I want to take a trophy whitetail. Where and with who should I hunt? No high fences please.

A couple of questions -

1. What is your definition of a "trophy"?

2. What is your budget?

For a chance at a Boone and Crockett whitetail that is free range - the King Ranch in Texas is a great place. You can expect to spend $10,000 to $20,000 depending on the "inches".

There are no high fences on this 700,000 acre ranch.

Good luck.

Do you have any kind of preference? Wyoming can hold big deer if you find the right land. I keep hearing that Idaho and Montana has some good public land, where you can kill bucks without a guide if you put your time in.

If you want the outfitted route, then you can't beat Saskatchewan/Alberta for odds on seeing a Booner. If you want to stay in the States, focus on the midwest and book with an outfitter in Illinois, Iowa or Wisconsin. These seem to be the big producers in the past few years, but don't discount the surrounding states like Kansas, the Dakotas, Kentucky and Ohio.

Theres plenty of options out there, but you probably have some constraints which will make one area better than the others (Price, schedule, type of hunting, etc.).

Alberta or Saskatchewan would be my choices for what I consider a trophy whitetail. The problem with Texas is the dang high fences and private ranch fees.

Go to the prairie provinces and find a hunt for 10 days. My definition of a trophy is anything over 160 B&C and I've seen them there, but they are still hard to come by.

I forgot about our neighbor to the north. Canada is a great place for some seriously large whitetails. However, it may be a bit chilly when you go.

Depending on your definition of trophy.

NE Wyoming has a very good whitetail population.
I think you would easily be able shoot a 140's class deer. With 150's-160's a very real possibility.

Canada will give you the best chance to take a huge deer.

I've got a good place in your neigborhood, eastern Montana or, to the Manitoba Interlakes Region.

One thing you probably know is some of these outfits book a year or more in advance due to the popularity of big whitetail!

Texas would be the last place that I would come for a free range "trophy" whitetail, and I live here.

My first choice would be Saskachetawan, my second choice would be in the midwest (Illinois or Iowa), and my third choice would be Kansas.

There are some big deer in NW Oklahoma, but it is tough to find a place to hunt. I am fortunate to have family land there. This is my 2004 muzzleloader buck that gross scored 178".

Everyone's got a definition of a trophy animal. Mine as far as WTD is any large, mature buck killed on its own stomping grounds in a deep woods New England forest. You may hunt many years and never get to see, much less get a chance at a shot at a big deer. I know this to be true, and most of those that have taken big deer up here, earned them. To me, that's a trophy deer. As far as chances of seeing that big one on a trip, I can't imagine the odds are favorable to the hunter.

Or his big brother from the same stand one year later.



Both of these fine whitetails came from Chitek Lake, Saskatchewan. It's my favorite place to hunt them.

The bucks depicted here are awesome and in my mind define a trophy whitetail - mass, length and character.

Names of specific landowners or outfitters and booking agent suggestions appreciated. I need to keep this under $2500 and the more under the better.

quote:

Names of specific landowners or outfitters and booking agent suggestions appreciated. I need to keep this under $2500 and the more under the better.

I think finding a Trophy whitetail hunt for under $2500 is a little bit of a stretch. Remember, you get what you pay for. Or, at the King Ranch, you pay for what you get.

I would think about $5000 to $7500 for a trip to Canada and about that much for Illinois, Kansas or Missouri.

quote:

Originally posted by GA DEER HUNTER:

I think finding a Trophy whitetail hunt for under $2500 is a little bit of a stretch. Remember, you get what you pay for. Or, at the King Ranch, you pay for what you get.

I would think about $5000 to $7500 for a trip to Canada and about that much for Illinois, Kansas or Missouri.

I disagree. There are $2500 trophy hunts available, but you just have to look harder to find the deals. I also know guys going to Canada for around $4000+/-.

It is sad, but I am seeing African safaris selling for thousands less than "trophy" whitetail hunts.

Dont think you will find a whitetail hunt for that price anywhere reputable. Average price is probably close to 5000-6000 for a 7 day hunt.

Maybe on a last minute cancellation with an outfitter that had a client forfiet their deposit and just trying to fill the allocation

I think $2500 is going to be tough for an outfitted hunt anywhere for a trophy whitetail. I think $4000 in Canada gets you in range with the reputable outfitters and the ones the produce year after year.

The good ones are booked for years and years. I hunted this past November in Alberta I believe is booked through 2009 or 2010 now and is not taking anymore deposits so his regulars can continue to come.

For a Texas low-fence spot and stalk you could call these guys but it will be more like a $4000 hunt. But not as much snow as Canada! I think they book a lot of return customers so I do not know about openings. I have been on part of the ranch and met the guy but not hunted with them.

I know someone on another board who has taken some nice bucks in Canada, but I do not know if the price was in the range you mentioned.

There's an outfitter in Idaho that Buckmasters and Realtree outdoors go to every year.

I forgot their name but they're are out of White Bird, Idaho on the Salmon River.

They weren't bad for pricing and they considered a 140 class Whitetail a smaller deer.

Leave it to Idaho. I still think they have the largest natural whitetails in the lower 48. BUt People don't know this because you need a pack-frame or horses to go get them.

Killgore Adventures

I've met this guy. He knows what he's doing. His house can prove it with all the horns hangning, none were small. Very Professional. His Family homesteaded the area. You could say he knows his way around.

I'm going to keep looking for the other guy also.

Boulder Creek Outfitters

Found them!

SBT,

Look at my post here from the Canadian Section:

Circle Lakes Angus Outffitting -SK

I highly recommend these guys and their hunt prices are hard to beat in Saskatchewan - trust me!

WTR

Canada is certainly a winning ticket but for a heck of a lot less money, you can kill bucks just as big or bigger in the midwest.

Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, all have HUGE deer. And my gosh, don't forget Kansas.

I suggest you take a look at Ohio's DNR website, their photo gallery of deer. People kill tons of B&C deer here every year. I've seen places charge only $500 for a week of hunting, includes your lodging but no food or tags.

Ohio's photo gallery

Doc, I have to agree with you. Canada has become over rated and the "professionals" are way harder to find then they were decades ago. My first hunt up north was more than 30 years ago and things were quite different to say the least. I have a brother in law who has been trying Iowa with enormous success, and another friend whom I have hunted in Canada with who has switched to Kansas. Partly it's the weather, and partly it's the style of the hunt. My first few years in Saskatchewan were difficult because as a younger man I prefered to walk and stalk ala T. S. Van Dyke, the New England style hunt. After seeing novices kill mega bucks I began to believe that it might be possible to sit still a little longer!


Now as to cost of a good trophy hunt: The majority of knowledgeable and experienced REPEAT hunters that I know still traveling to Saskatchewan and Alberta pay in the range of $4,000 for their hunt. The higher priced hunts are really the cream and not necessarily any better for B&C score. One friend, Scotty has been hunting Chitek Lake and has killed 3, yes three 190+ gross B&C animals in the last 4 years. This is hunting CROWN LAND! The hunt he takes does not cost him $4,000. USD. My point would be that these are true wild wilderness animals, not from a managed herd with supplimental feed.

My 2 cents. Thanks for listening.

SBT: If 150-190s are your cup of tea, then email or call me. I hunt IL and they have giants there. It is a draw however, but I've been consistant. Price is in your requirements. You can get my contact info in my profile. Good hunting, LDK

A 140-150 class whitetail is pretty common in my area of Missouri, although certainly not guaranteed here or anywhere else. We have had years when we killed eight or nine over 135-140, some we don't. I think northern Mo., Il. or Ia. would word. My contacts in Ks say the hunting is not near what it was a few years ago due to too much publicity for Ks whitetails. Our best this year was a 188 gross bowkill.

I'll throw in a vote for Ohio. Check out Whitetail Outfitters of Ohio, and Ohio Trophy Buck Outfitters. There are plenty of good bucks throughout the state, with the best numbers coming from southern and eastern Ohio. in the last few years, we've taken some pretty nice deer during the archery and firearms seasons. 5 deer between 140" and 170" gross. In reality, anywhere in the midwest you'll have a decent chance at seeing or taking a nice mature buck.

I hunted the Pan Handle of TX for $800 per 3day hunt for a couple of years but the outfitter moved away for work(outfitting was his second job and hobby). He leased lands and charged 800 no lodging but, the local hotel was only 38 a night. He went up to 1200 last year with lodging but I was unable to go. If he was still in business I'd give you his info. We saw plenty of bucks and killed some 130s, 140s, and 120s class bucks. The biggest was a monster 8pt with a inside spread over 27":

This was one of the smaller bucks we got:


It was going to be hot and the trip was booked(you know how it goes) so I shot the first descent buck that came by.

I know that's not much of a help but, I'm just trying to let you know that there are hunts available in your price range. I think there are some other outfitters in the Panhandle for around 1500-2000 but I haven't searched in a while.

I personally would rather go to Kansas or Missouri for a chance at a 150+ class buck with rifle. There are hunts up there for reasonable cost, you just have to search a bit. You may want to try ebay, they have some good hunts from time to time for auction but be sure to do your research on the outfit before you bid. There's too many bad outfitters corrupting our sport now days, what a shame.

You may want to check with Ryan Cambell(sp?) on this forum as he has some pretty good hunts.

Good Luck

Reloader

Can anybody give me feeedback on David Doan and Pioneer Outfitters of Riding Mountains, Manitoba?

Here's a nice one with four drop tines we killed a couple of years ago.
As is well known, large whitetails are only shot deep in the brushy pockets at close range. This is where this one was killed just about lunchtime. You just never know.