coder14

I'm an Archery Elk hunter from Utah, my wife is just getting into the sport, not ready to kill an elk nor can she pull enough poundage on a bow. We are both college students and don't have a ton of money. We are going to start saving up to try a whitetail archery hunt next year. I work summers for the forest service and know the forests here inside and out and have never thought about paying for a guided hunt before. We were thinking we would like to try somewhere like Arkansas, or Missouri but to be successful will we have to pay for a hunt? We are not real interested in trying to kill a monster buck, just a fun deer hunt. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions?

MarcJr47

I go out of state every year on state land. The past three years I have gone to Ohio, due to the fact that there is a ton of state land there, and when you buy a tag its good for archery, shotgun, and muzzleloader.

coder14

Thanks that's helpful, is Ohio pretty good whitetail hunting?

Bocajnala

Ohio will give you some good opportunities. I bow hunt in Ohio every year and see a lot of deer. The southern part of the state is typically your best bet. Counties like Licking, Muskingum and Coshocton have good public access and plenty of deer. The archery season runs from the end of september till early February I believe so that would give you alot of planning flexibility. And your rut is usually the strongest in early November. Hope that helps
-Jake

MarcJr47

I agree with Bocajnala. Southern Ohio is a great place to start. I go to southern Ohio and I have seen some really nice bucks down there. Generally in the 110-140 class bucks. But I have seen some that go bigger. You can buy doe tags for 15 bucks too, if you want some meat in the freezer.

GTOHunter

There are lots of Public Land where You can Archery Hunt on in Missouri,main thing is to pick an area and if possible do some scouting or get some topographic/ariel photo's to see how the land lays?You can find lots of places to hunt where the MDC (Missouri Dept of Conservation) plants food plots year round so You'll have an even better chance at shooting a nice Deer!Most places are MTNF (Mark Twain National Forest)...some are close to different Parks and recreational Area's so You have the place and opportunities to set up a Camper,there are several area's that are located close to the Mississippi River and crop lands so the chances to geta nice Big Buck are there.


Most area's that are Public Hunting Land don't allow 4-wheelers or vehicles so its basically "Walk-In" Hunting area's,climbing stands and ladder stands are allowed but You need Your name and phone number on the stand and they have to be removed after Hunting Season (Bow Season from Sept 15 to Jan 15).


One Area that comes to mind that has a Shooting Range near by and a Camping Area (non-electric) would be the Apple Creek Shooting Range and Conservation Area located in Southeast Missouri.They are located close to a Fishing Area/Stream called Apple Creek and the Mississippi River is nearby also,they have 3 neatly mowed Camping Sites along the roadway and there was a large Corn Field and Soybean Field right behind the Camp Ground where You can hunt plus plenty of area's with large Timber/Woods.


The list goes on and on all across Missouri listing and showing free Public Land to hunt on...Bow Season would be the best time to hunt there because there are a lot less Hunters during Bow Season.One thing to check out is each area has different rules and regulations on what Deer are allowed to be harvested and how many.

www.mdc.mo.gov/permits


Oh yeah,I'm thinking Out of State Tags cost around $225.00 so check into that on prices/fee's.....if there's anything I can do to help You out just ask.GTOHunter in Southeast Missouri

nchunter33

If your not interested in size of deer but just sheer numbers check out nc, sc or al for your cheapest guided hunts with a lot of deer. I know thats a long way from you but as far as deer densities per square mile they are some of the highest. I lived and hunted in nc for several years and last yeari killed 15, my wife killed 5 ad my brother came for a week and killed 4 including a 115" 8 point.

Shockwave

For a cheap hunt, you have to eliminate outfitters and flying. That leaves public land on places you can reasonably drive to. If I were in your shoes, I'd start by researching the public land opportunities in Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, etc. I don't know which states have over-the-counter tags and which you need to draw, but I'd start with these because I know some of the others are draw only (Kansas and Iowa, for instance).

There is great public land hunting all over the country. You just need to do some homework and take your best guess. I killed my best buck ever this year on an out-of-state public land hunt, along with a couple of does. This was the first time I had ever set foot in this particular state. I called the Fish and Wildlife dept, I called various WMA's, I emailed / PM'd whoever I could find from that state on various hunting forums like this one. Some people ignored me, but most were very helpful and it paid off.

Good luck to you! It is fun and exciting venturing out to new places, doing the research and scouting and hopefully having it all work out the way you planned!