America's Big Buck State (N1)

Every hunter dreams of shooting a trophy buck some day in their lives. In order to be able to accomplish that you have to be hunting on some good land that holds these trophy bucks. The OutDoor Life magazine has named the top ten states in America that have the biggest trophy bucks taken in the past three deer seasons. This magazine scored each state with points based on four different measurements. The first measurement was a state’s trophy production. Each state received a score based on the percentage of harvested bucks that qualified for B&C registry. The second measurement is a state’s hunter density. This metric calculates competition for a trophy buck. They divided the total number of firearms hunters in each state by the total land area in square miles. The more hunters a state had for every square mile the less points they would receive in this category. The third measurement is a state’s cost of outfitted hunts. For each state, we averaged the fee of three outfitters that offer a fair-chase, five-day, fully guided hunt (including lodging and meals) during the rut, and also factored in nonresident license fees. A state’s outfitter fee that was under $2,600 received 1 point, while a state’s outfitter fee that was between $2,601 to $3,500 received half of a point, and a state’s outfitter fee that was over $3,501 received no points at all. The fourth and finale measurement was a state’s hunter’s friendliness. Some states’ nonsensical restrictions will leave hunters scratching their heads. They gave South Dakota zero points for prohibiting the use of electronic bow-mounted devices of any kind, including illuminated sight pins. Illinois lost half a point for requiring shotguns capable of firing no more than three slugs. Most other states received a single point. After these four measurements the states were listed in a top ten category.

Top ten states:

1. Kentucky
2. Kansas
3. Indiana
4. Iowa
5. Minnesota
6. Illinios
7. Mississippi
8. Nebraska
9. Ohio
10. Oklahoma