Highest deer success rate cross state

[ljsommer]

If you had one week to hunt any state within a 16 hour drive for OTC public land, which state has the highest success rate for deer? Next year my time and funds are going to be more limited and after throwing so much cash at WA this year I am going to need to make my time in the woods count.

Thinking Idaho but that's just based on what forums members have mentioned.

[vandeman17]

with a little bit of leg work and a week of time to hunt, you can have a good amount of success in the northeast corner of wa. Hang cameras, put out a little feed and put stands on most productive spots. Sit a week and you will kill a deer and save on out of state tags

[Stein]

If success means killing a legal deer, you could do that in ID, MT, WY or even WA if you had a week.  Find an area with with ample access, doe legal regs and a relatively high success rate.

I wouldn't look for state level success rates, it will differ dramatically from unit to unit and depends a bunch on what you are willing to shoot.

[ljsommer]

with a little bit of leg work and a week of time to hunt, you can have a good amount of success in the northeast corner of wa. Hang cameras, put out a little feed and put stands on most productive spots. Sit a week and you will kill a deer and save on out of state tags

I don't know anything about how to hunt (well, anything really) muley/whitetail deer. I see some of the eastern units have insane success rates, like upwards of 40% and I assume that's farmland. I know lots of folks are muley crazy but I'd feel like the luckiest man alive to get *any* deer, and a whitetail is great in my books.
Should I be planning some sort of treestand hunt?

Here's why I ask: I think I am realizing that I need to start small and just get a deer, any deer, on the ground. I need a win to reinforce all this time/money/effort.

[Bango skank]

If you just want any deer, id advise against northeast corner, as all doe harvest is done away with.

[ljsommer]

I have a pretty neat climber treestand I've used before for archery on the westside. Even though i didn't see any deer, sitting sunrise to sunset was a really neat experience and I enjoyed my time up there. I imagine I'd enjoy it even more in the beautiful east side of the state.
My favorite hunt thus far has been turkey on the east side, and I didn't see any turkey. I just enjoyed the scenery. It was a big playground.

[vandeman17]

with a little bit of leg work and a week of time to hunt, you can have a good amount of success in the northeast corner of wa. Hang cameras, put out a little feed and put stands on most productive spots. Sit a week and you will kill a deer and save on out of state tags

I don't know anything about how to hunt (well, anything really) muley/whitetail deer. I see some of the eastern units have insane success rates, like upwards of 40% and I assume that's farmland. I know lots of folks are muley crazy but I'd feel like the luckiest man alive to get *any* deer, and a whitetail is great in my books.
Should I be planning some sort of treestand hunt?

Here's why I ask: I think I am realizing that I need to start small and just get a deer, any deer, on the ground. I need a win to reinforce all this time/money/effort.

For whitetail, start hanging cameras and getting feed out in the summer. Explore the area and look for game trails and follow those to either a pinch point or place were multiple trails might converge. From there, either a tree stand or ground blind will work and if you have the patience to sit all day for a week, chances are high at least one buck will cross in front of you.

[ljsommer]

All day I can do....all day for a week sounds a bit more challenging! Is it acceptable to read a kindle while in a treestand?!?
 

[Karl Blanchard]

If you just want to go knock out a buck then go to MT. You have better odds of hitting a buck with your truck in MT then you do of actually killing a deer in WA I joke but ita probably not far off.

[ljsommer]

If you just want to go knock out a buck then go to MT. You have better odds of hitting a buck with your truck in MT then you do of actually killing a deer in WA I joke but ita probably not far off.

That's good info, thanks Karl! The closest I've come to killing a deer was last week when a doe jumped out in front of my truck on Weyco land! How's Montana's seasons? Should I plan on rifle? I've never been to Montana but it's always held a romantic mystery for me as this land of endless outdoor opportunity.

[Karl Blanchard]

Go anytime after the 5th of November with a rifle and hunt eastern montana. Dont even entertain another state. Just save for Montana and go get the monkey off your back. If you draw message me and I can literally tell you where to hunt.

[vandeman17]

Only issue with montana is you still have to draw a deer tag 

[ljsommer]

Oh ok. What's the draw odds like? Anything in particular/location I should be putting in for?
There's a possibility I may have to sit out next year entirely, so if I don't draw that's fine.

[Stein]

I mostly agree with Karl but would shoot for whitetail as there are units in the west side that are less of a drive and high odds.  Look around for harvest stats and cross reference that with public land and Block Management areas.  Most people hunting will not touch a doe and you can go into heavily pressured areas and still round one up.

That said, it's not a cheap endeavor and one of the reasons most people won't shoot a doe.

I would leave the treestand at home, drive and walk.

[vandeman17]

Oh ok. What's the draw odds like? Anything in particular/location I should be putting in for?
There's a possibility I may have to sit out next year entirely, so if I don't draw that's fine.

They are good but not guaranteed. If you didn't draw and bought a point, you would ALMOST be 100% draw for the following year. Nothing particular as you would just want a deer tag. Like Stein said, we hunt an area in Western Montana that has both wt and md but more wt and fill our tags consistently. Its a 4.5 hour drive from wenatchee

[7mmfan]

What about Montana B tags for WT does? Can't those be had post draw for a reasonable price? More of a group question because I really don't know the details.

[Karl Blanchard]

If you wanna kill a buck you drive an extra few hours and you hunt love struck mule deer. 2.5-3.5 year old rutting mule deer are as easy as it gets for public land deer killing. If you haven't been able to hardly find deer in WA, you aren't gonna have much better luck hunting timber whitetails. Spend $650 on a deer tag but then hamstring yourself over another $100 in gas is just silly. Spend the extra $50 for a preference point right now and you will be near 100% for draw odds next season

[vandeman17]

If you wanna kill a buck you drive an extra few hours and you hunt love struck mule deer. 2.5-3.5 year old rutting mule deer are as easy as it gets for public land deer killing. If you haven't been able to hardly find deer in WA, you aren't gonna have much better luck hunting timber whitetails. Spend $650 on a deer tag but then hamstring yourself over another $100 in gas is just silly. Spend the extra $50 for a preference point right now and you will be near 100% for draw odds next season

Agreed with this. My recommendation was based more on your "limited budget" comment but I don't know how limited.

[Buckmark]

Limited budget and just want to fill a tag with any legal deer and you are Archery hunting, stick with western wa, tons of time to get it done and lots of places close by...

[Tinmaniac]

Seriously time for some tough love!You have a multi-season tag and keys to the gate in a good area.You literally can hunt almost everyday until the end of the year and the seasons have just begun.Book a Texas hunt on a high fence ranch and they will tie one to a tree for you.

[Stein]

Deer B tag is $75, shoot a doe almost anywhere in the state (not including other fees you would need to pay).

I wouldn't buy a $639 license to shoot a doe if I could get an OTC B tag.

Mulies are fun and even a young buck can be more meet than a doe, so it's all up to you.

[7mmfan]

Deer B tag is $75, shoot a doe almost anywhere in the state (not including other fees you would need to pay).

I wouldn't buy a $639 license to shoot a doe if I could get an OTC B tag.

Mulies are fun and even a young buck can be more meet than a doe, so it's all up to you.

Definitely. My point is if killing a deer, any deer, is the goal, he can get an OTC B Tag for $75, maybe a couple of them, and go get the snide off and bring home some good meat.

[ljsommer]

Can you explain an OTC B tag? Is B tag the region of Montana? Or is that Idaho or?

[Karl Blanchard]

Can you explain an OTC B tag? Is B tag the region of Montana? Or is that Idaho or?

b tag is a doe tag. There is quotas based on units but lots of units you can get more than one doe tag.  If you dont care buck or doe you could get 2 b tags for $150 and another $300 for round trip fuel and get 100 ish pounds of good venison

[Bob33]

I'll throw a couple more names in the hat: (1) Wyoming. You can get four doe/fawn licenses for around $35 each. Several units have so many licenses that they don't get drawn and go on sale as leftovers. (2) Orcas Island. You just need to find a couple landowners willing to get rid of the deer which are overrunning the island. Put on some nice clothes, take a couple days to visit the island and knock on doors. You may get turned down by 9 out of 10 but it just takes a couple with deer to say yes. If you're successful you may build a lasting relationship that's good for years to come and is in-state.

[ctwiggs1]

I'll throw a couple more names in the hat: (1) Wyoming. You can get four doe/fawn licenses for around $35 each. Several units have so many licenses that they don't get drawn and go on sale as leftovers. (2) Orcas Island. You just need to find a couple landowners willing to get rid of the deer which are overrunning the island. Put on some nice clothes, take a couple days to visit the island and knock on doors. You may get turned down by 9 out of 10 but it just takes a couple with deer to say yes. If you're successful you may build a lasting relationship that's good for years to come and is in-state.

Vashon is the same.

[ljsommer]

I'll throw a couple more names in the hat: (1) Wyoming. You can get four doe/fawn licenses for around $35 each. Several units have so many licenses that they don't get drawn and go on sale as leftovers. (2) Orcas Island. You just need to find a couple landowners willing to get rid of the deer which are overrunning the island. Put on some nice clothes, take a couple days to visit the island and knock on doors. You may get turned down by 9 out of 10 but it just takes a couple with deer to say yes. If you're successful you may build a lasting relationship that's good for years to come and is in-state.

That's a great suggestion thank you! I've been to Orcas Island before for mountain biking and I may know a contact over there so I'll give them a hollar, otherwise I'll plan on making a trip over there come spring time.

[ljsommer]

If you wanna kill a buck you drive an extra few hours and you hunt love struck mule deer. 2.5-3.5 year old rutting mule deer are as easy as it gets for public land deer killing. If you haven't been able to hardly find deer in WA, you aren't gonna have much better luck hunting timber whitetails. Spend $650 on a deer tag but then hamstring yourself over another $100 in gas is just silly. Spend the extra $50 for a preference point right now and you will be near 100% for draw odds next season

It looks like Montana has bonus points and preference points. What should I buy?

[Karl Blanchard]

If you wanna kill a buck you drive an extra few hours and you hunt love struck mule deer. 2.5-3.5 year old rutting mule deer are as easy as it gets for public land deer killing. If you haven't been able to hardly find deer in WA, you aren't gonna have much better luck hunting timber whitetails. Spend $650 on a deer tag but then hamstring yourself over another $100 in gas is just silly. Spend the extra $50 for a preference point right now and you will be near 100% for draw odds next season

It looks like Montana has bonus points and preference points. What should I buy?

bonus points are for their limited entry tags. You want a preference point for the general deer combo. They expire after two years if you don't actually apply so buy accordingly. You have till September 30th to buy. 

[Karl Blanchard]

Bob made a great point about Wyoming doe tags. Probably best bet for antlerless killing.

[ljsommer]

Awesome suggestions in this thread, I am very grateful. Thanks to all. It may take another 20 years but eventually I'll get my first, and I'll be sure and send you each a beer once I do 

[SpurInSpokane]

All day I can do....all day for a week sounds a bit more challenging! Is it acceptable to read a kindle while in a treestand?!?
 

Not a tree-stand hunter, but kindle reading has been my go-to to conjure up deer. I know some guys feel like relieving themselves is a perfect way to get deer to appear, but hasn't worked for me. 

[Buckmark]

All day I can do....all day for a week sounds a bit more challenging! Is it acceptable to read a kindle while in a treestand?!?
 

Not a tree-stand hunter, but kindle reading has been my go-to to conjure up deer. I know some guys feel like relieving themselves is a perfect way to get deer to appear, but hasn't worked for me. 

Kindle works fine, back in the day i always had a paper back book in my pack that served double duty, started out at 500 pages and buy the end the season might be half that left  , thats one thing a kindle is not good for 
Another way to conjure up deer is to find a comfy tree or big stump and take a nap, more than once i have woke up being stared at 

[dilleytech]

I think Wyoming antelope doe tags would be the closest thing to a sure thing you will find. Very affordable and they sure are easy to hunt.