Who's #1 When It Comes to Deer Hunting?

We all love to hunt deer, and we all think it doesn't get any better than our home turf. But, really, who is No. 1 when it comes to deer and deer hunting?

Well, as they say, when Texans does something, they do it big.

We've just finished compiling our annual state-by-state statistics for the Deer Hunters Almanac, and we've learned that Texas ranks No.1 in the number of deer hunters, gun-hunters and annual whitetail harvest in the United States.

We've been compiling these stats since 1991, and the top spot for all of those categories has changed slightly over the years. For a time, Michigan led the nation in total hunters and bowhunters, and Wisconsin once led the nation in annual deer harvest. Declines in both hunter numbers and deer harvests, however, have shifted the rankings southward.

In 2010, Texas sold 1,245,532 deer hunting licenses. Those hunters took 576,209 whitetails. Of those hunters, nearly 1.1 million are gun-hunters.

Ohio, thanks in large part to the fact that crossbow hunters are included in the archery season, has the most bow-hunters in the nation with 317,400.

Here's a look at the Top 3 for each category:

Total deer hunters:
1. Texas
2. Pennsylvania
3. Michigan

Annual deer harvest:
1. Texas
2. Michigan
3. Wisconsin

Harvest by bowhunters:
1. Ohio
2. Michigan
3. Pennsylvania

-Daniel Schmidt