Your best bet is to hunt an area with good public access with November season dates (rut). I'd recommend to pick two or three states now and begin to build preference points/bonus points each year. While you are building points, you can continue to do your homework on what unit to draw in a few years.
#1 Colorado: Your very best bet would be to buy preference points in Colorado for 3 to 5 years. You could get a very high success hunt, with a lot of public land available. The money out of pocket each year is relatively low in Colorado. This state issues a LOT of quality deer tags. In a few years you should draw a tag for a unit you could get a nice four point in.
#2 Montana: East side of the state. Usually tons of nice deer and many private properties enrolled in Block Management (free access to private land). LOTS of units with November dates. But as mentioned above, I understand there was a bad winter kill this year. Montana has fairly reasonable costs to apply for deer.
#3 Wyoming: Good bet. You can still buy a preference point on-line there this year between July and September I believe. Buying a point each year would be a great way to lock up a good tag in 3 to 5 years. Most of the better deer hunts here end on October 31 and miss the rut.
New Mexico: Some good units. Low out of pocket cost to apply each year, but hard draw odds for good tags, and no preference system, so its hard to plan the year you will draw.
Nevada: Very good mule deer hunting, but you have to buy a license each year to build points. Good units are hard to draw.
Arizona: You have to buy a non-resident hunting license here each year to build bonus points, so it is not really worth it if applying for deer only.
Idaho: Tough unless you draw a good tag. You have to buy a non-resident license to apply. No preference system.
Oregon: Where I live...not worth it.
Utah: Don't know enough to give advice.
California: Not worth the investment.
Washington: Not worth the investment.
