Ohio
Could just be the sleeper state of the Midwest.
Hunters had a lot to smile about last fall, according to the state's Mike Tonkovich. "Not only did we set a state record of 214,000 animals, but 715 bucks made the Ohio Big Bucks Club record book (which has a minimum antler score of 140), and 12 of those bucks were 200 inches or better." Those are incredible numbers, especially considering the relatively low deer harvest in the Buckeye State. Still, Ohio continues to fly under the radar of most whitetailers with antlers on the brain.

Tonkovich credits great habitat, short (one-week) firearms seasons and hunter willingness to shoot does for Ohio's great trophy production. "We're going to liberalize antlerless quotas to further increase harvest," he says. "Thirty-eight counties will have a three-deer bag limit and 30 will have a two-deer limit." Ohio hunters may shoot only one buck.

Most important, Tonkovich notes that hunter access is still pretty good, particularly in the eastern half of the state.

There are lower deer densities there, but an abundance of public land. And hunters who present themselves well can still access private property, particularly if they're willing to shoot some antlerless deer.

Minnesota
A mild winter means solid numbers across the state.
Hunters notched their second-highest deer kill ever last fall, tagging 260,600 whitetails. The state's Lou Cornicelli credited hunters willing to tag antlerless deer for the excellent season and expects similar opportunity this fall.

"We'll continue to promote antlerless harvest as a population management tool," he says, noting that Gopher State hunters were able to kill antlerless deer across much of the state without applying for a special permit. Those regulations will remain in effect this year, as a mild winter ensured solid whitetail numbers across much of the state.

Predicting where big bucks will turn up in Minnesota is a crapshoot lately. The forested bluffs in the southeastern counties continue to be a hotspot, but don't discount the vast transition zone, where heavy forest mixes with ag-land, in the central part of the state. Big-woods hunters still have plenty to love about the northern units, where lack of pressure allows bucks to grow huge racks.

Illinois
Overpopulation in some parts of the state means does must go.
Biologist Paul Shelton was pleased to see the state's deer hunters notch a record harvest of an estimated 191,000 whitetails last fall, but he's hoping for better this fall. "We've got more deer than we want, and we want more hunters to take them, particularly does," he says. "In certain areas, particularly west-central and southern Illinois, we've let deer numbers get ahead of us, and that's not a good thing."

Shelton says the tremendous carrying capacity of the land, a heavy focus on buck hunting and access issues have all contributed to the swelling herd in these areas.

The Prairie State continues to deserve its reputation as a big buck stronghold, though, says Shelton. "The biggest numbers continue to come from the counties along the Mississippi River, but that may simply be a function of hunting pressure and effort. But the true magazine-cover bucks are much more evenly distributed."

At this writing, the state legislature was considering elevating the number of nonresident archery tags (the most difficult to obtain) by 25.

Nebraska
Mule deer are doing well after five-year drought.
This is one of the few Midwestern states that hosts both mule deer and whitetails, and state biologist Todd Nordeen reports the former are enduring a five-year drought quite well. "We're seeing good numbers of nice mulie bucks being taken lately, and the population seems to be holding its own," he says. "The Panhandle region (western) has had a wet spring, so things may even improve." While mule deer get most of the attention in the western counties, opportunities for both species exist, even on public land.

In eastern Nebraska, counties along the Platte, Missouri and Niobrara rivers, as well as those in the southeast, continue to host abundant whitetail populations--and are developing a growing reputation as trophy hotspots. "Unfortunately, accessing those deer is becoming more difficult as leasing expands," says Nordeen.