Disclaimer-I can't check out a topo and arial and be on deer like Dan or other serial killers..but I can usually get close enough to have a couple spots set by the second day. So I prefer places I can check out on a long weekend in the winter maybe more than once.
#1-I'm too cheap for Illinois or Iowa but the resuls kinda speak for themselves.
I work with a guy his family farm bordered by Shawnee..They ( 3 guys) hunt the public ground around/bordering farm and get some hogs every year during shotgun season...It's nearly a mile from a public access to their property line...He claims they rarely see people back there and only hear a few shots.. He taunts me with cell pics of their public deer and I wouldnt believe it if I didn't know him. I am just too cheap and I'm sure I will find good deer in indy if I keep at it a season or two. Their place is between Fern Clyffe and the cypress swamp (cashe river I think). If money were no object I would be there..but the tag + lodging/food/fuel=$2000 at the end of a week.
#2-Kansas-Check out Kirwin, take a boat. bout all I'm willing to post about that. Not as many 130" deer as Shawnee seems to produce but it's not as vast to figure out where to start as Shawnee.
#3-I hunted late season Nebraska right across the river from Iowa (Macy area)..I saw a couple dandies..no connect..lotsa road hunting going on out there ( it was M/l season but they don't seem to care)..Tag wasnt too bad. Would def. do that again..locals were not willing to get more than a couple hundred yards from their truck if they left it at all..Several hunted from the truck..There is indian land you can hunt with their rez tag but there are pieces of state land all over in pretty remote spots that isn't real well marked. Good river/creek bottom public land at that..
#3-Indiana is cheap and I just started scouting it last season and was pretty impressed at what I found, bioligist confirmed several mature buck harvests as well..I have a free place to stay within an hour of the indy spots and can make it there in a few hours or so.
North Dakota-My dad hunts alot near Minot for birds last two weeks October every year and again later in year depending on snow..I go every couple years..We usually see 1-2 130+ bucks per 7 day trip..It would be hard to bowhunt treestand style..not many trees deer were bedded down in vast CRP fields or in cattail patches. Any large woodlot had deer pouring out but those spots were high value (leased or family only). I am told the eastern end is woodsier near the red river. I would M/L hunt it for sure but I'm passing alot of good deer ground to make the 23 hour one way trip..no thanks
hope you shoot the deer that makes you happy..good luck
If you were to do a public land do it yourself hunt where wo
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- phade
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Re: If you were to do a public land do it yourself hunt wher
To me, this is where logistics need to meet personal goals.
If you are happy with say 130 class deer, you can take the approach of maximizing value. That would mean looking at bordering states such as Ohio and connecting through as you fill tags. This reduces cost to a degree and limits time not spent hunting/scouting or such related tasks.
If I were in PA, I'd probably mark out Ohio as stop #1, then look at Indiana and Kentucky as stops #2 or 3 based on where you hunt.
The other option if you have money to burn due to increased costs and licenses is hit Illinois and work homeward....IL, IN, OH.
If you have the time and have the money to burn, then I'd be leaning more mid-west...IL, KS, NE, MO.
I love hunting out of state (duh, from NY), but I haven't been able to venture past Ohio simply because of time. I cannot get the time off to venture far away without burning a chunk of vacation days in transit or to scout in the off-season. I can get to Ohio within 4-5 hours and scout it on short notice on a free weekend. I can also leave in the a.m. and be in a tree for the sun set.
If you are happy with say 130 class deer, you can take the approach of maximizing value. That would mean looking at bordering states such as Ohio and connecting through as you fill tags. This reduces cost to a degree and limits time not spent hunting/scouting or such related tasks.
If I were in PA, I'd probably mark out Ohio as stop #1, then look at Indiana and Kentucky as stops #2 or 3 based on where you hunt.
The other option if you have money to burn due to increased costs and licenses is hit Illinois and work homeward....IL, IN, OH.
If you have the time and have the money to burn, then I'd be leaning more mid-west...IL, KS, NE, MO.
I love hunting out of state (duh, from NY), but I haven't been able to venture past Ohio simply because of time. I cannot get the time off to venture far away without burning a chunk of vacation days in transit or to scout in the off-season. I can get to Ohio within 4-5 hours and scout it on short notice on a free weekend. I can also leave in the a.m. and be in a tree for the sun set.
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Re: If you were to do a public land do it yourself hunt wher
Iowa...
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Re: If you were to do a public land do it yourself hunt wher
You could also go to a real sleeper state like WV, they have 4 adjacent counties that are archery only and have been since '78, they kill a slough of bucks from 130"-160" and even a couple booners every year from those counties.
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Re: If you were to do a public land do it yourself hunt wher
Nebraska. Reasonable tag cost and some great bucks if you put in the work. Plus you have the option of whitetail or mulie if you want.
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Re: If you were to do a public land do it yourself hunt wher
North Dakota and Minnesota. The reason is in MN you have miles and miles of public land out there that never see humans.
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