Let’s hear everyone’s top pick for states or provinces to live for big game hunting opportunities

[Coveyleader]

Colorado has tremendous opportunities, can deer, elk, bear, and antelope hunt every year, still have the biggest elk herd in the world, im a little biased since im from Co, but I thought i have a very fair assessment of what I think the best would be

It used to be that Colorado had some of, if not the best thing going in the lower 48. I've been here 25 years, and have had tremendous luck, and opportunity. 2 Bighorn rams, 3 Billies, Bull moose, countless elk and deer, many seasons will multiple elk and deer tags. It's still great, but I find myself not getting to the hills like I used to for the simple fact, the traffic is a nightmare these days on the front range.

 

[Hnthrdr]

It used to be that Colorado had some of, if not the best thing going in the lower 48. I've been here 25 years, and have had tremendous luck, and opportunity. 2 Bighorn rams, 3 Billies, Bull moose, countless elk and deer, many seasons will multiple elk and deer tags. It's still great, but I find myself not getting to the hills like I used to for the simple fact, the traffic is a nightmare these days on the front range.

Yep I sit around like a little kid and marvel at one of my older friends who was early in the backpack hunting game in the 80’s the animals they killed nearly every year in units that we would scoff at is pretty remarkable. The crowding foot traffic in the woods in Co is a real buzz kill these days

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

You can hunt elk OTC every year.


You need a boat or a plane. A good boat that will get you into PWS for more fish that you can eat, deer, goats and black bears is in the 50-70k range(and up if you want it to).
A plane that will get you into sheep, carribou, moose, deer, goat, elk, bears starts about 45k and can go way up depending on what you want, but doesn't have to.

Most people own 50-80k trucks that are largely unnecessary. If you can afford a newer truck you can afford the boat or plane to do the hunting, but it's about priorities. You might not be able to have a new truck AND a boat or plane. A perfectly functioning older truck works well. And then you can hunt all those things OTC every year.

People overestimate the costs of things because they see the people with the best stuff and think you need that. You don't.

What plane are you buying for 45k that doesn’t need an overhaul within one season of flying?

 

[loganwayne]

I can kill 6 deer in Oklahoma with my basic license.

Archery bear is OTC, with decent public access.

Archery elk and antelope OTC can be had as well.

I'm in NC so 6 deer 2 bucks and a bear tag
I usually get a license in sc - 4 bucks
Ga- is 12
Va- is 6

Plus we usually make a trip to Alabama.
Id rather be out west but when some of these guys talk about getting to pull the trigger every other year or so on 1 animal im not so jealous.

 

[Dogone]

Saskatchewan isn’t bad for resident. Antelope/ white tail / mule deer/ black bear/ elk/ moose and caribou. Most over the counter. Twice I have harvested mule/wtd/ elk/ antelope/moose and bear in one season. Have also got a few wood land caribou. Never had the opportunity for barren ground caribou.

 

[ianpadron]

Alaska or BC would be tough to beat, although you'll never hear me complain about the opportunities I've got here in Montana. Better bird hunting here anyway so I'm probably never leaving.

The fishing+hunting+no people aspect of AK and Northern BC is unbeatable though

 

[ianpadron]

Saskatchewan isn’t bad for resident. Antelope/ white tail / mule deer/ black bear/ elk/ moose and caribou. Most over the counter. Twice I have harvested mule/wtd/ elk/ antelope/moose and bear in one season. Have also got a few wood land caribou. Never had the opportunity for barren ground caribou.

I've never heard much about SK aside from the deer hunting, sounds like a great spot for other species as well

 

[timekiller13]

If money and time are no obstacle, then Alaska is the obvious choice. But the sheer fact that you need a boat and a plane to access the best hunting areas makes it a tough choice for the average guy. The extra amount of money and time needed to maintain that boat and plane also eat into your hunting time.

I want to live somewhere that I don’t have to spend weeks planning the logistics of a hunting trip. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and say “I’m going hunting.” And walk out my back door or drive to my spot and hunt. Day hunts or quick weekend trips are pretty much out of the question in most of Alaska. Here in NC, i can drive 30 min in any direction and hunt deer, turkey, bear, wild hogs and plenty of small game. And still be at work by lunch if need to.

 

[Fogalo]

Any state without state income tax. Use the extra cash to buy a private land hunt.

 

[wytx]

No need for a private land hunt in Wyoming.

 

[MuleyBuck]

Any state that is not my state lol sorry for not providing any valuable input

 

[PORK]

AK is getting crowded. Last year on our sheep hunt I looked down the ridge and saw another hunter…with a ram on his back to boot! Instantly got upset.

How could my hunting partner be so out of shape?

 

[wyosam]

Alaska or BC would be tough to beat, although you'll never hear me complain about the opportunities I've got here in Montana. Better bird hunting here anyway so I'm probably never leaving.

The fishing+hunting+no people aspect of AK and Northern BC is unbeatable though

The no people thing in AK might not be what you think it is.


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[ianpadron]

The no people thing in AK might not be what you think it is.


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Ever hunt WA or ID? It's all relative

 

[rickyw]

Alaska is excellent for hunting bears. If you want to hunt caribou or moose without decent competition you generally either need to live in the bush or have the money and or time to access areas that take longer or are harder to access. For example, to caribou hunt this year I am going to drive 14 hours one way, then I’ll still hike far enough out that I am not fighting pressure from road hunters. I’m not even going to touch the topic of sheep. Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to hunt up here, but some of you guys have it pretty good with easier/cheaper access and multiple deer and elk tags per year.

 

[dirtshooter]

AB or BC

But the govt certainly don't help....

 

[TXHunt]

Well since I'm not a resident maybe this is wrong but it seems to me most of the Western states the seasons are extremly short, like 7 to 10 days, some up to 30, but that's it, and you have to draw tags in some cases. And in Alaska you have to spend a pile of money on logistics to get to where the animals are, bush planes and float planes. And you can't do much with a weekend trip, most of the time you have to burn a week of vacation, and can your kid miss that much school or you just don't take them?

For years, I wanted to move to a western state, and still do, but not necessarily for the hunting. I can go on a couple out of state or country hunts a year and kill just as many of "those" critters as a resident could.

Here in Texas we have most animals from around the world. My place, I have leased for 13 years and still going, is like my second home. Our deer season runs from September to January. Plus we have free ranging exotics like axis, black buck, audad, and a few others that randomly stroll through and we can hunt those year round. Its 2 hours door to door. I can pick my son up from school and be to the ranch before dark, sometimes even getting a evening hunt in, hunt all weekend and be back home Sunday afternoon. Now I will say, I do agree, we use the word "hunting" a little loosely, LOL. Yes we use corn feeders, sit in nice dry, and heated when needed, blinds. So nothing like what I call a true "HUNT" but hey its nice to pack some snacks, some cold drinks, and not worry about the weather then drive the sxs back to "camp" and sleep in a nice warm bed.

 

[TaperPin]

I grew up in Wyoming and when you draw good tags after a period of moderate winters life is good. However, whatever state you have the most time off and highest income in is what I’d suggest to anyone not settled down. Friends from Texas hunted the heck out of whitetails, then came up with antelope tags and were headed to Alaska for caribou and sometimes Canada for sheep. It made my easy to get mule deer and elk tags seem less impressive.

If you live life primarily to hunt a certain animal it makes sense to be nearby and lovingly watch them all year, give them names and whisper sweet nothings at them with your sexy voice. Otherwise, all around hunters with the biggest trophy rooms aren’t really tied to one state, even if on a budget. The cost of a nonresident tag isn’t all that much in the grand scheme of things.

 

[bucksnbirds]

I definitely agree with these points, Alaska would be great but the logistics just to go hunt seem extreme.

Any particular area in Wyoming?


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Lander area

 

[WaWox]

After reading all this, I am realizing I should stop yearning for Wyoming, Montana, or Alaska and be pretty happy with my WA state hunting

- yes the pressure is bad
- yes success odds are terrible
- yes the game commission (sorry fish and WILDLIFE) doesn't like hunters
- yes I will probably lose my right to hunt with a suppressor soon

But -- it's where I get to work a job that let's me both make the money and have the flexibility to hunt a long deer season and put in for tags out of state and be able to pony up whatever it takes to then succeed when going out of state. And the public land near my house is actually decent! I get a tag for every species i care about every year (two for bears!) , don't pay income tax, and if I ever go to Alaska I at least have a decent training ground for miserable wet and cold nearby