Best western hunting state to retire in with good hunting and fishing access?

[displacedtexan]

It's sad to think we have to be a certain age to retire. Tragic really.

Anyway, don't retire to NM. I'd look at western SD.

My plan is 50

 

[Wags]

I purpose expanding the no mention of unit numbers rule to include good places to live.

Bring on the gate keeper comments. On a hunting site these are the same issue.

When guys discuss NR VS R allocations and such the main response is for those NR to move to that state if they don't like it... then when they do those same people are pissed... careful what you ask for.

 

[bohntr]

Don’t pick AZ…..it sucks

 

[OMF]

Have you ruled out places like northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota etc.?

I'm in So Cal right now and it's become unbearable. I'd rule out California/Northern California, and sadly Oregon and Washington for what they've become. And unfortunately many western states are becoming "Californiaized". When people tell me they're from Texas I say, "oh, south east California." Colorado is "east central California." Idaho is becoming "north eastern California." Etc.... It's sad to see and hopefully, locals can stop or slow down the craziness.

Sarcasm aside, and despite some shifting in politics, my choices would be northern Idaho, western Colorado, north east Colorado, western south Dakota, and southern Utah. I'd also consider northern AZ, northern NV, or north Dakota.

Someone above mentioned health care. Definitely don't downplay that as you get older. Regardless of how healthy you are now and how much you take care of yourself, as we age, things can take a left turn on us. The last thing you want is to have to travel 100 miles for chemo treatments or have to rely on the rural health system. With some exceptions, wanna guess where some of the docs that barely made it through med school and their internships go?? In WY, once you get away from Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie, health care can get pretty schetchy. Cheyenne has a regional medical center/level III trauma care, and there's Banner up in Laramie but otherwise...

 

[ztc92]

Have you ruled out places like northern Wisconsin, northern Minnesota etc.?

I'm in So Cal right now and it's become unbearable. I'd rule out California/Northern California, and sadly Oregon and Washington for what they've become. And unfortunately many western states are becoming "Californiaized". When people tell me they're from Texas I say, "oh, south east California." Colorado is "east central California." Idaho is becoming "north eastern California." Etc.... It's sad to see and hopefully, locals can stop or slow down the craziness.

Sarcasm aside, and despite some shifting in politics, my choices would be northern Idaho, western Colorado, north east Colorado, western south Dakota, and southern Utah. I'd also consider northern AZ, northern NV, or north Dakota.

Someone above mentioned health care. Definitely don't downplay that as you get older. Regardless of how healthy you are now and how much you take care of yourself, as we age, things can take a left turn on us. The last thing you want is to have to travel 100 miles for chemo treatments or have to rely on the rural health system. With some exceptions, wanna guess where some of the docs that barely made it through med school and their internships go?? In WY, once you get away from Cheyenne, Casper, and Laramie, health care can get pretty schetchy. Cheyenne has a regional medical center/level III trauma care, and there's Banner up in Laramie but otherwise...

As a physician that recently completed my residency in family medicine at a training program whose sole mission is to train rural, full-spectrum family medicine physicians (ER, Hospital and Clinic +\- Obstetrics) for the mountain west, I feel compelled to speak up about this. I have no intention of making you feel bad, but given your comments I do feel the need to stand up for all the excellent rural physicians I’ve met throughout my training who don’t get the recognition they deserve and are so often dismissed just as you’ve done.

Ironically, I actually opted to take a job in rural Wyoming despite having the opportunity to work in almost any city I wanted and I can assure you I don’t fit your mold of just barely getting through medical school or residency. There are tons of great doctors in rural places just like me who have known they wanted to practice rural medicine for years and sought out training programs that prepared them for it. Billings, Montana has gone even further and now offers an additional year of training (called a fellowship) that is entirely focussed on providing ICU care in critical access hospitals. In fact, there’s even an organization that promotes training for rural physicians called the Rural Training Tract Collaborative and last I checked there were over 100 residencies turning out physicians with a focus on rural training all throughout the US.

RTTC Participating Programs – The RTT Collaborative

Who are the Participating Programs in the RTT Collaborative? We are a cooperative of programs, not individuals or institutions. Those who participate in our cooperative of programs are rurally located and rurally focused health professions education and training programs from around the United...

rttcollaborative.net

Now that said, I’ll be the first to admit that there are certainly some bad medical providers in rural areas, just as there are in urban areas too. Unfortunately, those patients in rural areas may not have access to other healthcare providers or may not know any better/different, so the negative impact a bad medical provider can have is certainly exaggerated in rural places. It also doesn’t help that there is less oversight and lower expectations for the quality of medical care provided in most rural areas due to the limited resources.

To the OP and anyone else reading this with healthcare concerns, I completely agree that prioritizing healthcare access as you age and retire is wise. I just had a similar discussion with my own parents about this exact topic. That said, I don’t agree that you need to be in a big city to receive good healthcare, especially with respect to primary and emergency care, which is the vast majority of the healthcare utilized by patients without chronic medical problems. There are lots of great medical providers in rural areas who worked their ass off for years to make sure those they care for don’t have to drive hours to receive good medical care. Even so, I do agree that if feasible, it would be best to live near a large enough town/city that you have access to at least a hospital with an ER as well as basic specialty services including cardiology, OB/GYN and general/orthopedic surgery.

That combination should cover your bases for 90+% of your medical needs unless you have pre-existing medical problems that require other speciality care. You’ll also want to prioritize better access to a large hospital and wide range of specialists if you smoke, are obese, have diabetes, or drink alcohol excessively as these traits greatly increase your risk of stroke, heart attack and damage to your other organs. Last, you’ll need more specialty care if you are one of the unlucky few who develop cancer, neurologic disease or other life-altering medical problems but we generally can’t predict that so it’s difficult to plan for. If you are relatively healthy and can avoid those medical problems, then you can live a very happy, healthy life in just about any rural area as long as you have access to high-quality primary and emergency care.

 

[tourproto]

Ive been looking at Montana, sq ft prices was a little high @1000+ sq ft

Yup. That is why MT is off my list for now (and I really want to get back there because family is there) but I can't stomach the current prices. They can't last, it has to crash. Just need a couple of long -20* winters to get the Cali's to pull up tent stakes and go home...

 

[Jon_G]

Isn't funny we are looking a lot better than most states at this point. Beating down every gun case in the fed courts, etc etc. But don't be saying that too loudly. Where I have properties in NorCal no one even needs a ccw cause everyone's got a fishing pole. And good luck dialing 911 cause no one's gonna help you but you.

Can you further explain the whole not needing a ccw because of a fishing pole thing you are talking about please? I don't get it.

 

[Rob5589]

Can you further explain the whole not needing a ccw because of a fishing pole thing you are talking about please? I don't get it.

Has to do with a F&W regulation that states you can carry while doing certain activities, one being fishing.

Found it...


There are some caveats regarding firearms when archery hunting. No if deer hunting, yes if bear. It's a bit convoluted.

 

[GAHunterJim]

Black Hills are of SD is very nice...

 

[KHNC]

Isn't funny we are looking a lot better than most states at this point. Beating down every gun case in the fed courts, etc etc. But don't be saying that too loudly. Where I have properties in NorCal no one even needs a ccw cause everyone's got a fishing pole. And good luck dialing 911 cause no one's gonna help you but you.

My elk hunting partner lives in NorCal. Completely different state up there.

 

[Deadfall]

Yup. That is why MT is off my list for now (and I really want to get back there because family is there) but I can't stomach the current prices. They can't last, it has to crash. Just need a couple of long -20* winters to get the Cali's to pull up tent stakes and go home...

. Good luck. It's become a revolving door. Some move stay a few years. Tgen sell to next batch and go elsewhere. It's perfect. Every couple years I get to go remodel what I already remodeled to meet new owners taste.
I'm good with taking thier money.

The ones that don't sell out, can't afford to stay because they want to keep living extravagantly. So they gotta go back to work. Come out a few fays a year. Usually give guys Like more money to fix stuff.
It's great

 

[Wags]

My elk hunting partner lives in NorCal. Completely different state up there.

A vast majority of the state isn't what most think or see on the news.

It's our best kept secret. If the gun laws & cost of living didn't suck I'd never leave.

 

[Wags]

Yup. That is why MT is off my list for now (and I really want to get back there because family is there) but I can't stomach the current prices. They can't last, it has to crash. Just need a couple of long -20* winters to get the Cali's to pull up tent stakes and go home...

Na, most CA transplants "snow bird."

 

[Michael Rankin]

Here is a good map showing tax rates in all the states

You do have to dig a little, Washington is listed at 7 percent. That is only on capital gains. ZERO income tax. If there is a *next to the tax rate on the map, the number is not just income tax.

I live in Oregon, only 20 minutes from Washington. So in retirement, when my income is not earned in Oregon anymore a 20 minute move could get me almost 10 percent savings in taxes.

That small move would keep a lot of money in my bank account each month.

My property taxes are also pretty high in Oregon as well. One home the property tax equals about 1percent per year of the actual value I could sell it for. Another property is closer to 1.3percent of real value.

$600000 house= $6000 per year in property tax

$800,000 house in different part of same county is $10300 per year for property tax

With some planning for retirement, $10,000-$15,000 in tax savings per year could be pretty nice

 

[sf jakey]

Income tax rate s only one factor. Sales tax, property tax, vehicle tax, gas tax all add up. The entire tax picture matters. Of course Ca still takes the prize with highest income, sales, and vehicle and gas taxes.

 

[Hnthrdr]

As a Co native it has gotten to the point where I think about leaving, but where would I go? Most western states are facing a lot of the same issues as Co, just about 10 years behind, and I want to be in the West.

I will say you better have some deep pockets if you want to come live here. There are a few off the beaten path spots that are still reasonable housing wise but expect 3-5 hours drives to civilization.

Also what kind of hunting and fishing are you looking to do? Honestly I may look to certain parts of the Midwest, you can get a decent house on a hunting property with a bass pond for what it costs for a starter home on the west side of the metro area. At a certain point big mountain hunts won’t be super viable but it would be pretty sweet to have, whitetail, Turkey, waterfowl out your back door and much better s
Fishing, unless you are into trout, we got tired ass trout

 

[Fowl Play]

As a physician that recently completed my residency in family medicine at a training program whose sole mission is to train rural, full-spectrum family medicine physicians (ER, Hospital and Clinic +\- Obstetrics) for the mountain west, I feel compelled to speak up about this. I have no intention of making you feel bad, but given your comments I do feel the need to stand up for all the excellent rural physicians I’ve met throughout my training who don’t get the recognition they deserve and are so often dismissed just as you’ve done.

Ironically, I actually opted to take a job in rural Wyoming despite having the opportunity to work in almost any city I wanted and I can assure you I don’t fit your mold of just barely getting through medical school or residency. There are tons of great doctors in rural places just like me who have known they wanted to practice rural medicine for years and sought out training programs that prepared them for it. Billings, Montana has gone even further and now offers an additional year of training (called a fellowship) that is entirely focussed on providing ICU care in critical access hospitals. In fact, there’s even an organization that promotes training for rural physicians called the Rural Training Tract Collaborative and last I checked there were over 100 residencies turning out physicians with a focus on rural training all throughout the US.

RTTC Participating Programs – The RTT Collaborative

Who are the Participating Programs in the RTT Collaborative? We are a cooperative of programs, not individuals or institutions. Those who participate in our cooperative of programs are rurally located and rurally focused health professions education and training programs from around the United...

rttcollaborative.net

Now that said, I’ll be the first to admit that there are certainly some bad medical providers in rural areas, just as there are in urban areas too. Unfortunately, those patients in rural areas may not have access to other healthcare providers or may not know any better/different, so the negative impact a bad medical provider can have is certainly exaggerated in rural places. It also doesn’t help that there is less oversight and lower expectations for the quality of medical care provided in most rural areas due to the limited resources.

To the OP and anyone else reading this with healthcare concerns, I completely agree that prioritizing healthcare access as you age and retire is wise. I just had a similar discussion with my own parents about this exact topic. That said, I don’t agree that you need to be in a big city to receive good healthcare, especially with respect to primary and emergency care, which is the vast majority of the healthcare utilized by patients without chronic medical problems. There are lots of great medical providers in rural areas who worked their ass off for years to make sure those they care for don’t have to drive hours to receive good medical care. Even so, I do agree that if feasible, it would be best to live near a large enough town/city that you have access to at least a hospital with an ER as well as basic specialty services including cardiology, OB/GYN and general/orthopedic surgery.

That combination should cover your bases for 90+% of your medical needs unless you have pre-existing medical problems that require other speciality care. You’ll also want to prioritize better access to a large hospital and wide range of specialists if you smoke, are obese, have diabetes, or drink alcohol excessively as these traits greatly increase your risk of stroke, heart attack and damage to your other organs. Last, you’ll need more specialty care if you are one of the unlucky few who develop cancer, neurologic disease or other life-altering medical problems but we generally can’t predict that so it’s difficult to plan for. If you are relatively healthy and can avoid those medical problems, then you can live a very happy, healthy life in just about any rural area as long as you have access to high-quality primary and emergency care.

I appreciated this reply. May I ask how you would go about searching out these doctors specifically? Regardless of where I live, finding good primary care doctors always seems to be a crapshoot.

 

[tourproto]

Here is a good map showing tax rates in all the states

You do have to dig a little, Washington is listed at 7 percent. That is only on capital gains. ZERO income tax. If there is a *next to the tax rate on the map, the number is not just income tax.

I live in Oregon, only 20 minutes from Washington. So in retirement, when my income is not earned in Oregon anymore a 20 minute move could get me almost 10 percent savings in taxes.

That small move would keep a lot of money in my bank account each month.

My property taxes are also pretty high in Oregon as well. One home the property tax equals about 1percent per year of the actual value I could sell it for. Another property is closer to 1.3percent of real value.

$600000 house= $6000 per year in property tax

$800,000 house in different part of same county is $10300 per year for property tax

With some planning for retirement, $10,000-$15,000 in tax savings per year could be pretty nice
View attachment 569635

Your math is exactly why I want out of Oregon.

Even though the tax rate isn't that much less in MT or ID, the overall cost of living (pre-COVID) was much lower, especially for homes. But that is no longer the case, hence our switch to looking at NV (which also went nuts during COVID, but their prices are dropping fast)

 

[tourproto]

. Good luck. It's become a revolving door. Some move stay a few years. Tgen sell to next batch and go elsewhere. It's perfect. Every couple years I get to go remodel what I already remodeled to meet new owners taste.
I'm good with taking thier money.

The ones that don't sell out, can't afford to stay because they want to keep living extravagantly. So they gotta go back to work. Come out a few fays a year. Usually give guys Like more money to fix stuff.
It's great

At least some locals are benefitting from the Kalifornians! As opposed to being priced out of the market...

 

[La43!]

Still got a few years to go, but curious about other states, other than Texas. I had been eyeballing the CO west slope, but CO is changing....and not for the better it seems. But I don't live there so I have a small amount of exposure.

Texas is a great state, but our public lands access suck big time.....and it's hotter TF 10 months out of the year!

Curious about CO, Utah, WY, ID, MT

Property prices, taste taxes and public access are factors as well.

I’m sorry to say but I believe Colorado is on its way to being the next California. The hunting is still pretty good for now.