Best State for Resident Hunting Opportunties

[DuckDogDr]

Been stomping all over the mountains and sage brush of Wyoming for 2 years now and still haven't seen a rattle snake. Saw some small rat snakes in a camp ground. That's it.

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My old boss said that when I lived in Idaho …. Quit being a paranoid southerner he said… relax he said … first trip in the desert for mule deer. Almost stepped on a rattler

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I think you can now shoot 7 deer and 6 turkeys every year in Missouri.

 

[Swamp Fox]

I’m recently divorced and live in TX. I work remotely so there’s not much keeping me at home here either. As a non-resident, I’ve made my own opinions on what states are best for NR hunting but something I’m trying to figure out is which state has the best hunting opportunities for residents. I’m curious which states y’all would live in purely for the outdoors / hunting there if you could. I lean toward elk and large game hunting since we have plenty of deer in Texas. Also why would be nice so I can look further into it.

I'd say one of the Canadian states, based on what I've read so far ...

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

I'd say one of the Canadian states, based on what I've read so far ...

Yah I mean if you want to be in on the ground floor of a complete disarmament of a citizenry, no time like the present!

 

[medvedyt]

Yah I mean if you want to be in on the ground floor of a complete disarmament of a citizenry, no time like the present!

ah ah we re not citizen there we re subject ... but the rest is saddly true.

 

[Jmhunt_13]

+1 for Alaska.

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

ah ah we re not citizen there we re subject ... but the rest is saddly true.

You guys are behind enemy lines; no doubt about it

 

[medvedyt]

You guys are behind enemy lines; no doubt about it

but i will say up to recently some states were worst than here in general but ar15 are gone, handguns are on freeze for now. the only stuff you do not have unless a class 3 is the very short barrel we can get on pump action shotguns like 9 inches but that is about it, they even banned the 460 wea mag and the 50bmg ...
not even talking about the ridiculous law and 5 rounds magazine for semi auto rifles ...

and it seems the main population did not care ... i was coaching kids for shooting and during the winter we were using laser gun (riifles) to train on trigger work and respiration, some idiots decided that because it was coming with the word gun cannot be used in sport facilities in schools even after main hours ...

but where i live this is the hunting and fishing paradise ...

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

but i will say up to recently some states were worst than here in general but ar15 are gone, handguns are on freeze for now. the only stuff you do not have unless a class 3 is the very short barrel we can get on pump action shotguns like 9 inches but that is about it, they even banned the 460 wea mag and the 50bmg ...
not even talking about the ridiculous law and 5 rounds magazine for semi auto rifles ...

and it seems the main population did not care ... i was coaching kids for shooting and during the winter we were using laser gun (riifles) to train on trigger work and respiration, some idiots decided that because it was coming with the word gun cannot be used in sport facilities in schools even after main hours ...

but where i live this is the hunting and fishing paradise ...

This is insane but I suppose you’re really not all that different than California

 

[TaperPin]

I wouldn’t move to Alaska unless you bring a woman along. Just saying.
Women who enjoy living in Alaska often won’t date anyone new to the state since it’s so common for people to not last long and move back to the lower 48.

A bigger issue for new hunters is the cost of hunting for residents. In a Rocky Mountain state you may hunt antelope two weekends, muledeer the next and two weeks later muledeer and elk seasons overlap for a few weeks - then the late season cow elk seasons may stretch into November. That’s a whole lot of hunting right out your back door.

Contrast that with having to fly many places in Alaska. There is a buster of a moose, high up in the B&C, and the shooter had quite the adventure just getting there. In Alaska everything revolves around Anchorage. The hunter flew from his community off the road system to Anchorage, then to another town closer to the lake he was headed to, and finally a float plane dropped off his camp. Adding up the cost of those six legs of the trip and it becomes clear why most Alaskans hunt close by.

Of course you can hunt local in many towns, but keep in mind travel is much much further between dots on the map.

Lower 48 wages don’t go as far in Ak, so remote work isn’t as feasible. On the plus side, a number of huge intercontinental fiber optic trunks are routed past Alaska and internet speed is snappy.

 

[Mojave]

What sucks about SW Wyoming if you don’t mind me asking? I’m also considering retirement income implications and WY is high on the list.

Southwest Wyoming:

Cheyenne: Limited public land, limited accessable water, wind, tornados, and expensive housing market thanks to all the military retirees that want to live in Cheyenne because of the taxes and close proximity to medical care and a commissary at FE Warren.

Rawlins: it's Rawlins. So yeah.

Laramie: cheaper and more gay/woke because of the college. But still gay and woke. Closer to public water and land.

 

[Swamp Fox]

I have lived in Washington, Wyoming, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Maine, Florida, Hawaii and in 5 other countries thanks to my Uncle Sam. Grew up in Wyoming and currently live in New Mexico.

Here is my take on this controversial topic.

Nobody wants you to move to their honey hole. So the odds of getting an honest answer are completely off. I personally don't care where you move.

Here is my 2 cents:

Wyoming. There is decent over the counter hunting, but it will be competitive. You can hunt elk and deer every year over the counter. Fishing is pretty good, and not super crowded. There is no resident points programs for antelope, elk and deer. You may spend 3-5 years between buck antelope tags.

Montana. Also has decent over the counter hunting, because most of the state is OTC. They were stupid and adopted a resident points program. The goat, moose, bison and sheep tags are on a bonus points program, so you could possibly see one or two of those tags in your life.

Idaho. Has decent over the counter hunting, if you are a bowhunter most of the elk and deer tags are OTC. No points program for anything. More people than Wyoming and Montana, and less land. It would suck to live in East Idaho or Boise and not be Mormon and be single.

Arizona. Great quality hunting if you can draw a tag. Preference points program you are 30 years behind on. Fishing is ok, desert state. Scottsdale looks like a good place to be single, tons of fake boobs.

New Mexico. Great quality hunting if you can draw a tag, but no points programs. We have been residents for 3 years and I have drawn; elk, a crap deer tag, a great deer tag and a javelina tag in that time. If you bow hunt you can almost always draw a tag of some sort. Close to Arizona and Texas for draw hunts. Fishing is better than Arizona. Mostly desert state. If I was single, I am not so sure I wouldn't stay here, as it there are tons of hot women as long as you like spicy Latina brunettes. Especially down here near El Paso.

Alaska. I was single in Alaska the first time, yep. It is a boring place to be single. There are so many single dudes, that a lot of the women are tired of being chased and have given up on men. I was single in Barrow as well as Sitka. In Sikta it sucked, in Barrow it was fine. But I was 25 and all the women were in their mid 30's. They still dated me, but there wasn't good age matches.
There are also a huge number of wallet and chain lesbians in Alaska. So that doesn't help your odds. Fishing in Alaska is the best it can be. Hunting is based on your ability to get to it, because you bought the equipment or paid someone to take you out there. The draw hunts in Alaska have really poor odds. Bear hunting for grizz is over the counter and you can shoot 2 a year. You could hunt dall sheep, mountain goats, moose, grizzly, wolves, wolverine and more every year OTC. Kind of hard to beat that. And have a trap line. Especially if you lived someplace like Glennallen, Tok or Cantwell on the road system. You would still have internet connectivity for your job.

Utah, if you are single and not LDS I wouldn't consider moving there. They also have a super lopsided points program and you'll never get a tag. Quality of hunting is superb.

Nevada. Good place to be single. Points program has been developed for 20 years. Quality of hunting if you get a tag is very good.

Washington and Oregon. Ok place to be single if you like hippy chicks or want to date a transgendered dude. Hunting is a train wreck with long screwed up points programs.

Hooved animal Hunting quality ranked: New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Alaska.

Bear hunting and trapping ranked: Alaska. No place else is even close.

Hunting tag availability ranked (provided you can get to it): Alaska is so far above anywhere else, then Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. I put Idaho above Montana because of Montanas stupid points programs.

Single opportunity ranked: Arizona, New Mexico, gets really weird after that. Depending on how old you are there will always be single moms, and very few professional single women that have never been married. The Northern Rockies is going to be tougher than the Southern Rockies for dating.

Cost of living ranked (cheapest): New Mexico, Montana, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona in that order. ID, WY, and MT have housing booms that haven't even started to fall at all. Alaska and New Mexico had a mild housing boom. Western Montana is more expensive than eastern Montana.

This is worthless without pics ...

 

[Minute_of_Antelope]

Southwest Wyoming:

Cheyenne: Limited public land, limited accessable water, wind, tornados, and expensive housing market thanks to all the military retirees that want to live in Cheyenne because of the taxes and close proximity to medical care and a commissary at FE Warren.

Rawlins: it's Rawlins. So yeah.

Laramie: cheaper and more gay/woke because of the college. But still gay and woke. Closer to public water and land.

Lol, this is good info. I was also debating areas without mil retirement taxes and near a commissary but also near skiing to keep the misses happy.

I realize this is a very small intersection on the Venn diagram but SW Wyoming was on the list…

 

[medvedyt]

This is insane but I suppose you’re really not all that different than California

alas again you re right. toronto and vancouverites has nothing to be shy compared to californians and this is a shame ... like the rest of you so many differences between big cities that want to rule for all and smaller places or rural locations.

 

[medvedyt]

I wouldn’t move to Alaska unless you bring a woman along. Just saying.
Women who enjoy living in Alaska often won’t date anyone new to the state since it’s so common for people to not last long and move back to the lower 48.

A bigger issue for new hunters is the cost of hunting for residents. In a Rocky Mountain state you may hunt antelope two weekends, muledeer the next and two weeks later muledeer and elk seasons overlap for a few weeks - then the late season cow elk seasons may stretch into November. That’s a whole lot of hunting right out your back door.

Contrast that with having to fly many places in Alaska. There is a buster of a moose, high up in the B&C, and the shooter had quite the adventure just getting there. In Alaska everything revolves around Anchorage. The hunter flew from his community off the road system to Anchorage, then to another town closer to the lake he was headed to, and finally a float plane dropped off his camp. Adding up the cost of those six legs of the trip and it becomes clear why most Alaskans hunt close by.

Of course you can hunt local in many towns, but keep in mind travel is much much further between dots on the map.

Lower 48 wages don’t go as far in Ak, so remote work isn’t as feasible. On the plus side, a number of huge intercontinental fiber optic trunks are routed past Alaska and internet speed is snappy.

here in the past people were not staying more than 4 years. turn over was important so yes it is clever to not come along ...

 

[Htm84]

Southwest Wyoming:

Cheyenne: Limited public land, limited accessable water, wind, tornados, and expensive housing market thanks to all the military retirees that want to live in Cheyenne because of the taxes and close proximity to medical care and a commissary at FE Warren.

Rawlins: it's Rawlins. So yeah.

Laramie: cheaper and more gay/woke because of the college. But still gay and woke. Closer to public water and land.

You need to consult a map and compass

 

[Mojave]

Bad di

You need to consult a map and compass

Bad directions will lead more people away from Wyoming.

I hear that is a thing.

Actual SW Wyoming also sucks.

SE Wyoming sucks.

Move to Salt Lake, I heavily recommend it.

 

[Tegr0429]

If you’re just wanting hunting opportunity. GA isn’t bad 12 deer tags a year 2 bucks and 10 doe. We also have 2 turkey tags per year and a bear season in the northern part of GA that runs with deer season.

If it were me I would move closer out west though.

 

[HOT ROD]

Bad di

Bad directions will lead more people away from Wyoming.

I hear that is a thing.

Actual SW Wyoming also sucks.

SE Wyoming sucks.

Move to Salt Lake, I heavily recommend it.

Every one needs to listen to Mojave Wyoming is terrible nothing to see here rumor has it Denver metro Salt Lake City Missoula are all paradises waiting with open arms.....

 

[HighUintas]

Texas is your best bet