10 Worst States to Kill a Booner Buck
If booner bucks are your forté, you might want to scratch these ten states off the list.
Deer hunting isn’t just about killing big deer. Yes, I penned this article and readily admit I hunt first and foremost for meat to eat. But I also like to shoot big bucks. And I’ll die before I apologize for either of those two things.
So here we are, covering 10 states you shouldn’t be hunting in if your goal is to kill a Booner whitetail buck.
Backed by Boone & Crockett’s Trophy Search, the data doesn’t lie. Here are the 10 worst states for killing a big buck.
States You Can’t Kill a Booner Buck
Before we delve in, we should cover those that don’t have huntable populations of whitetail deer. Alaska, Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Utah fall into that category. You'll certainly find other cervids in those states, including mule deer, axis deer, blacktails, and others. You can also kill a Coues deer (a whitetail subspecies) in Arizona, but they don’t have the typical whitetail found throughout the rest of the country, either.
10. Massachusetts
This is a great state if you like the Boston Red Sox. But it’s not much pumpkin if you’re in pursuit of big deer. It’s put only 27 B&C bucks in the books. Of those, 20 are typicals and eight are non-typicals.
9. Washington
The state has big trees. But few big whitetail bucks are found there. Washington has only put 65 in the big book. Best go eastward if you’re looking to make history.
8. Connecticut
Here is another state not so great for monster bucks. Only 21 Boone & Crockett-class bucks have emerged from Connecticut. Seventeen typicals and four non-typicals comprise the list.
7. Vermont
Don’t come to Vermont for booners. A mere 21 entries call home to this state. It’s a pretty place to sit in a tree and shoot decent bucks. But that’s about it. Not many big ones here.
6. South Carolina
South Carolina is known for its abundance of pines. But big deer rarely live under them. This coastal state has only put 13 in the books — 10 typicals and three non-typicals.
5. New Jersey
Sixteen booners have been taken by Jersey hunters. Don’t go to New Jersey (in my best northern accent), if you want to kill a big ol’ good one. It’s not likely to happen.
4. Oregon
The land of the ducks. The Oregon Ducks that is. Not many big deer here. Only seven booners grace the books, including six typicals and one non-typical. Nancy A. Garrett holds the record for the largest typical in 2007. It scored 189 inches.
3. Rhode Island
The island state that isn’t an island. Only four B&C bucks (all typicals) have been killed here. Sure, it’s a small state. But there are counties in other states that produce as many in just one year. Benjamin Merchant tagged the state's largest deer in 2011. The buck scored 176 4/8 inches and came from Providence County.
2. Florida
It’s a great state for beach fun, sun tanning, and mosquito bites. Shooting big bucks, not so much. (Check out Bergmann's rule for one theory about this difference.) Florida is home to two entries. Both were non-typical deer. Clark Durrance took a 201 3/8-inch buck in Wakulla County in 1941. T.L. Brunson shot a dandy 186 1/8-inch deer in Jackson County in 1959.
1. New Mexico
The No. 1 state for the suckiest big buck whitetail hunting (Coues deer excluded here) is none other than New Mexico. The state harbors a whitetail population of about 12,500 and only three booners have been killed. The biggest was downed in Union County by Logan Harlan in 2021 and scored 176 7/8 inches as a typical.