Washington

Season Dates (2013): Archery season runs from Sept. 1-27 and Nov. 10 to Dec. 15, depending on region. Muzzleloader season runs from Sept. 28 through Oct. 6 and Nov. 20 to Dec.8; rifle season runs from Oct. 12-25 and Nov. 9-19, again depending on region.

The Grade: A-

Similar to many Western states, Washington is home to black-tailed, mule and white-tailed deer and offers a total deer population around 320,000. About 35,000 deer are harvested annually with about 30 percent of those being whitetails. Washington's expanding whitetail populations are mainly distributed throughout the eastern third of the state, with the bulk of the numbers located in the northeast along the river bottoms, farmland and timbered hills in Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Lincoln counties. Because nearly 50 percent of Washington is publicly owned and whitetails are well distributed in many of those areas, the Evergreen State is a solid A- for the hunter looking for whitetail hunting opportunities with the potential of a solid 140-inch buck.

Antler Nation Knowledge: Josh Potter, who heads the Inland Northwest Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association, insists Washington is a sleeper when it comes to whitetails and rivals many of the Midwest states that hunters flock to every season. It's one of only a handful of destinations that offer a true Western hunting experience for public-land whitetails, and with the archery season opening Sept. 1, it provides an excellent opportunity to arrow a velvet-draped whitetail, and few states can offer that.