It is fast becoming a reality that if you're after that whitetail of a lifetime, Ohio is a good state to choose. In years past, the buckeye state probably wouldn't have been on many hunters' radar when considering where to book that trophy deer hunt. Things have changed! Ohio is ranked in the top 5 big buck states, alongside Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Kansas.
Ohio has come forth as a Cinderella story of sorts. In the early 1930's the whitetail deer population was believed to be as low as 17,000 deer. Now let's compare that to today's population of over 700,000! There are many reasons for this. Ohio is a large agriculture state, that means lots of food for the growth of a healthy deer herd.
Hunters and law makers in Ohio have made some smart choices when it comes to managing the deer population, and as a result the herd is booming! Ohio is a 1 buck state, this means with your hunting license you can only harvest 1 buck. It is management like this that let's more deer survive to reach a mature age every year.
Ohio is no stranger to record book quality deer. In 2004, Brad Jerman killed an absolute monster with his crossbow that scored a staggering 201 ⅛. Also in 2004 Mr. Tim Reed harvested a Muskingum County giant with his long bow that scored 198 ⅜. Probably the most infamous buck to come out of the Buckeye state was harvested by Mike Beatty in 2000. This absolute freak scored an astounding 304 6/8!
So when contemplating just where to head for the pursuit of your dream buck, consider Ohio. The up and coming monster buck state, where the deer hunting is great and the walleye fishing is too!