With over 2,260,380,000 hectares of common access land, and enviable biodiversity, the USA is home to some of the happiest hunting grounds on the planet. It’s that time of year again. As the leaves on the trees turn to orange and the evenings draw in, whitetail season creeps ever closer.

It’s time to give your gear an audit, especially if you’re planning to head further afield and even more so if you’re going out into the backcountry. Fall is a great time of year to upgrade your old kit. You can’t afford to protect yourself on the cheap but luckily, quality outdoor suppliers like SKRE Extreme Mountain Gear are tripping over themselves to give you a good deal on their cold weather gear made from merino wool.

Once you’ve got your kit assembled, it’s time to head out into the field. In the past, it was easy enough to know where to go but as hunters become more ambitious, there’s more of a trend to follow the big bucks. Here are some of the best states to hunt whopper whitetail deer:

Wisconsin: Bring Home the Big Bucks

Wisconsin is nationally renowned as the producer of the most B&C whitetails year-on-year and you’ll find some brutes roaming public lands. With that said, in any state that grows this many big bucks, there will be a high degree of competition and you’ll have to pay for expensive leases or spend bank on a seriously good outfitter. 

Iowa: Historic Hunting Ground 

Another well-known big buck producer, the Hawkeye State has an impressive hunting heritage. Hunters here have about 300,000 acres of land to roam. If you’re willing to put the hard yards in, and reach some of the lesser known corners in the backcountry, you might just manage to bag a monster. Make sure you consider tagging and license costs before you head down into Iowa, as it’s been one of the more expensive states in the past.

Texas: Everything’s Bigger

Everything is bigger in Texas, or so they say… Texan hunters may not be bagging the highest number of B&C whitetails on an annual basis, but Texas still boasts some enviable hunting grounds, as well as the opportunity to hunt whitetail does, wild pigs and even javelinas.

Minnesota: Less Deer, More Monsters

Another state with a reputation for producing some monsters. This is particularly impressive when you consider that the state has a smaller overall deer population. If you can get away from the lakes frequented by locals and out into the pristine Minnesotan backcountry, you’ll have a better chance of bagging a prize.

Maine: More Bang for Your Buck

A little off the beaten track with a decent out-of-state deer tagging price, Maine doesn’t always get the credit it deserves as a hunting state. It’s also an easier location to reach from the Eastern seaboard.

If You Fail to Plan You Plan to Fail

Before you pack your kit up and jump in the truck, make sure you research the basic rules of hunting on public lands in your chosen state and weigh up the different licensing fees and options, which will vary from state-to-state.