Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Best hunting state

If a gentleman decides he needs to a lot of hunting to have a happy life, which state would be best? I'm mainly talking medium and big game, but I also love some good upland bird hunting. A place where a resident can get a tag for something every year. I'm a rifle Hunter if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance!

If money is no object, there are more animals to shoot in Texas, year 'round than everywhere else put together. If you're talking about the regular native big game animals, I'd say Alaska or Montana.

I'm thinking native animals, I could go down to Texas for an exotic hunt anyway.

I'm thinking native animals, I could go down to Texas for an exotic hunt anyway.

JackVliet: The answer to your inquiry is Montana (list to follow):
Antelope
Buffalo
Whitetailed Deer
Mule Deer
Elk
Black Bear
Grizzly Bear (soon to be)
Moose
Bighorn Sheep
Cougar
Wolf
unlimited Waterfowl Hunting including not just a myriad of Duck and Goose species but Swans and Sand Hill Cranes also
Wild Turkey
Pheasant
Hungarian Partridge
Sharptails galore
Ruffed Grouse
Sage Grouse
Blue Grouse
in addition to the above there are MANY species of Varmints and predators to Hunt year round!
GO BIG SKY!
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

That is a huge variety, montana really sounds great. That along with Idaho and Wyoming seem to be at the top of my list

How is public land access?

For that, Idaho is hard to beat. More than 60% of ID is public, over 51,000 square miles. Plus, ID has an unusual trespass law. There are many tracts of private rangeland mixed in with public land. If the private land isn't irrigated or cultivated, it must be posted or hunting is allowed without permission.

Wyoming and Idaho's hunting is off the charts! I would choose either of those.

South Dakota seems like it'd be hard to beat IMHO. Rapid & Hill Cities are gorgeous and darn close to the Wyoming border which is pretty awesome too.

Insane bird hunting, good reservoir fishing, and pretty awesome deer & elk hunting.

I'm going to need to visit each of these states and see what suits me best.

IMO, WY if your focus is big game. Though in the upland birds and I'd give the overall nod to Idaho. MT would be in the running as well, but some of the elk management stuff there makes me think it's not what it was a decade ago...

Montana sucks. Don't come here.

Definitely California!!

Cracks me up... AK has more of everything and everything can be hunted almost every year. How many from MT have killed big bull moose the last two years and then drew a fancy bull tag for this coming season? How about caribou seasons for multiple bulls each year? Elk, deer, mountain goat with OTC tags? Sheep, too?

Brown bears with a two per year limit... black bears at three per year most places.

Seven grouse species with ridiculously liberal seasons... ducks and geese.... sandhills... swans...

Yup, head to TX!

If a guy is perfectly content hunting whitetails and pigs, some of the southern states have virtually unlimited opportunity...but the western states have a more variety of critters.

As far as Alaska...I know a fair number of folks who lived up there for several years, but ended up moving back to the western continental US for various reasons...including the hunting. If you're specifically after big antlers and bears, then yes....Alaska is the place to be but other states have their own virtues, including an unlimited number of deer one can kill in a season...you couldn't pay me enough to live in the deep south, but in some areas down there hunters can kill as many deer and hogs as they want. It's all dependent upon what a guy wants.

I'd really like elk, mule deer, with the possibility of goat and bighorn. Alaska is great but I think it's more of a move than I would like. Cost of living is another factor. I do not like the heat either so that rules out southern states.

Texas is totally a POS for hunting don't even think about coming down here. If you wanted to bust a few diseased Jack Rabbits that could be done.

Jack---Colorado is your state. I've drawn 3 bighorn ram tags & 1 mtn goat. Elk & mule deer every year. Still waiting on a moose tag. Antelope can also be had. FYI---all hunts are DIY on public land.

Deleware