MN ranks #1 for 2015!

http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/trophy-bucks/20-best-whitetail-states-for-2015/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_term=sportsmanchannel&utm_content=northamericanwhitetail

Yea. Probably win the Super Bowl as well.

It seems the ranking was based on cost and public land availability. As a hunter I would be more concerned about the success rate on the public land rather than the amount of square miles available to hunt. I know guys who have hunted the northern part of the state their entire life on state land and I believe they are on year 4 or 5 w/out seeing a deer.

riverruns wrote:

Yea. Probably win the Super Bowl as well.

Ain’t that the truth.

Sure we have lots of public land. No game to hunt but we got lots of land.

The genes from MN and WI bucks, are coveted in the southern states… they pay Thou$ands for a shot of sperm from our bucks…. I would have guessed MN or WI or Ohio to be honest… doesn’t surprise me at all.

Hmmm. I still think the biggest buck ever killed was from Iowa. I’ll bet a shiny nickel Minnesota doesn’t produce a bigger buck then Iowa this year. No way.

Steven Krapfl wrote:

Hmmm. I still think the biggest buck ever killed was from Iowa. I’ll bet a shiny nickel Minnesota doesn’t produce a bigger buck then Iowa this year. No way.

Them’s fighting words Steve.

Steven Krapfl wrote:

Hmmm. I still think the biggest buck ever killed was from Iowa. I’ll bet a shiny nickel Minnesota doesn’t produce a bigger buck then Iowa this year.

Yep. YeP. YEP! I’m with ya!

So am I, and from what I’ve seen in the past is that about every 4 or 5 years there’s a bumper crop of nice bucks, with a decent amount in between those years, and its been about three or four years since any real big ones have been taken, there’s always a couple counties every year where records are broken or are within a few inches but I think we’re due.

1 big one fenced in, on private land does not equal 100 Pope and Young that roam free here in MN. There are LOTS of Big Bucks shot in MN, that meet the knife and don’t even get photoed, let alone shoulder mounted… when I hunted with my cousins and their neighbors, they would shoot 12 pointers and bigger and whack the horns off and hang em on the machine shed.

I’m sure there’s lot of big bucks there Glenn and just like here in Iowa, you have to find those honey holes and some only come every few years. I think 160’s through 180’s are a little more common then one might think its just that a guy never hears about them often and for good reason, the word hardly gets out and everybody and their brother is there. A trophy here is a 140″ plus anything bigger but you have to step into that honey hole, their around, you just have to look for them.

Some of the best land here in Iowa is public land but you have to walk back in a couple hours, more then the average guy would, stay a few days in a tent, look things over and take your time. Big deer didn’t get that way because their stupid, they’ve learned to stay away from humans. A good day time hunt during rut on public land here for me would be a good long two or three hour walk and plan to spend a few days there, a persons chances go way up going where others don’t tend to go.

Look for an area where’s there’s a nice meadow and a few worn trails leading to it and just sit and wait. It doesn’t have to be along a corn or bean field, it can be a clearing 2 too 5 miles from the nearest road, take a good day long walk and look for sign. Every year the guys who shoot big ones almost always do their homework, its amazing how well a guy can figure out an area with a half dozen days of walking slowly.

If it’s under 200″ down here, we just throw the antlers on the fire.

Right Steve and with quite a few big does in the herds and some of them being 225 too 250 lb plus and bigger they often produce triplets, a lot of those fawns are bucks. I’ve seen only a couple really big does and when walking away from me their shoulders moved back and forth and side to side just like a cow walking and their shoulders doing the same and the size of those two were above 250 lbs. I know a lot of guys here are trophy or close to trophy size when their looking for a buck to hang on the wall with the mindset of who wants to hang a small basket rack on the wall and then have to talk about it being a shootable buck. I know a lot of guys take a doe for the table when their hunting for a nice buck because they taste better anyway and If they don’t get a shot at one, they know they will have a chance at a big one next season. Shooting the right deer always makes a better healthier herd.

The big reason Iowa was low isn’t because you don’t have huge deer, the reason they were lower is because it costs at least $500 dollars for tags and licenses alone.

Charlie Lundquist wrote:

The big reason Iowa was low isn’t because you don’t have huge deer, the reason they were lower is because it costs at least $500 dollars for tags and licenses alone.

True.

I was surprised to see MN #1 also. It is cool they used a good friends deer… I got the privilege of taking his photo.

The criteria as mentioned is what got us there. Some known trophy areas inexpensive tags and access to anyone that can get here.

I think the state will kick out some great deer again this year but it’s tough to beat a state like Iowa for a hunting experience because they so heavily restricts out of staters. If your an out of state bowhunter, IA works out to every 4th year.

I will always patiently wait for my IA tag…. but for me WI and KS will benefit from IA’s regs!

I don’t give a sweet rats a-s what that article says about all the other bullcr-p stats, Iowa has got mn beat as far as quality deer goes hands down. I hate to say it being 8 miles from the Iowa border but its the truth. I will agree that mn has many good deer taken every year, but it could be ALOT better. The reason- (which many of us down here in the southeastern part of the state all agree on) – Iowa gun seasons are in December, AFTER THE RUT!! They let their big deer get most of the breeding done BEFORE THEY KILL THEM!!!!! The bucks get their brains back and the does all get bred!! Unlike Minnesota, (who, by the way has the most hunters in the upper Midwest because its the cheapest place to hunt) let a whole crap load of hunters go out and have the first gun season during the peak week of the rut while the dear are at their dumbest, and may not get to finish their breeding!!!!! Meanwhile, Iowa has less hunters, because of higher prices, and later gun seasons, with bigger and more deer. Hmmm, now why can’t anybody from the MN DNR comprehend this??

Simply put, I’m not trying to sound like the hunting is bad in this state, but it could be ALOT better. until change is made, Iowa will reign supreme. Just my op.

Sorry all, rant over. (deep breaths)

Oh ok, as long as you know that….. sounds like you need to write your own article in North American Whitetail.

Quote= “Meanwhile, Iowa has less hunters, because of higher prices, and later gun seasons, with bigger and more deer.”

This would stand to reason wouldn’t it ??? Maybe that played into the article ??? It’s one thing to have deer, it’s another to restrict access.

You do realize after the deer are allowed to breed, when you shoot a doe, you shot that next buck ? Bucks breed doe’s, bucks don’t give birth Alot of the genetics for big racks, come from the doe & not necessarily the buck.

Is it really that hard to fathom that MN would have more hunters than Iowa? MN is more than 50% larger area wise and nearly double the population than Iowa. Doesn’t take a PHD to figure out there would be more hunters merely by percentages alone.
Throw in accessibility, cost, etc it certainly makes sense.
If you want a ranking of where the biggest bucks are, go make one. This didn’t intend to be solely about biggest bucks, but overall opportunity at getting that big buck figuring in a multitude of factors COST and ACCESSIBILITY.
If you really want to argue about who has the biggest bucks, Iowa has nothing on Saskatchewan.

Here’s someone else’s opinion on the matter. Looks like Iowa came up a little higher on this ranking, funny that it was done by the same publication.

http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/trophy-bucks/20-best-diy-whitetail-states-for-2015/

This comment is spot on about MN:

Much of the northern part of the state is public land with a good whitetail population, but suffers from what some people call the “Deer Camp” mentality which means not many bucks ever get a chance to grow a second rack before being turned into venison.

Read more: http://www.northamericanwhitetail.com/trophy-bucks/20-best-diy-whitetail-states-for-2015/#ixzz3pslEkszd

Hopefully at some point in my life time guys/gals in MN will start passing small deer.

Don’t despair ranger777, tons do. But let’s not forget what “deer camp” is about… horns are hard on the teeth to chew.

This stupid article could rank Iowa 40th for all I care. Real deer hunters the know truth. The only states i would put ahead of us, maybe, would be Ohio and Kansas. But I think if you named the top 5 whitetail states, Iowa would be on it. Period. Minnesota wouldn’t be. Would you rather be in an Iowa tree in November or a Minnesota tree? Not saying Minnesota doesn’t have good deer, it does. Iowa has great deer.

Real deer hunters the know truth…..:???: nice hat, says it all. Just stay south…