If there ever was a sleeper state for whitetail deer, Indiana might be it. Consider Dustin Huff’s typical whitetail that scores 211-4/8 points. He killed that deer in 2021. That’s second only to Milo Hansen’s Canadian monster. And those deer will likely keep getting bigger because the state instituted a one-buck rule in 2002. Read more about that here. Consider this. From 1980-2002, Indiana hunters entered 209 Boone and Crockett whitetails into the records. From 2003-2020, after the one-buck rule was implemented, hunters there entered 683 B&C bucks. That’s nearly 500 more bucks entered in a shorter time span. Not bad.
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Boone and Crockett Club's State and Provincial Big Game Records
Whether you’re looking for record-book whitetail deer or the biggest moose to come out of your state, look no further. Here, you can search the Boone and Crockett database for state records for big game from Alaska to Mexico.
For hunters and anglers, the great state of Washington may only be rivaled by Alaska. A number of record-book Columbia whitetail deer came out of the state before Y2K never happened. Since then, the pickings have been slim. Never fear; there’s plenty more to hunt. You can always shift your sights on elk—Rocky Mountain in the east or Roosevelt’s in the west. There’s Shiras’ moose for those gifted at drawing tags. Quite a few large cougars also make the record-book cut. Rocky Mountain goat, bighorn sheep, and mule deer round out this sportsman’s paradise.
Do you want to know a secret in the world of whitetail deer? Kentucky! If you’re looking to hunt trophy whitetail deer and even black bear, Kentucky is a solid bet. In fact, Kentucky ranks in the top 10 states for whitetails, according to the Boone and Crockett Club’s Records of North American Whitetail Deer . Kentucky wasn’t always the big buck factory that it has become. Consider that the majority of its top 10 record entries have been entered since 2000. And keep an eye out for big bull elk that are a recent transplant. They’re starting to grow very, very large!
Home to Mount Rushmore and the Badlands, South Dakota is also a great state in which to hunt bison, whitetail and mule deer, elk, and even pronghorn. Bison entries abound from Custer County in the southwest. The state’s largest bighorn killed in 2018 sits solidly in the top five of all time. Deer entries aren’t as common as they were decades ago, but elk are starting to make the book there. The state’s largest non-typical elk scored an even 411 points when it was killed in 2020. That same year, another non-typical was killed with a score of 408-4/8 points.
A whitetail deer success story in the Heart of Dixie After intense deer restocking efforts from 1940 to 1960, Alabama’s whitetail deer populations went from a few thousand to what could now be nearly two million. Yes, that’s quite a few deer, but the reality is that the trophy-book bucks are going...
The good news is that Idaho has just about any species a hunter would love to hunt. The bad news is they’re just not as big as they used to be. The 1950s and ‘60s saw record-book mule deer being taken, and while there’s no doubt the state has some whoppers running around, the trends suggest the good old days may be behind them for mule deer. If you want to chase down a trophy cougar or maybe a Shiras’ moose, then give Idaho a try. Tags there aren’t going to break the bank, either.
Much like Wyoming, Colorado is a sporting paradise. Roaming those sage-covered hillsides, record-book mule deer were quite numerous, especially in the top 20. A few pronghorn and black bear make an appearance in the top 100. The antlers belonging to John Plute’s famous “meat bull” were pulled out of Dark Canyon after the locals didn’t believe him when he told them how big the antlers were. While the state’s elk are numerous, there aren’t that many record bulls running around anymore. Then again, you can just wait a lifetime to draw a tag in one of their trophy units and see if you can find one yourself.
Missouri has more than a few oversized objects. There’s the 12-foot-long pecan, a 42-foot-tall rocking chair, and the world’s largest chess piece. Why? We really don’t know. But we do know that they also have a number of oversized whitetail bucks running around the state. Callaway County is west of St. Louis, and it has the most entries of any county. St. Louis County is home to the massive non-typical pick up found in 1981. This buck scores 333-7/8, and it happens to be the World’s Record by more than five points.
So you like Columbia blacktail deer? How about Roosevelt’s elk? If either one of those species happens to be your jam, then Oregon holds the best book potential for your money. Look to the wet and rainy West Coast timber cuts for them. It’s not all rainforest, though. Look to the arid southeast where the antelope (pronghorn) play, and you might even find a top 10 all-time entry down there. With proper management, the Rocky Mountain goat population is expanding and growing some whoppers. Mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk and bighorn sheep call the state home as well.
Hunters wait a lifetime or spend a fortune at a chance to hunt record-book bighorn sheep in the Missouri River Breaks or the cliffs of western Montana. Nearly as impressive, Montana’s elk hunting features a shot at some trophy bulls, too. Then, of course, you can always try hunting for cougars, bison, pronghorn, the list of species to hunt in Montana seems limitless.
Nunavut, Canada's vast and untamed Arctic territory, offers adventurous hunters an unparalleled opportunity to pursue world-class game species while immersing themselves in the raw beauty of the Arctic. If you’re not a big fan of crowds, check out Nunavut in the far northern reaches of Canada. It...
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-Theodore Roosevelt
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