How to Plan and Be Successful When Deer Hunting Out Of State

Looking for an adventure? Plan a trip deer hunting out of state with a close friend in the next few years. Whether you make it out of the state or just two GMU’s upstate, the trill in this type of hunting is the journey to a new area and discovering the deer hunting opportunities it has to offer. Who knows….you might just stumble into a hunting tradition that will last a lifetime. Here’s what you’ll need to know to plan and be successful while deer hunting out of state.

Getting Permission on Hunting Ground

The first question you have to ask yourself is “Where can we get permission to hunt?” While public ground can offer a place to hunt, your best bet is trying to gain access to private land. There are several ways to go about getting permission, each with its pros and cons. On one end of the spectrum is a guided hunting trip. They can be pretty costly but require very little in terms of scouting time and physical labor. That’s what you’re paying your guides for! On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is the DIY hunting trip. In contrast to the guided hunting trip, a DIY hunt can be done for much cheaper but involves a great deal of scouting time and physical labor. Time spent asking for landowner permission, hanging tree stands, and checking trail cameras…There’s a lot of hard work that goes into a DIY hunt, but it’s all worth to put a buck on the ground at the end of the day.

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Scouting Deer Out Of State

If you choose to go deer hunting out of state, the first order of business, once you’ve secured landowner permission, is scouting the property. This is best accomplished from a distance with areal maps and Bushnell trail cameras. Check the maps first to get an idea of how the property lays and where you might want to investigate further with trail cameras. If you are able to scout the property prior to hunting it, you have an advantage over the hunter stuck cramming scouting and hunting into the same week. Always remember to wear your Bone Collector Clothing to keep the property as scent free and unpressured as possible, even when you are just scouting. Once you’ve scouted the property and hopefully have some pictures or sightings of mature bucks, it’s time to choose your vacation days.

When to Hunt

This may be one of the toughest decisions of the entire process. Often times, our time off to hunt is limited by work and family, leaving us a very small window to have a successful trip deer hunting out of state. Take into consideration available food sources on the property during both early and late season timeframes as well as the amount of bedding type cover it possesses. If either early or late season food sources are abundant, they may offer the best chance at patterning a specific deer using the area. If not, the rut will most likely be your best bet for catching a mature buck on his feet during daylight. Determine which type of hunting the property is most suitable for, watch the weather conditions, and start to narrow down some dates.

Deer hunting out of state is far from easy. It takes a lot of preparation and little room for error in order for you to be successful. However, it’s guaranteed to be an experience you won’t forget. Talk to your hunting buddy, load up the Chevy, and start making plans to do deer hunting out of state this fall or next fall.