# Rank these western states for big game hunting



## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California.

Opportunity, trophy potential, land accessibility and all other factors are to be considered to assess your rankings.


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## Dukes_Daddy (Nov 14, 2008)

colorcountrygunner said:


> Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, California.
> 
> Opportunity, trophy potential, land accessibility and all other factors are to be considered to assess your rankings.


MT, WY, CO, ID, UT. Done


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## mikevanwilder (Nov 11, 2008)

I've only hunt big game in Utah so I don't know exactly what I'm talking about, but after reading into some of the other states, I would go with AZ, MT, WY, ID, CO, UT, NV, NM, then CA. 
I went with opportunity as my main factor. Then quality. 
I looked into AZ this year and was impressed with the OTC tags you could get. I will be hunting MT this fall so I will be able to judge then on that one.


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## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

Wy mt co Id ut.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

#1 - Montana. Not even close. BEST big game hunting in lower 48. 
#2 - Wyoming (based on what friends tell me - I've not hunted there)
#3 - Idaho
# The rest - UT, CO, AZ, NV, NM - all too buried in preference and bonus points, it takes a team of scientists just to figure out the system in each state. No thank you. 

That said, if you archery, opportunities abound in Utah with OTC tags. If you rifle, forget it.


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

I would've thought Colorado would have a better showing. Biggest elk herd of any state and awesome muley hunting as well. Montana is having a great showing here. I would wholeheartedly agree from a resident standpoint, but haven't their nonres tag prices gotten fairly high? Are there good OTC opportunities for nonresidents in Wyoming and Montana?


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## bowhunt3r4l1f3 (Jan 12, 2011)

Mt, wy, az, co, id, ut


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

The problems with rating states is that unless you hunt them you have no idea of where to rate them other than from what you have heard others say. 

I have hunted Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Wyoming and out of them I would rank them Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and then Arizona. There is a lot of OTC opportunities in Colorado for elk and there are a lot of units that you can draw a rifle deer tag in every year and even more that you can get a archery tag in. 
Wyoming is there just because of the antelope hunting other than that you could flip flop it with Utah. 
Utah and Arizona are really a tie. In my opinion both of their bonus point systems suck. It is great that a person with 1 or 1 or 2 points can draw a tag for a OIL animal but what are we going to do for the hunters that have put in for 20 or more years and still can't draw that OIL tag, just say sorry that is the luck of the draw. It would be better if they eliminated all the points and went with just a straight draw.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

*Trophy Deer:*

Nevada
Montana
Wyoming
Washington
Colorado
Utah
Oregon
Arizona
Idaho
New Mexico
California

*Meat Deer:*

Idaho
Washington
Wyoming
Montana
Colorado
Oregon
Nevada
Arizona
Utah 
New Mexico
California

*Trophy Elk:*

Utah
Arizona
New Mexico
Idaho (Hells Canyon)
Montana
Wyoming
Oregon
Washington
Colorado 
California

*Meat Elk*

Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Utah (Lots of Cow Tags)
Washington
Oregon
Wyoming
New Mexico
Arizona
California


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

Colorado
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
Utah
California
Arizona
New Mexico
Oregon
Washington
Nevada

Just my humble opinion.....-----------SS


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## Mr Muleskinner (Feb 14, 2012)

I am only going with the states that I have hunted in and have applied for.
Opportunity, which includes land access, reigns supreme with me. I haven't harvested an animal yet that I didn't consider to be a trophy on one level or another.

Montana
Wyoming
Idaho
Colorado
Utah
Arizona
Nevada


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

Going off of the general consensus of these rankings it looks like the best hunting is up north and goes downhill the further south you go. If you venture north of Montana things probably get even better in Canada, eh?


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

MT, AZ, NV, WY, CO, ID, then UT although my true number 1 would be Alaska but never hunted there and probably never will get a chance to. In all honesty I should put Utah as number 1 because I can't seem to escape this hunting debacle here. LOL


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## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

You said it Kennyc. Utah is my #1 because it the state I've ever hunted and probably will ever hunt. Trapped in this maze of bonus/preference/40 year wait for OIL tag. But I'll play. Top states I would hunt if I got a chance within the 48 because Alaska is the obvious choice at #1 is.....Montana, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Idaho and Arizona because I know the least about it.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

One bad experience = Bottom of your list and everyone you knows list

One good experience = Top of your list and everyone you knows list

Word of Mouth


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## High Desert Elk (Aug 21, 2012)

GaryFish said:


> #1 - Montana. Not even close. BEST big game hunting in lower 48.
> #2 - Wyoming (based on what friends tell me - I've not hunted there)
> #3 - Idaho
> # The rest - UT, CO, AZ, NV, NM - all too buried in preference and bonus points, it takes a team of scientists just to figure out the system in each state. No thank you.
> ...


No, NM does not have any kind of a point system. But, I would also rank it last on everything as well...


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## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Wyoming is the best for 2015,
Cuz thats were I'm going....;-)...:grin:....


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

I'm just going to leave these here

http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hunting/2013/08/where-hunt-guide-8-best-big-game-hunts-west

http://www.biggamehunt.net/articles/nonresidents-guide-western-hunting


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## colorcountrygunner (Oct 6, 2009)

MuscleWhitefish said:


> I'm just going to leave these here
> 
> http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/hunting/2013/08/where-hunt-guide-8-best-big-game-hunts-west
> 
> http://www.biggamehunt.net/articles/nonresidents-guide-western-hunting


Thanks for sharing this, Muscle. I don't know how I feel about Nevada's "guide points" or whatever. Do not like.


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## MuscleWhitefish (Jan 13, 2015)

I lived in Northern Nevada for over a year.

There are some big deer and pronghorn.

I kicked out a few monsters chuckar scouting.

The weird thing about Nevada is there are a lot of places, that only locals know about. 

There are probably a lot of places where deer have never seen a human.

There are stretches of two lane road where you can drive 100-200 miles without seeing another car. 

It's pretty chilling now that I think about it.

The advice with Nevada is to just find water and you'll find game. Whether it is chuckar, sage grouse, deer, pronghorn, or elk. 

Oh, and watch for snakes.


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## Karl (Aug 14, 2016)

The only place that I have found in California worth hunting is Fort Hunter Liggett. The Army base is open to civilians who register at the hunting shack. There is a big campsite on the south end of the base near the entrance gate.

Oregon has better deer hunting and better elk hunting than California however. In Oregon there is great hunting outside the west end of Crater Lake.

I have hunted both. Neither is probably worth the long drive from Utah however.


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## Springville Shooter (Oct 15, 2010)

I disagree. B-Zone Blacktail and Oregon coast Roosevelts are well worth the drive for those who are incline to chase a variety of critters in different places. Heck, I make the drive for Modoc Deer once or twice per decade.-------SS


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