By Mark Kenyon

For many hunters, including myself, killing a Boone & Crockett caliber buck would be a dream come true. But where can you go to make this dream a reality?

A recent article in Outdoor Life Magazine uncovered a few clues for those hunters in pursuit of the elusive and incredibly rare trophy Boone & Crockett buck. Specifically they took a look at Boone & Crockett entries in a more unique way than is usually reported. Rather than looking at which states had reported the most B&C kills, they calculated what states had the highest number of Boone & Crockett entries as a percentage of the total buck harvest in that state.

This adjusted view of the record books helps account for the fact that some states have more hunters and more deer, which could skew the results in that states favor – for example, Wisconsin has one of the largest whitetail populations and largest hunter numberss in America. Given that, it makes sense that they also report a very high number of Boone & Crockett entries. That said, this relative % calculated by Outdoor Life gives us a much more valuable number, in my opinion, as it highlights those states that present the greatest statistical probabilty for a Boone & Crockett kill.

The actual results though, may surprise you. Below are the states with the top B&C entries as a % of total buck harvest rankings, and then the next list below that highlights the traditional view of the record books, with the top states by total number of B&C entries.

States With Top B&C Entries As a % of Total Buck Harvest (2009-2011)

1. Indiana – .084%

2. Kentucky – .082%

3. Kansas – .078%

4. Iowa – .078%

5. Illinois – .065%

States With Top Total Number of B&C Entries (2009-2011)

1. Wisconsin – 241

2. Ohio – 151

3. Illinois – 136

4. Kentucky – 134

5. Indiana – 131

(For those curious – Iowa came in at 112 and Kansas had 98)

So what do you think about those numbers? Anyone surprised by the fact that statistically, you have a better chance of killing a Boone & Crockett buck in Indiana than you do in Iowa? Will these numbers change your plans for future big buck hunts? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the latest Outdoor Life issue to get more info on this topic!