From time to time I have read articles about the states that supposedly offer the best deer hunting opportunities. The most objective (does it measure what it is supposed to measure) article I have ever read appeared in the June 2020 issue of North American Whitetail. The article “The Top Thirty” was written by Bernie Barringer.

Barringer’s data base is slanted toward the hunter who wants to shoot a larger buck than he/she is likely to encounter near home. He developed nine categories, and each is ranked either 1-10 or 1-3 with the higher number the better. The most important categories ranked 1-10. Total score determined a state’s rank.

The nine categories include Cost (price of nonresident tags), License Acquisition (difficulty in acquiring a tag, Deer Population (herd size reported by wildlife agency), Harvest/Hunter (deer harvested in relation to number of hunters), P&Y Ratio (percentage of Pope & Young trophy deer as compared to the overall harvest), B&C Ratio (percentage of Boone & Crockett trophy deer as compared to the overall harvest), Hunter Density (based on total number of hunters who buy a license), Public Land (based on amount of public land available to hunters), and Intangibles (beauty of land, overall experience, number of deer likely to be seen, etc.).

The 1-10 point categories included Harvest/Hunter, P&Y Ratio, B&C Ratio, Hunter Density, and Public Land. The 1-3 point categories included Cost, License Acquisition, Deer Population, and Intangibles. The top ten states in rank order were Kansas, North Dakota, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Nebraska, Colorado, Ohio, and Kentucky. #1 Kansas received 50 points. North Dakota had 49, Iowa 48, and #4 South Dakota 47. A perfect score would have been 62.

Why do I believe that Barringer’s work is both objective and accurate? I looked at the individual scores I feel I know something about. Wisconsin, a great deer hunt state, took a beating on Hunter Density where it received only a 2 score while our South Dakota received a 9. The Wisconsin deer hunters I’m familiar with included my brother, a son-in-law, and a grandson who have been hunting guests of mine in the past. They wore hunter orange from head to toe for fear of being shot! Wide open spaces with no other hunters was the first observation made by them.

South Dakota lost some points in the B&C Ratio with a score of 5 while both Kansas and Iowa scored 10’s. While South Dakota did score a 9 in P&Y Ratio, I believe from my own experience and observation that while many of our bucks qualify for the Pope & Young record book, few qualify for the Boone & Crockett book. This appears to be an accurate observation.

With South Dakota’s contiguous states of North Dakota, Iowa, and Nebraska making the top ten, one wonders what happened to #12 Montana, #13 Wyoming, and #15 Minnesota. License Cost hurt both Montana and Wyoming. Wyoming scored only a 3 in Public Land. Montana and Wyoming scored a 1 and 2 respectively in B&C scores. Minnesota’s scores across the board were mediocre although it still ranks better than most. Texas was conspicuous by its absence. I found Barringer’s article to be accurate, and as an avid deer hunter, I am pleased to be able to count myself as a South Dakotan.

Next week I am going to write about a highly skilled South Dakota hunter who has taken full advantage of our deer hunt opportunities. You’ll be amazed.

If two weeks ago I could have peered into the future and seen what I am going to write today, I never would have believed it.

On Tuesday, June 2nd, I was in Mitchell for a doctor appointment. During the afternoon I stopped at Cabela’s for some fishing tackle and perhaps a new gun. The front of the building was boarded up, and the usual display of firearms was completely missing. It left me with a depressed hollow feeling. I presume that these precautions were in anticipation of organized anarchists, arsonists, criminals, and looters who might be coming down the Interstate to terrorize Mitchell. Will I ever again see the Old Cabela’s, or have these thugs taken it away from me?

I fully support peaceful demonstrations, but in past times of crises such as floods or tornados, the shooting of looters has been the law of the land. Animals who behave in such a manner deserve no less.

See you next week. Hopefully I’ll be in a better mood.