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Best area in Midwest to raise family & Bow hunt whitetails?

6K views 101 replies 61 participants last post by  zmax hunter 
#1 ·
Ok, wife and I have been thinking about relocating to the Midwest. Looking for a area with good economy, Great whitetail hunting (of course), and plenty of snow. I would appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!
 
#12 ·
Snow in Iowa? Depends on area, you guys get a dusting and piles of ice anywhere other than NE in my experience.

OP, I was thinking NE Iowa, SE MN, SW WI area. Awesome fishing, great deer hunting, snowmobiling, decent seasons.

Your sure you said snow right????????????
Snow Winter Frost Atmospheric phenomenon Freezing

Snow Vehicle Car Automotive tire Winter

Snow Winter Freezing Ice Geological phenomenon

Dog Mammal Dog breed Canidae Snow
 
#8 ·
If I had to choose, it would be a state that I could hunt more than just whitetail and turkey. If you want to stay in midwest, I would go to NE. Nebraska borders Iowa, KS, and MO which all have great deer hunting, but Nebraska has beautiful Merriam turkey, antelope, and mule deer to add to the list.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Don't know what your finances are like but it's common to have to pay to hunt prime ground these days. It's easy when your just paying for yourself, but when you have to also pay for your children it can get quite expensive. I speak from experience. LOL My brother and I both have two sons and the places we lease can get a little crowded at times when we are all there. We lease some ground and also hunt public at times to take pressure of our private ground.
I would choose a state that has a good amount of public land. That way when your children become "of age", you can get yourself a private piece to lease or own and spread out on some public areas at times. I would probably choose Wisconsin or Minnesota. The hunting'a great and there are some real "honey holes" on some of the vast public ground.
 
#19 ·
Illinois: poor economy, high taxes, high cost of living, very little public hunting ground, very expensive land prices, very expensive hunting lease prices, very limited land access opportunities, entire state is controlled by the corrupt Chicago democrats, restrictive gun control, bad roads...now I've depressed myself.
 
#22 ·
As someone who lives here in MN and bounces between Extreme NE MN and Extreme SE MN I would agree with this in regards to hunting. We love MT and used to go out yearly. MN can't hold a candle to WY and MT in regards to hunting. We considered moving out that way but we are boating/water people and just can't move away from the lakes.

If you don't care about lakes/boating/fishing I would say and hunting/snowmobiling/skiing/hiking are your goals definitely consider MT and WY.
 
#24 ·
I have gone over this time and time again..........the best spot in my mind for deer, turkey, and waterfowl hunting oppurtunites would have to be some where on the outskirts of st Louis MO. MO alone has some awesome hunting/fishing. and you are within 6 hrs drive from most top whitetail destinations. 6 hr drive to Kansas, 4 hr drive to western ky, 6 hr drive to ohio. 4- 6 hr anywhere north to find mega bucks. and you are in the heart of the Mississippi flyway for ducks and the geese never fly south of st Louis anymore.....not to mention the trout rivers in south MO........that's my pick
 
#25 ·
I like Iowa but it is all I know. If my family was not in Eastern, Ia, I would probably move to Western, Ia and be 4-5 hours closer to the West where tags getting over the counter are the easiest compared to Iowa. A lot of good areas in Iowa though. I am in Iowa City area and I always hear it is one of the fastest growing areas in US. Seems like new houses being put up every day everywhere. Des moines to Ames is good too with some amazing hunting.
 
#48 ·
When I was at Kirkwood in cedar rapids we often toured the country, a little gravel travel if you will, found an awesome spot that I could actually hunt now its houses we stopped in one night when they were still building all the houses low and behold in that new culdasac were the big bucks we had been scouting the timber for the previous fall. 3 of them dirtbags laying right amongst the equipment and new foundations. Friend of mine still lives in Swisher and reguraly sends me pictures of 150 caliber deer while hes farming
 
#31 ·
She does know what comes with "lots of snow", right? Around mid-late October when the first snow comes up here it is a pretty exciting time. About mid-late November we are ready for it leave. Around April we are happy to finally see it leave, maybe. This year we had 2" of lake ice on October 30th, were walking on it (ice fishing) by mid November.

Here is the smoker on a nice warm day (March 31).
Winter Freezing Snow Ice Gas
 
#39 ·
Might be good advice. We had multiple -60 degree windchill days this year. I am not sure about hot, but there comes a point where cold is just cold regardless of how far the mercury falls. It used to be around -30 for me. It's getting to be around 0 as I get older. We used to skate on the outdoor rink in -20. Not anymore.
 
#40 ·
Born & raised in Ill. (don't go there). I now live in N.E. Ia. nearly 17 years + I've lived in Ws., Colorado., N.C. & California.
I love Ws. & have done tons of deer Bowhunting there. Now, in your situation I would go to central Iowa in a town of 25,000 or less within 30-60 min from DesMoines. DesMoines is pretty large & IS one of the current fastest growing cities in the U.S.. So that means lots of houses being built & they all need cabinets. Your 4 hours or less from Loess Hills (lots of great Ia. whitetail-public land) & Neb. border & about the same from S.D., both have Antelope, Mule deer, whitetail & Turkey. Your 6-7 hours from Ok. & Tx (lots of off season HOG hunting). Your a decent drive from Colorado also. I have a daughter that lives 30 min. from DesMoines. Cost of living, rent ect. can be high IN DesMoines but less once you get outside that 30-45 min time you'll see a difference. Oh, DesMoines has a new huge Bass Pro + some Archery shops + clubs within a reasonable distance. You make the call. oh, Ks. is 2-3 hours away too.
 
#45 ·
The Des Moines area is booming as far as growth and housing. Iowa is consistently listed among the best states to raise a family based on education systems, safety, etc. There is some good hunting in central Iowa but it can be hard to find and highly competitive close to DSM because of the higher population. If you go more rural obviously the hunting is better but the further you get from the growing housing market. As previously mentioned, the Iowa city area would probably be the best medium between the two
 
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