Check out Kentucky. Over 1.5 million acres of public land. Kentucky has been producing some giant deer if you are looking for horns. The out of state permits are priced right too. Not to far from home either.

stick flipper, i no how you feel! used to hunt in the state land, 20 yrs ago you wouldnt run into another hunter. last year i quit hunting the state land ,i had guys waiting for me at my truck asking when i was leaving, so they could hunt were i was!! i`m like you i wont lease land to hunt on. i knocked on some doors this spring and got a few farms to hunt on. i`m planning a hunt up in the u p this year. not as many deer as the southern part of ohio, but i`m hoping a little more elbow room! good luck!

The quest for Big antlers is causing hunting deer to be less appealing.  People see what's there on trail cams and freak out you may kill "their" buck. It's causing all kinds of problems with overpopulation of animals and fewer hunting opportunities. It used to be relatively easy to get permission. Why would you risk messing up an area by shooting a doe when you have trail cam pics of several good bucks, that you will likely never lay eyes on?  I love the term given to this as "horn porn" in the book A Man Made of Elk.  So true.

My opinion, go west and look for big tracts of public where you can escape.  Or choose a different, less accessible animal to pursue.

My full intention was to head up to Vinton County, Ohio then until I pulled an elk tag here.  Places to hunt are getting hard to find no matter where you go.  I'm afraid you'll find the situation no better elsewhere.  Can't see a reason to go looking for whitetail anywhere else.  Now if I wanted to hunt something else I can see traveling.  I hiked 8 miles into Montana wilderness to "get away" last year.  Don't think I've ever ran into so many hunters on a trip in my life.

I understand the desire to wander.  I own my own whitetail land here in WI and the hunting is pretty darn good.  Yet I really love to see new places and do out of state trips each year as well.  Nothing at all wrong with wanting to expand your horizons!  

Kentucky, Kansas, SD, ND, Nebraska, Missouri are all states I would look at.