Is it really that much better??
#111
RE: Is it really that much better??
ORIGINAL: ICALL2MUCH
Not familiar with VA, at all, but I would agree.
I would think that this is true, everywhere?
ORIGINAL: Vabowman
I can tel you this, a 115" buck is usually getting an arrow in him around here....honestly, I bet Va could rival lots of states if the hounds were gone and we had AR....most deer don't make it to 4.5 here and yet we have big bucks every year.
I can tel you this, a 115" buck is usually getting an arrow in him around here....honestly, I bet Va could rival lots of states if the hounds were gone and we had AR....most deer don't make it to 4.5 here and yet we have big bucks every year.
Not familiar with VA, at all, but I would agree.
I would think that this is true, everywhere?
#112
RE: Is it really that much better??
Maybe more to the heart of the question of this post. I get night time trail cam pics of some bucks that I never see during the day, even hunting hard all season. If I do see them, it's most likely during the rut.
Shotgun season sends the deer "under ground". Big deer don't get big by being stupid no matter where they are.
Also, hunters are starting to slack off the younger bucks. Even the DNR is encouraging hunters to take a doe instead.
Shotgun season sends the deer "under ground". Big deer don't get big by being stupid no matter where they are.
Also, hunters are starting to slack off the younger bucks. Even the DNR is encouraging hunters to take a doe instead.
#113
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Blossvale, New York
Posts: 21,199
RE: Is it really that much better??
ORIGINAL: IA Buck Hunter
X2, I hunt in Iowa (Central & Southern), andCOMPLETELY agree with TEmbry's post. Some always think the grass is greener on the other side. Yes, some areas of Iowa are great for deer hunting, but then some areas aren't. It all depends on the management practices in the area you hunt. This season I logged around 175 hours in stand, and saw 2 bucks 150+ from stand (private land), didn't get a shot at either. We do have Big Bucks in Iowa, but so do other states. You still have to HUNT the deer here, it's not just like shooting fish in a barrel.
ORIGINAL: Illinois Buck Hunter
PERFECT REPLY
ORIGINAL: TEmbry
My honest opinion? I think people's views are skewed.
A guy will hunt a state such as PA, NC, AL, FL, TN, KY,___(fill in the blank) and they get frustrated. They are hunting average hunting grounds like everyone else. Then said person will take a trip out of state, but here is the kicker...when they come to the promised lands to hunt, they don't hunt normal hunting grounds like the majority of hunters living there do....they go with a big wig outfitter who has access to 30,000 acres in the Golden Triangle of prime time land managed for huge bucks...and huge bucks they see. They go from hunting standard lands to hunting the mother load of all managed farms to hunt, and attribute the difference to state lines. They return to home state, and tell everyone how much people in IL, KS, IA, __, etc have it made, huge bucks behind every tree.
Are states in the midwest managed better than other areas? Possibly.
Do deer in the midwest naturally have bigger headgear on average and bigger body size than say a coastal VA, NC, or FL counterpart? Obviously.
But a Mature buck is a mature buck...If you can kill them in___ on NORMAL HUNTING LANDS (the kind of land you and I gain access to), then you can more than likely kill them in ____. Obviously each state will offer unique challenges, some being more difficult than others...but it is all relative.
Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I am not basing this off of anyone here (sort of), the post was spurred by someone I know personally who just got back from hunting Pike County IL, and how easy deer hunting is up there.
My honest opinion? I think people's views are skewed.
A guy will hunt a state such as PA, NC, AL, FL, TN, KY,___(fill in the blank) and they get frustrated. They are hunting average hunting grounds like everyone else. Then said person will take a trip out of state, but here is the kicker...when they come to the promised lands to hunt, they don't hunt normal hunting grounds like the majority of hunters living there do....they go with a big wig outfitter who has access to 30,000 acres in the Golden Triangle of prime time land managed for huge bucks...and huge bucks they see. They go from hunting standard lands to hunting the mother load of all managed farms to hunt, and attribute the difference to state lines. They return to home state, and tell everyone how much people in IL, KS, IA, __, etc have it made, huge bucks behind every tree.
Are states in the midwest managed better than other areas? Possibly.
Do deer in the midwest naturally have bigger headgear on average and bigger body size than say a coastal VA, NC, or FL counterpart? Obviously.
But a Mature buck is a mature buck...If you can kill them in___ on NORMAL HUNTING LANDS (the kind of land you and I gain access to), then you can more than likely kill them in ____. Obviously each state will offer unique challenges, some being more difficult than others...but it is all relative.
Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I am not basing this off of anyone here (sort of), the post was spurred by someone I know personally who just got back from hunting Pike County IL, and how easy deer hunting is up there.
#115
RE: Is it really that much better??
Nobody said they weren't happy, Kyle. That don't fly.
You can't make this stuff up.....This is from a thread on the forum right now. This guy lives 20 minutes from me.
You can't make this stuff up.....This is from a thread on the forum right now. This guy lives 20 minutes from me.
At the same time this deer would be the biggest buck I have ever encountered. After all, I only have the rights to hunt 40 acres that is surrounded by 100+ acres
#116
RE: Is it really that much better??
ORIGINAL: TEmbry
My honest opinion? I think people's views are skewed.
A guy will hunt a state such as PA, NC, AL, FL, TN, KY,___(fill in the blank) and they get frustrated. They are hunting average hunting grounds like everyone else. Then said person will take a trip out of state, but here is the kicker...when they come to the promised lands to hunt, they don't hunt normal hunting grounds like the majority of hunters living there do....they go with a big wig outfitter who has access to 30,000 acres in the Golden Triangle of prime time land managed for huge bucks...and huge bucks they see. They go from hunting standard lands to hunting the mother load of all managed farms to hunt, and attribute the difference to state lines. They return to home state, and tell everyone how much people in IL, KS, IA, __, etc have it made, huge bucks behind every tree.
Are states in the midwest managed better than other areas? Possibly.
Do deer in the midwest naturally have bigger headgear on average and bigger body size than say a coastal VA, NC, or FL counterpart? Obviously.
But a Mature buck is a mature buck...If you can kill them in___ on NORMAL HUNTING LANDS (the kind of land you and I gain access to), then you can more than likely kill them in ____. Obviously each state will offer unique challenges, some being more difficult than others...but it is all relative.
Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I am not basing this off of anyone here (sort of), the post was spurred by someone I know personally who just got back from hunting Pike County IL, and how easy deer hunting is up there.
My honest opinion? I think people's views are skewed.
A guy will hunt a state such as PA, NC, AL, FL, TN, KY,___(fill in the blank) and they get frustrated. They are hunting average hunting grounds like everyone else. Then said person will take a trip out of state, but here is the kicker...when they come to the promised lands to hunt, they don't hunt normal hunting grounds like the majority of hunters living there do....they go with a big wig outfitter who has access to 30,000 acres in the Golden Triangle of prime time land managed for huge bucks...and huge bucks they see. They go from hunting standard lands to hunting the mother load of all managed farms to hunt, and attribute the difference to state lines. They return to home state, and tell everyone how much people in IL, KS, IA, __, etc have it made, huge bucks behind every tree.
Are states in the midwest managed better than other areas? Possibly.
Do deer in the midwest naturally have bigger headgear on average and bigger body size than say a coastal VA, NC, or FL counterpart? Obviously.
But a Mature buck is a mature buck...If you can kill them in___ on NORMAL HUNTING LANDS (the kind of land you and I gain access to), then you can more than likely kill them in ____. Obviously each state will offer unique challenges, some being more difficult than others...but it is all relative.
Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I am not basing this off of anyone here (sort of), the post was spurred by someone I know personally who just got back from hunting Pike County IL, and how easy deer hunting is up there.
#118
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 899
RE: Is it really that much better??
ORIGINAL: GMMAT
Is this like that question about a train leaving Chicago and a train leaving New York?
They're both 115"? What are you asking?
If you're asking if they're "old hat" in IL? I don't know. Are there a helluva lot more of them (%-age wise) in IL? I haven't counted them.....but deductive reasoning (based on the TV shows, existence of outfitters, harvest photos from here and other forums, and a PM I got from Chief Illiniwek himself) tells me you have a lot more than we do.
My perception is....HONESTLY....we're talking about a 2.5 yr old IL deer and a 4.5 yr old NC deer.
What is your perception of a 115" deer in your state, comparable to one in IL?
They're both 115"? What are you asking?
If you're asking if they're "old hat" in IL? I don't know. Are there a helluva lot more of them (%-age wise) in IL? I haven't counted them.....but deductive reasoning (based on the TV shows, existence of outfitters, harvest photos from here and other forums, and a PM I got from Chief Illiniwek himself) tells me you have a lot more than we do.
My perception is....HONESTLY....we're talking about a 2.5 yr old IL deer and a 4.5 yr old NC deer.
Good call Jeff. Didn't ask it right.
A 115" in NC is a ____" deer in IL?
That might be better. My bad!
#119
RE: Is it really that much better??
I'd also like to note that within the next year I'm gonna try to make a trip to Kansas or Iowa to hunt whitetail.
Now.. I'm not stupid enough to point at my globe and say.. "Iowa is great and full of big bucks.. I'll just go here". And point to anywheresville Iowa.
I'm gonna research. Ask Q's to those who live and hunt there.. and get the best knowledge I can of that state... that region.. that county.. that township I want to be.
I don't want to go to Iowa. I want to go to a piece of heaven in Iowa.
Does that make more sense for some of you.
Now.. I'm not stupid enough to point at my globe and say.. "Iowa is great and full of big bucks.. I'll just go here". And point to anywheresville Iowa.
I'm gonna research. Ask Q's to those who live and hunt there.. and get the best knowledge I can of that state... that region.. that county.. that township I want to be.
I don't want to go to Iowa. I want to go to a piece of heaven in Iowa.
Does that make more sense for some of you.