IF you were to move....

[5MilesBack]

Somewhere without humidity, ticks, chiggers, bugs, etc. So that rules out everything east of the Mississippi........and several more as well.

 

[Traveler]

SW Virginia

 

[Dust Rider]

Charleston SC. But would require a Regulator 41.

 

[WCB94]

I lived in SC for years. I was a member of a deer lease for 500/year, though I'm sure that'd be challenging to find now. That being said, I met the guy who got me into that lease within a year of living in the Central SC area, it's all about finding people with common ground. I now live in Eastern Colorado, and I love the month of September for bowhunting Elk, but I have been actively searching for jobs in the Augusta area. I miss bass fishing Strom Thurmond reservoir, and I miss chasing Whitetail from the month of August all the way through January with an OTC tag. Don't get me wrong, I am completely addicted to Elk hunting with a bow, and I have been for years at this point, but I still miss having the ability to take my bow out for months on end for the chase. I guess it depends on what you are looking for, but I will say that the Southeast is overlooked for opportunities to spend time in the outdoors. I see you said earlier that you had a young one, and I would echo the sentiment of previous respondents in saying that KY, AR, or, in my experience, SC, is a great place to start your search. I lived all over the Southeast early on, and I have to say, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Arkansas is an excellent state for public land hunting, I used to chase Toms and ducks with my father every weekend in that state. Like I said, it's all about what you're looking for - but I would say, particularly if you're looking to get a kid into the outdoors, Arkansas or SC would be an excellent choice in my opinion. KY is a state I have looked into, but I have no personal experience, however, I can say that if these fellas vouch for it, it's probably pretty similar to my experience.

 

[tony]

South east Ohio
WV have CRNA school in Charleston
KY
Close to PA, believe you said you have family there
TN and NC are nice Asheville, while a cool city is the Berkeley of the south.
Me personally I want to go to Utah, loved it there.

 

[Rokwiia]

Before someone chooses a state to move, I would highly recommend knowing in advance how many acres of public land there are available to hunt. Here is a website that provides that information and it might suprise you--I certaintly was.

For example, New York State (think NYC) has more public land to hunt than Maine, Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio combined. Go figure!!

https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/public-hunting-land/

 

[Nick Muche]

Somewhere without snakes that has free "tags" for brown bears, sheep and mountain goats.

 

[Yoder]

West Virginia or Tennessee. Both are cheap and Conservative.

 

[Yoder]

I thought we were all moving to WY or MT. Is this not a thing anymore??

That's only if you hit the lottery. Only rich people can move there nowadays.

 

[Jmort1754]

Before someone chooses a state to move, I would highly recommend knowing in advance how many acres of public land there are available to hunt. Here is a website that provides that information and it might suprise you--I certaintly was.

For example, New York State (think NYC) has more public land to hunt than Maine, Kentucky, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio combined. Go figure!!

https://www.backcountrychronicles.com/public-hunting-land/

I grew up in western ny....

 

[Stalker69]

Heaven,( or hell) will most likely be my next move.

 

[Drenalin]

West Virginia or Tennessee. Both are cheap and Conservative.

Tennessee sucks. Please stop.

 

[dutch_henry]

If your intention is to put down roots, prioritize a place that will be great for your kid. Sadly, schools and family values aren't what they used to be. Regarding grandparents, you might find that as your kiddo gets older and forms attachments, the distance is tough. At least it is for us. Same is true for being there for aging parents.

That aside, we're lucky. When we moved for work, I kept my very remote cabin home, which is about 2 hours away. Now we have a decent compromise: we get to work and raise our kid in a good, family-oriented community. And we have an accessible weekend/vacation spot surrounded by terrific hunting and hiking.

That leads to my suggestion to consider an option B: live somewhere where you're a reasonable drive from your outdoor paradise of choice. Buy property there, strictly for weekend retreats and vacations. Then schools/employers/infrastructure doesn't matter.

 

[TaperPin]

What surprises me nowadays, that wasn’t as a big a concern when I was your age, are the chances of a small rural community having a fairly wide spread drug problem. Obviously, drugs are everywhere in all sizes of towns - I’m not referring to that, but rather small places that non-meth heads move out of and you don’t want to get into only to move a year later. Locals don’t make that mistake so it’s good to get in touch with what the local knowledge is.

I used to think all the stories about one town being a bunch of meth cookers, or another being full of heroin/oxi, were totally blown out of proportion, but after working alongside a few knuckleheads living in such places, there’s a lot more truth to some of it than I ever imagined. One 1,500 person rural community I’m personally familiar with had a new drug dealer move in and within a few years had 150 different cars a week visit that house until he was busted.