Iowa and Kansas actively manage both their herds and their pressure on them. Yes it cost more to hunt there as an out of state hunter. Say you have $900 tied up in pref points and license fees to hunt IL, IA, or KS versus $300 for an out of state Bama license. For that extra $600 you are virtually guaranteed to at least see a free range 130 class deer and in most cases have the opportunity to harvest a buck that will score between 130 and 160 and if you are lucky, kill a buck that's over 160 up to 200+. If you are on good ground, you will see more big bucks in a single day than you will in your entire life hunting free range deer in Bama. Management of the resource is what makes those other states what they are. Limited gun seasons, limited doe harvest and limited overall season length. They protect the herd with season length, timing and weapon restrictions, not antler restrictions and unlimited doe harvest over a 4 month period. Combine the limited seasons and top it off with the fact that they have virtually all the food that a deer could want with all the ag. In AL, our herd and season is managed to maximize the hunter's ability to kill deer, period. That out of state $300 you spend in Bama, means you might actually see a rack buck and if you are lucky you might kill a free range 120" deer or if you are lucky enough to hit the lottery, maybe even a 140-150", if you have access to prime property. It's like anything else, you get what you pay for and you cannot kill what does not exist where you are hunting.