Best state for trophy whitetail or Canada?

[trophyhunt]

The MASS on that pig!!!  dayyyymmn.  Did you do the 6 or 8 day hunt?  What did that score?   Would they give you crap if you wore electric socks???  lol

[greenhead_killer]

Hahaha, no electric socks! I suffer the old way. He went in the mid 160s as a 4pt but my goal that trip was a mass buck, regardless of score. He had 39 7/8” of mass. No brainer for me. That was the 8 day and I shot him day 7. 2015 I was up there. Had a nice 5x5 at 150 yards or so. Heavy heavy deer. I passed on him cause he looked short. The mass was deceiving. He would have probably gone in the 170s in hindsight. I ended up shooting a small one a few days later, thinking he was bigger. It plays with your mind after looking at Wa deer for 30 years ha. But you’ll know big when you see it. If it’s heavy, you just shoot it. 

[trophyhunt]

That’s awesome!!  My toes are about the only thing I can’t keep warm, gonna try the socks this turkey season!! I just won’t tell them if I go up there!

[greenhead_killer]

If you’re in a blind, they’ll throw a buddy heater in for you old guys 😂😂. I always raw dog it and I love it! Hahaha

[Kingofthemountain83]

My dad got a battery heated vest one year it got single digits in Winthrop during modern deer... I woke up and peeled my sleeping bag off my face... Froze on my beard cause the condensation... The thermometer said 4 degrees... 

[Jpmiller]

If it was just score your chasing Texas would be my go to if you don’t want Canada. Most Midwest states have some great deer opportunities but Canada has the best. Plus their deer have the biggest bodies. Got a family member who’s into big deer and travelled for them for a while so I’m just parroting him.

[HntnFsh]

Just curious how those big whitetails from Canada eat?

Ive been thinking about a whitetail hunt up there. Would love big horns. But also edible venison.

[greenhead_killer]

I’ve shot giant bodied deer in Wa, Id, and Canada. I have never not had a great eating deer. IMO, it always comes down to field care. Even long pack outs I’ve never had a bad one. I know someone mentioned Kansas and also South Dakota, two states that are also on my radar.

[Okanagan]

Good advice re learning to judge deer in the area you hunt.  Living in Canada I got used to big bodied Canadian whitetails and got really fooled on a trip to Texas.  The proportion of antler to body and ears may look good but if the body is much smaller, so are the antlers.  And vice versa, as Greenhead killer experienced.

[waterdrinker9]

I grew up hunting whitetails and missing it has me wanting to pursue them here or fly back home yearly. To have the best chance at your dream buck, the states that produce the biggest bucks are definitely Midwest. Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa have produced the most B&C record book bucks. Texas, Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio and Missouri come to mind as big bucks states as well. I imagine you’d be looking to try to find an outfitter who has had success with clients and also have some sort of management/food plot plan going on to maintain peak herd health and genetics.

[northwesthunter84]

I hunt IL every year, on family/friends property. Even the managed stuff, has a large diversity in deer size. 160-180 deer are not the norm, 140-160 is what you will see predominantly. Also getting tags with the high end outfitters for gun hunts are years out. So start talking to guys, might catch a cancellation hunt this year or maybe booking a hunt for 27 or even the 28 season. I have had opportunities at big deer over the years. I would hands down hunt Saskatchewan or Alberta in a heartbeat. Those deer are just built different. If I were doing a public land DYI, I would try to get an IA tag, good land programs and decent access, plus big deer.

States to look at would be IA, KS, IL, MO, in that order in my opinion, several others have have good options but those states have the genetics I like.

[trophyhunt]

Solid info, lots to look at!  Just convincing the wife that a whitetail is worth spending 6,200 and up on is now the tricky part!  I know wa has some tanks, I’ve seen’em!

[greenhead_killer]

Little research, according to Boone and Crockett the top eight states for book entries are as follows.
#1 Wisconsin
#2 Illinois
#3 Iowa
#4 Minnesota
#5 Ohio
#6 Kentucky
#7 Missouri
#8 Kansas
I’d love to hunt any and all of those states at least once. Maybe when I grow up 😂

[10thmountainarcher]

Last time I was up in Canada. 2019. I think I’m going back in 2028 with another member. You are hunting genetics up there and you will be fooled. I passed on deer most would shoot and should have shot others that I misjudged. If you can sit still for 10hours a day and you don’t get cold, that’s where I’d go. If my wife wouldn’t divorce me, I’d hunt late season Canadian whitetails every year. I love that style of hunt

Not to thread Jack to much, but do you mind sharing the info for the outfitter you used? I am super interested in doing an Alberta whitetail hunt!

[kodiak06]

Fun hunt, pick one...
Guarantee, Big Fence