...”

“oh yeah??? What did you get ‘im with?”

“My 97 chevy pickup....”

[JBW1949]

If you had to walk nearly 7 miles to where you hunted, you needed to find another place to hunt...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wisconsin. Wisconsin. Wisconsin. Wisconsin. And, Wisconsin!

But hunt in the southern part of the state; corn fed versus pine-fed makes a HUGE difference in the meat. :)

[Frank_Symptoms]

Being a Georgian and a deer hunter, I’m in heaven. We start with archery in Mid-September, a week of muzzle-loader, then firearms from late October until mid-January. We are allowed 12 deer, 2 bucks ( one of which can be anything, and one that must have at least 4 points on one side ) and 10 does. My freezer is always happy.

No lotteries for tags, no stupid 3-week seasons, no bullcrap.

[Abathar]

I can’t believe Indiana isn’t mentioned. Pulled a 10 and a 12 point out of my front yard this year, and a doe in between that went 220#, biggest one I’ve ever bagged. No pine trees here, just big whitetails fed on corn and beans.

Course what I do isn’t even remotely called hunting, we call it harvesting. I just sit in the living room and when I see one worth shooting I step out the doorwall and let them have it.

.45/70 with 325 grain Hornady Leverevolution, not a deer has taken more than 5 steps with that combination so far.

[minnesota_bound]

The 5 Best States to Hunt White Tail Deer

Question: What vehicle is best for hitting deer while driving at night?

[redcatcherb412]

The 5 Best States to Hunt White Tail Deer

Drive the 30 mile stretch between Aztec NM to Durango Co. a few times at night. You don't need a rifle, they'll throw themselves at your vehicle. Grandson hit 4 the first 2 weeks he had to drive that run for work till he changed routes.

[CottonBall]

What states do not allow using dogs?

[Safetgiver]

PA.

[CottonBall]

Thanks!

I might move there.