Ha ha!

I won't tell anyone that you live and hunt right in the middle of that cluster of red counties...lol

I think we are underrated and I’m 100% fine with that. Keeps some people away!

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Atta boy. Now your thinking. Just don't think that you need to stop drinking over it.

Or that you hunt the “red” county next to mine!!

I am blessed to have access to a great property in one of those red counties...where a 150" or better that weighs well over 200 lbs is a real possibility.

But, I live (and hunt a lot) in a "Not Likely" county. A heavyweight down here at the state line is 140 lbs to 150 lbs and a 100" rack is a very good'un.

Near the Ga-Fl line (about 2 miles on the Georgia side):

With declining hunters numbers, I expect several states to get " better" within 10 years.
But..., this nation wide event of 1 person locking up 1000s of acres of land so they can be the next " YouTube" celebrity is gaining momentum.


Big Antlers have and will continue to be the desmise of hunting as us older folk knew it.
And yep...., totally guilty myself. Past 3_4 years, I've given up a couple thousand acres of prime ground and have asked several landowners to let others hunt.
What I was 20/30 years ago, dang near embarrassed bout it now.

One thing, just because land is posted doesn't mean they won't grant permission.
Last 10 years of asking could be a " Hard No". Next year could be " Dang Right You Can", kill them all.
People with flowers n gardens n crops can be a deer hunters best friend .


Mn is a way undervalued deer hunting state.
Huge amount of Wildlife diversity.

Actually I think I’ve matured as a hunter, I don’t need to shoot any or the first buck that comes into range. Yes, I’m waiting on that big antlered old buck. 15 years ago that spike would’ve got an arrow the second it stepped into range. Now we’re passing 130-140” bucks and sometimes 150” bucks because we’ve seen what age can do for deer and the herd. I don’t see it as a demise, I see it as a good thing when hunters mature and it’s no longer about killing just any legal buck.
As far as leases, I saved my money or worked extra in the past to afford a lease. I figure if I can do it then anyone can. I hunted public land as well. Heck, at one point I was hunting nothing but public land. Just got tired of other folks walking in on me during prime time and just being inconsiderate. Nothing like scouting and getting up a tree an hour before light and have someone come walking in after daylight and climb a tree 30yds away even though they know you’re right there. So yeah, I’ve leased land. I don’t see where that’s taking anything away from anyone else. They could have the same opportunity I did.

Wanna Be. Think back 35 years ago.
Chances are, what you grew up 【 starting】 to hunt then was 100% different than what a youngster has now.
I knocked on doors. Almost 100% yes.
Think a young kid could do that nowadays?

Think about that.
Heck, I didn't even ask permission until I was about 25. (35) years ago.
People here could give a rip.

Have saw progression of a hunter/fisher goes something like:
Just happy going hunting/fishing
Happy getting anything
Want a limit/lot of the animal/bird/fish
Want trophy sized animal/bird/fish
Happy getting anything
Just happy going hunting/fishing

A lot of truth to that progression.

If I didn't lease hunting property, then I'd probably hang it up and quit. I’ve hunted public a good bit over the years, but those hunts were all about the kill.....nothing more...nothing less.

I've been leasing land since the late 80s. The 1st tract (960 acres) I turned over to my cuz and family when I moved 45 miles south. They still lease that tract.

Now, I have two tracts (405 acres & 866 acres) that are 2 miles & one-half mile from my home....24 years & 17 years, respectively. I'm also blessed to be a part of another lease 100 miles upstate that is 1000 acres....just 3 of us.

Leasing land allows me to "manage" the game as I see fit. I can get on my tractor and mow/disk/plant....which is very relaxing and fulfilling to me. I enjoy the feeling of giving back to the game...not just always taking.

Leasing is expensive...but it's the only way for a poor man to achieve the gratification of land management without actually owning the land.

You are SO right about the Orange Army!!! Lunatics with high powered rifles that otherwise never set foot in the woods nor understand the ways of nature!!!
I get ticked off at that too and basically avoid rifle season in PA altogether. I think my problem with crossbows is that archery season is SO long and the same type of people have even more time to take long shots and never recover their nice bucks so they don’t rip up their tag, they just go find another one.
This scenario may just be all in my head but I know a handful of guys who act this way.

Difference in geography I guess. We started out hunting Timber Co land for a $5 permit. And no people didn’t just let you on their land for deer. We just didn’t have the numbers back then. 1 buck and 1 doe. Doe days were few and far between. Just seeing a deer back then for a kid was “street creds” lol. If you knew someone who hunted and owned their own land, then yeah, you might get an invite to help out with stands and what not. But just to knock on doors and get permission was not happening. Squirrels yeah, pecan farmers wanted them gone. Quail, sometimes. Dove you better know the farmer and it was invite only.
When the timber companies realized they could make more money subdividing the land and leasing it out, then if you wanted to hunt, you leased land.
WMA’s were quota hunt with firearms, but open to archery hunters during non-quota hunts. As far as just showing up on public land and hunting with a firearm, we didn’t have that or I wasn’t aware of it.
So NO you couldn’t just ask someone to hunt deer on their land back then.

Well thanks for all the replies to the question. Gave me an interesting perspective. I have hunted about all the
Midwest states and now I’m thinking about WV lol sounds like an interesting hunt.
I ran into a few fellow hunters that have raved about the hunting and shooting of 160 inch deer in southern Arkansas so I’m going to look into that also.

Out of all the states I have hunted Iowa has been the best by a long shot.

North Dakota

Adirondacks in NYS has some whoppers. But they’re tough to find with the vast mountains and woods. Gotta put the time in.

If you have access to private land, especially somewhat “managed” private land, these days, just about any state has potential to produce big bucks.

Look at all the “pros” on TV.

They go all over the country killing big deer.

But they’re ALWAYS on controlled access ground.



And there’s no shortage of hunters out there today. I don’t buy it!

When people tell me hunter numbers are down, it’s like telling me Biden won fair and square! Certainly not true when it comes to big game and bowhunters.

I know Wisconsin is the B&C leader by a wide margin- I believe the P&Y ranking mirrors this closely.
1. Wisconsin
The crowned king of whitetail record keeping. Wisconsin owns virtually them all.

Entries: 12,246

Top counties: Buffalo County (1,171), Shawno County (565), Trempealau County (513), Dane County (427) and Columbia County (383

Youre wrong about hunter numbers, Boone....like it or not. Hunter numbers have been on steady decline for decades. Its very easy to track hunter numbers, license sales and such. Michigan even tracks 'new' hunter numbers, 'repeat' hunter numbers and 'lost' hunter numbers eqch year. State's fish and game programs, as well as their hunter/trapper education programs are funded through PR funds based on number of licenses sold. The states have no reason to 'cook the numbers' and short themselves any funding.
If you have good sources of information stating hunter number are going up, or holding steady, we'd love to see it. I hope Im wrong, but Im not...

A lot of western states have increased big game hunter numbers. Tag allocation being the only limiting factor in many cases.

And archery hunting has increased 1000% over the last twenty years.

There’s so few hunters I can’t even hunt forest service ground in my own back yard without a limited number special use permit because there’s to many, I mean not enough hunters.

Even though we live about 100 miles apart, our deer hunting history is identical. What you described is exactly how it evolved down here too.