With whitetail rack records falling every season due to intense habitat and herd management, the lure of hunting another state known for growing them big is captivating hunters across America. Hunting on your uncle’s farm just outside town takes little advanced planning. Hunting out of state on leased, outfitted, private or even public land requires a different approach. You need to plan, and not just for the fall window when your hunt will take place. Take these factors into account when the bug bites for a big-buck bucket-list hunt.
Licensing
The good old days of just arriving and purchasing a hunting license at a local sporting goods store are disappearing like Doritos at a Super Bowl party. Research state deer hunting requirements and do it early. Although a few states still offer unlimited whitetail tags, like Texas or Missouri, most states now manage their whitetail licenses according to herd objectives and social tolerances of how many hunters is too many. Hotspots like Iowa, Kansas, North Dakota and specific units within certain states require a few years of preference or bonus points to draw. Iowa archery tags typically require four or more years to draw, and many Kansas units now require one to two years of preference points for license success. Iowa odds aside, considering archery hunts over firearm hunts typically increases your odds for drawing a license in good areas.
Application deadlines also could spoil your out-of-state plans. Get too caught up in turkey season and you already missed Kansas or Iowa application periods. Research the application deadline for your targeted state and put it on the calendar. Forget about filling out forms between commercials while watching “Landman.” Hunting applications have become as complicated as filing your taxes with the IRS, so save an evening or afternoon depending on how many states you plan on applying for.
I personally fill out most of my out-of-state dream-hunt applications, but I also coordinate a few through a hunting consultant, Worldwide Trophy Adventures (worldwidetrophyadventures.com). In addition to applying for sheep, elk and moose tags for me, they hand pick some great deer hunts, and it just makes sense for them to handle the headache applications.
Land and Land Security
At the same time as you are researching license requirements, be actively tracking down land to hunt. You may have checked that off the list with an invite from a friend, college buddy or a land-wealthy relative, but if not, it’s time to make executive decisions on whether you should lease, go outfitted, trade a hunt or simply hunt public land. None of the above happens with the snap of a finger. All require diligence in online research, posting on forums and even swapping hunts via an open social media site like Facebook Marketplace. Since leasing or outfitting could set you back thousands, the swap hunt alternative has merit. Think about what you could offer such as waterfowl opportunities, upland pursuits or even a swap that includes deep sea fishing for whitetail access.
If you do not have an easy offramp to someone’s private land, open that hunting app and begin looking for public hunting lands that are big and small. National forests, state forests, wildlife management areas and any state properties allowing hunting should be investigated. Although you may settle for one particularly worthy parcel, having a cluster near your base camp gives you openings to prospect if one area disappoints. Some of the better hunting has come about from state programs that lease private land and open it to the public. Those with lottery access to limit hunting pressure hold the best chances for hunting unpressured whitetails. And do not overlook military bases that hold public hunts to help manage wildlife densities.
Scouting
Scouting a far-off whitetail hunting location becomes tricky, especially if the property lies more than a day’s drive away. Depending on how far away your dream hunt will occur, it makes sense to team with someone near the location. Say you live in Maryland but have a hunt opportunity in South Dakota. Finding a lease partner or that close relative to work with on a hunting property keeps a sense of personal connection to the area for updates, not to mention someone to help with property management chores and security.
If that option fails, use technology to keep a connection. First, embrace the palm power of hunting apps. A quality hunting app gives you the advantage of doing much of your scouting removed from the area. Subscriptions from popular apps like HuntStand’s Pro Whitetail reveal landowner information, public land designations and maps galore to formulate a network of stands without being on the property. Although public lands often employ rules on pre-setting stands or even trail cameras, your next move is to visit the property firsthand with notes based on your virtual scouting efforts.
Plan a long weekend to set some preliminary stands based on your scouting, stage a series of cellular cameras and even an ATV to drag in a fall food plot. This preseason visit familiarizes you with the lay of the land, so you do not start your hunt blindly. Even if you cannot do these chores on public lands, driving the perimeter of a parcel and walking it jumpstarts your hunt. You may see options to bring additional gear for a strategy you never considered without a personal visit.
Travel Logistics
Finally, schedule your hunt. I turn back to my hunting app and utilize HuntStand’s Pro Whitetail feature to zero in on the best dates to hunt a specific location, early or late season. Things to consider include public hunting pressure during the rut. Maybe the early season might be better. Bachelor hunting in the early season or pre-rut activity could be more lucrative than hunting during the actual rut. Plus, coordinate partners who may be joining you. When do you all have windows of time to rally together? It is an important question to answer early in the planning stage.
Put a plan together now for that investment in an out-of-state rack pilgrimage. Missing a season at your uncle’s farm will be worth it with effort.
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