Best Outfitter for P&Y Whitetail
Whitetail Deer
Looking for everyone's opinion on the best outfitter for a chance to shoot a P&Y Whitetail. By "best", I mean best % at a shot at one. Where I live in NY, a 100"+ buck is a trophy so for me a 125"+ would mean a lot and I'm just looking for the best bang for my buck! I've been on many hunts over the years (mt. lion, lynx, mule deer, antelope, etc.) but never on a whitetail hunt (besides crossing into CT and PA).
If a 125" buck is your goal you should start your search in Texas. Ton's of ranch's down there that can offer a really high chance of archery success on a 125" or better. Plus there are a lot of other critters to hunt after you get your buck (does/javs/hogs/etc). My go-to guy down there is Greg Simons of Wildlife Systems, Inc. He mostly guides rifle hunter now but may take a bowhunter or may refer you to someone that will. Good luck.
Thanks, Busta. My concern with looking at Texas outfitters is weeding through all of the HF operations (which I am not interested in).
Dakota Ranch Outfitters in South Dakota
If you are looking for just a 125" almost anywhere in the Midwest to Oklahoma. Use the outfitter search function and start calling and asking (on Bowsite as well). Texas is also really good - go to Texasbowhunter site and ask for a non-HF option. Those guys are usually really great.
To get a really good chance at a P&Y you are going to have to pay a bit of a premium. Shouldn't be ridiculous expensive (if you have ever gone guided before).
You could also do a combo hunt in northern Idaho and Montana (combo with elk, etc. pending budget). Some really big deer coming from those states.
Plenty of low fenced places n TX!
Red dog outfitters.
He has ground in Kansas as well as Ne.
I hunted with him this past year along with my dad and a friend from work. I didn’t see a lot of bucks over that mark but my dad and friend seen a bunch. We all ended up shooting bucks over that mark.
I'd go with the Midwest.........many 3.5 year old bucks break the 125 mark which can't be said for many other parts of the country.
Could go public ground to many states and save some cash?
I wondering from your handle if you’re looking for a Crossbow Outfitter or Archery Outfitter? Some do some don’t.
What about hunting with the Wensel's in Iowa
Rock; where do I sign up for that? :)
Rob, maybe I am mistaken but I know they use to guide in Iowa.
Yah, I,m sure Gene and Barry would welcome you on their property! NOT! They use to guide in Montana.
Rock; thought your post was tongue in cheek hence my reply was meant that way. Pretty sure they don’t guide there, would be quite a lineup for spots if they did!
^^^ Some guy up in Canada wouldn't be a bad choice. I won't say any names but he's not hard to find. :)
Check out Saskatchewan. I heard some guy up there killed a buck that netted over 213 and was only 3.5 years old. You get a 6 year old, I might break 300! ;)
Xbow that’s a tough question to answer. Outfitters success rates can vary dramatically year to year, Farm to farm and week to week. I’ve done guided and diy hunts in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. If you’re really looking for 125 seriously consider a DIY in any number of Midwest states. You have to do more home work, but you can shoot a 125. There’s lots of good public land where that is realistic and very rewarding. Go with an outfitter and most will have a 140 minimum and it gets much more difficult to get an opportunity. The outfitter report page here is a great place to start. But no matter what do a lot of online research and speak to both successful and more importantly unsuccessful references. Good luck. Trips to the Mid West are awesome!!!
Honestly if a 125" buck is your goal why pay an outfitter?? You can hunt Kansas, Oklahoma, Indiana, Ohio and several other states like Kentucky and even Nebraska or North or South Dakota and if ya do your homework have a decent chance at a 125" buck on public land. Now if ya bump that even just to 140"s then you narrow your choices a lot. If I were you I would look at a DIY hunt before dropping 3 grand plus on a 5 day hunt.
Check First Point Bowhunting in Uvalde TX (www.txbowhunt.com) - affordable ranch with lots of trophy bucks.
If you want a S TX giant get with Jerry Gonzales, Perdernal Bowhunts in Laredo TX.
Midwest or MT maybe and like Shawn said, DIY on public land or pay a trespass fee.
I wouldn’t hunt in TX for whitetail even if they paid me. Just my opinion
Thanks all for the responses on this thread and the several PM’s I got. I’m open to compound or Xbow. This year was my first year with compound so my xbow handle is a few years outdated. I’m open to DIY that’s how I have hunted CT and PA. However, while work gives me a lot of vacation per year I can usually only take 1 week at a time so with flying to/from the Midwest I felt the best way to spend 5 days is an outfitted hunt. I almost booked a Kentucky hunt last year so that’s an option for 2018 also.
By the way, off topic but can I use Tapatalk or some sort of forum app to access this site? I mostly use smartphone so that would be easier
Two places that come to mind are Tom's Logging Camp Ranch in ND, and Bluff Country Outfitters in WI...although I'm not sure Tom's is still in operation or not?
Riverbend Whitetails in Kentucky.
If you only have one week and are flying, outfitted might be a better choice. Hard to do a DIY without your truck and your gear. But you will likely have a 140 minimum. Be prepared to see several 120s you can’t shoot and hopefully you get a 140+ you can shoot.
I read most of the posts. And now, my thinking.
First you are not looking for a high-dollar outfit where they kill huge bucks every year. In fact, Canada would probably be my last choice. If I read your post correctly, you are looking for any buck that will make P&Y. That means, you are looking for high deer density with the nutrition and genetics to provide a better than average number of bucks that hit 125" by 2.5-years. That is not terribly hard to do. First, eliminate the ones that have been booked solid for several years. Skip the big, famous outfits. Star by deciding on what states. gather info from state game agencies on age structure as it relates to archery kill numbers and then antler measurements. There are probably half a dozen that would meet that requirement. Consider this: Once a buck has reached 3.5, I don't care where you hunt, he is going to be hard to kill with a bow. Therefore, you want an area where they have that sort of antler development by 2.5. Do some research. Once you have picked a state, then start looking for a small outfitter. If they are still in business, you might consider Deer Creek Lodge in Sebree, KY. last time I was there, they would have fit your criteria. If you are willing to wait and accumulate points, I would contact Sam Collora at Mrs. Doe Pee 319-385-7255. He could probably steer you in the right direction. I would avoid any outfitter with a minimum over 125. If you are not use to seeing larger bucks, you are probably not going to be all that good at judging larger racks. Approach this with some common sense. List your criteria, then look for areas that meet it, then look for outfitters. And keep this in mind-in all likelihood, you are going to be hunting food plots and maybe even feeders.
John; curious why Canada would be your last choice? It’s true that our Prime Minister is an idiot but he did not get voted in by us Westerners so ya gotta cut us some slack! Lol
Bowriter and Genesis x2. Xbow check out article in this months Petersons Bowhunting. They rank top WT states based on: P&Y, B&C, archery harvest, cost, public land and “archery friendliest”. Rankings: 1-Minnesota 2-Indiana 3-South Dakota 4-Kentucky 5-Iowa 6-Ohio 7-Wisconsin 8-North Carolina 9-Wyoming 10-Kansas As Bowriter said, do your research and you me be surprised at the opportunities out there.
Go back and look at the guys first post. His question was, which outfitter could provide the highest % chance for a shot at a 125" wt. Trust me, it's not the Midwest, it's easily Texas, by a long shot. On the right ranch in Texas you could easily have shot opportunities at multiple (perhaps even many) different 125+ bucks in one hunt. I certainly agree there are outfits in the Midwest that can easily produce chances at a PY min buck, but that wasn't the guys question. There's really no debate based on his initial question. It's Texas every day.
Tend to agree with Busta on the shot opportunity. Be aware though that a lot of outfitters down there charge a base price for a deer “up to” a 130” or 140” and then $100-150 and inch over the base score. This isn’t always the case especially on the low fence hunts, but still needs to be confirmed. You probably won’t be hunting in trees like in the Midwest. It’s brush country down there. Be prepared to hunt out of box stands, pop-ups or from tripod stands.
Hunt for a week in a decent area in Manitoba and you're pretty much gonna have a chance at a P&Y buck. And yet, I'd trade two weeks in Manitoba for one week in Sask or Alberta. Excluding Canada has to be one of the weirdest suggestions. Plus the body would be twice the size of a Texas fenced corn-pile buck. Go in early season when the bucks are patterned and you have a real good chance at a 125 net whitetail. He could also very easily be 2.5 years old.
