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The 7 Most Underrated Whitetail States

By Josh HoneycuttAugust 4, 20215 Comments

Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Texas, Montana, Wisconsin, and other states are notable whitetail destinations that get most of the accolades.

These and more receive most of the press for being the best and biggest in the world of whitetails. But the winds are shifting, and hunters are becoming wise to a new crop of underrated states that are slowly inching to the top.

Here’s a look at the 7 most underrated whitetail states for deer hunting this season.  

1. Delaware

The 7 Most Underrated Whitetail States
Every state isn’t on the same level for deer hunting. Some are overlooked and underappreciated. (Realtree Media photo)

While Delaware is small, it packs a big-buck punch. There is some great deer hunting here, and plenty of big bucks to land in the backs of trucks. Too few realize its untapped potential.

It’s full of diverse habitat, and offers a mix of coastal marshland, upland hardwood forest, and more. There’s plenty of early successional habitat, which deer need to get old. With moderate hunting pressure, and plenty of places for deer to hide, it’s a game-rich state.

It doesn’t hurt that it has an early archery opener, too, which makes it a solid pick for velvet bucks. This season, it opens September 1, which offers approximately two weeks to find a fuzzy one.

Those looking for top-end whitetails should focus on Sussex, New Castle and Kent counties. Don’t forget to check out the urban opportunities as well.

2. Idaho

The 7 Most Underrated Whitetail States
Idaho is an underrated state for both elk, and whitetail.

When people think of western deer hunting, Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming come to mind. Idaho? Not so much. But it should.

The entire state isn’t great for whitetails, but the northern region is certainly underrated. There are lots of deer and even quite a few big ones. Not to mention that 70% of the state is public. That’s unheard of in most of the country. It’s only downfall? Rising predator populations.

Here, most tags are served on a first-come-first serve basis, so don’t be lazy. Get your tag as soon as possible. Procrastination is for people who don’t shoot deer.

Overall, the best counties for big deer include Bonner, Boundary, Benewah, Clearwater, Idaho, Kootenai, Latah, and more.

3. Indiana

The 7 Most Underrated Whitetail States
In some states, it’s easier to find mature bucks. (Honeycutt Creative photo)

While the quality of Indiana’s deer hunting is slowly becoming more apparent, it hasn’t received the influx of hunters that other states have. For example, I’d argue that it’s better than even Illinois or Missouri, yet gets nowhere near the praise. I’m sure Indiana hunters wouldn’t mind keeping it that way, though.

While northern counties are known hotspots, more trophies are being taken in the central and southern portions of the state. These areas are increasing in quality each year. Chalk it up to good habitat and hunters who know how to manage deer on the local level.

There are negatives, though. First, archery season doesn’t open until October, which is much later than many states in the region. Secondly, southern and central counties took a beating from EHD a couple seasons ago. Still, it’s hard to pass up.

Drilling down on top-producing counties, Dekalb, Harrison, Franklin, Jasper, Newton, Parke, Ripley, and more are historically best.

4. Kentucky

velvet buck walking
Chasing bucks in Kentucky may mean an encounter with a velvet buck.

If we’re being honest, Kentucky hasn’t been overlooked for several seasons. That said, I believe it’s still underrated when compared to other states, such as Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, and more. In my eyes, it’s better than those places.

Like Maryland, it’s an excellent place to chase velvet whitetails. It opens in early September every year and has a large window of opportunity prior to most velvet shedding. If you spend ample time scouting leading up to opening day, there’s a good chance you’ll find a deer you’re interested in.

While it doesn’t offer much public land in the central counties, there’s quite a bit in the eastern and western regions. But the northern counties have the biggest whitetails. Some giants come from this region.

Look to Breckinridge, Butler, Christian, Daviess, Edmonson, Grayson, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, Hopkins, Logan, Muhlenberg, Ohio, and other counties for the best bucks.

5. Maryland

The 2021 Chronic Wasting Disease (cwd) Update
A big buck roadtrip may be closer than you think. (Josh Honeycutt photo)

Much like Delaware, Maryland is full of opportunity. It has about 200,000 whitetails and many of these are mature ones. It has a mix of terrain, including salt marsh and woodland areas. It has great habitat, plenty of food, and few enough hunters that deer aren’t terribly pressured.

While it has many positives, it is a two-buck state, which I’d like to see changed. That said, it seems to handle that much buck hunting, and continues to do well each year. Per capita, in recent years, it’s in the top 20% of the country for record deer.

It does have CWD, though. That’s a concern. It continues to spread in the state, albeit slowly. The DNR is doing what it can, though.

Those who want the best action should focus on Ann Arundel, Charles, Kent, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Queen Anne’s counties, among others.

6. Ohio

This great Ohio 8-pointer was shot during the late-season.

While most would label Iowa, Kansas or Illinois as the best deer hunting state in the country, I think it’s Ohio. When all things are considered, it seems to offer the best opportunities. It already has a lot of hunters but doesn’t receive the credit it deserves.

This state is full of pristine habitat suitable for whitetails. It has a bunch of large, unbroken habitat, and some whitetails rarely see humans. Furthermore, the amount of public land is impressive.

Still, the hunting pressure here is likely higher than anywhere else on the list. And it has CWD. Plus, the word is getting out amongst non-residents. Still, it’s underrated.

Drilling down on hotspots, focus on Adams, Butler, Coshocton, Franklin, Highland, Licking, Muskingum, Summit, and other counties. These and surrounding areas have put the most bucks in the books.

7. Oklahoma

The 7 Most Underrated Whitetail States
The author poses with a nice archery buck. (Josh Dahlke photo)

Last but not least, Oklahoma rounds out our list of the most underrated states that also offer the best deer hunting opportunities. This area produces a lot of trophy whitetails, and still, hunters overlook it. That’s starting to change, though.

Here, you have a high number of the deer population being dominated by mature bucks. Plus, habitat is expansive and unbroken, which creates pockets of untouched opportunity. Deer are everywhere.

It even has 1.7 million acres of public lands. For a state its size, that’s impressive. It has many avenues of public lands, including federal ground, WMAs, OLAP, and more. Don’t overlook its controlled hunts, too. These receive less pressure.

For trophy bucks, look to Comanche, Hughes, Love, Osage, Pittsburgh, Pushmataha, Rogers, and Woods counties for the most heritage.

Conclusion

What about you? Do you have a roadtrip planned this hunting season? Did any of these states make it in to your fall plans? 

Comment below and let us know which states you’ll be hunting this season. 

Josh Honeycutt
Josh Honeycutt is an avid deer hunter. He's hunted whitetails from South Carolina to South Dakota but spends most of his time hunting in Kentucky. Honeycutt has written and created other forms of media for more than 60 media companies in the outdoor industry, including: North American Whitetail, Whitetail Journal, Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, Deer & Deer Hunting, Rack Magazine, Inside Archery, Game & Fish, Fur-Fish-Game, and others. He's also very active in digital content, specializing in writing, editing, photography, videography, podcasting, and more. You can see how his deer season unfolds each year on Midwest Whitetail and Chasing November.
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