Many deer enthusiasts dream of going on a trophy whitetail and/or mule deer hunt out of state.

Naturally, the place to go to get a trophy whitetail/mule deer combo is out west.

This means out-of-state draws for tags with no guarantees, guide fees, high priced outfitters, outfitters that hunt on government land you could have hunted for free, airfare or ground travel and promises.

I had a chance to go out west a couple of years ago to try to take a trophy whitetail and a trophy muley.

I have been to Wyoming, Montana, Col., and New Mexico.

All are excellent places to hunt and the scenery is exquisite.

But where can you hunt with a guide, stay on the actual property, hunt private land, and see over 300 deer in four days?

Look no further than the panhandle of Nebraska.

And look no further than Crow Butte Outfitters in scenic and historic Northwest Nebraska.

Over the course of a four day rifle hunt, which I ended in 3 hours on the first day, I took a nice typical eight-point and a wide racked six x five mule deer.

I vowed not to be trigger-happy and take the first nice deer that came along; however, they were both too nice to turn down.

If you have never been to the Pine Ridge section of northwestern Nebraska, you are in for a treat.

We hunted near a tiny western town called Crawford, which is located just 30 miles south of South Dakota and 35 miles east of Wyoming.

The rolling plains meet the towering rocky buttes with dense evergreen slopes and cottonwood bottoms and canyons all covered in deer, Merriam turkey, coyote, a few elk, pheasant, mountain lion, bighorn sheep, antelope, and various small game animals.

Did I mention the deer?

On the first morning, I awoke to temperatures in the teens and a consistent wind of nearly 30 mph making life feel like minus something other than cozy.

We set up on a big whitetail that we had seen over and over.

Although he did not show himself, plenty of other deer passed by at ranges of less than 15 yards.

The last day of the hunt, I sat with my father, and we counted over 40 bucks in less than three hours including four eight-pointers that fought it out right in front of us!

We guessed that we saw at least 75 shooter bucks in four days.

The mule deer hunting on and around the buttes was fantastic and looked like something out of a magazine.

Herds of muleys would pour out of the high country and head to the fields. Or, during a well-planned stalk hunt, you could see the mule deer nestled in the sunny sides of the canyon walls or easing through the dense timber.

It gets better.

First, no draws of any kind.

You can harvest one buck and one doe on a single license.

The cost of a license is $175 plus a conservation stamp for $6, and you are hunting.

Ask about an additional buck license too.

Second, the price is hard to beat.

A four-day guided hunt for both whitetail and mule deer is $1,450.

Try to find that price in Wyoming or Montana.

Last, the outfitters and their families make the trip worthwhile.

Max and Mick Franey operate Crow Butte Outfitters.

I have hunted and fished with numerous guides, and I would place these cowboys at the top.

I have never had guides work harder and longer to get you the animal you desire.

Crow Butte Outfitters is part of the Northwest Nebraska High Country organization of farmers who are dedicated to maintaining the highest quality big and small game habitat.

This is one reason why you see so many quality deer.

You can contact Max Franey via email on their website at www.crowbutteoutfitters.com or call (308) 432-3842