Live Anywhere

[Conroy]

If you had a choice to live in Wyoming, Montana or Idaho, which would you choose? My company is being bought this summer and I will get a great severance package. My kids are grown up and I am divorced. I imagine I could find work in any state. I think this is my time. I'm 44 years old and not getting any younger. Any recommendations or definite don'ts?

 

[CorbLand]

Idaho or Montana for me. I think the hunting opportunities are better in those states than Wyoming. Idaho has great OTC opportunities with good season length and times.

 

[PNWGATOR]

Live in eastern WA and moving to ID. That said, if I could, I'd pick WY.

 

[joshmo]

Because of my job promotion 2 years ago, I had to move from the east coast to "somewhere" West of the Mississippi...thats a big area and I chose northern idaho and haven't regretted it since!

 

[Muley Buck]

Wyoming

 

[yhc]

Just FYI Wyoming is one of the 6 out of 8 oil producing states that are officially in recession.

Regards,

 

[elkguide]

I'd be happy in any of them. Hunted each of them and if I was pushed, I'd probably say Montana, Wyoming then Idaho but the difference would probably be decided by which state that I found work in. The wolf management and F&G reaction to the wolf problem is a factor in my placement of those states.

 

[Nomad]

Just FYI Wyoming is one of the 6 out of 8 oil producing states that are officially in recession.

Regards,

Buy fear and sell greed

 

[bigdesert10]

If you live in WY, you can hunt the wilderness areas without having to have a resident accompany you if I'm not mistaken (someone straighten me out if I'm misspeaking). Then you can hunt the other two states as a non-resident.

 

[1signguy]

Wyoming for sure! I would be living there now if I wasn't still married. lol

 

[Speeddmn]

If you live in WY, you can hunt the wilderness areas without having to have a resident accompany you if I'm not mistaken (someone straighten me out if I'm misspeaking). Then you can hunt the other two states as a non-resident.

Haven't looked into this, but I'd assume this is true, once you have declared residency... Most states that is 6 months, some 12 months.

I am 18 months from retirement from the Air Force and I currently live in Utah. I'm originally from MT and want to move back, only to western MT not eastern. For me and my family I am looking at the Helena area for schools and job opportunity. Something else to consider is state income tax, sales tax, property taxes.

 

[Rucker61]

How often do you intend to hunt, and how often do you intend to date?

 

[dvm_hunter]

How often do you intend to hunt, and how often do you intend to date?

no kidding, I'm pretty sure Wyoming has more sheep than women. I've got a friend that is moving out of Wyoming because he lost his job (oilfield). He's pretty pissed about moving back to Texas.

 

[freediver111]

Depends on a lot of factors. How big of a town do you want to live in, what are some amenities you would like, how often do you fly, etc.....

My wife was offered a good job with USFWS before xmas. The big issue being it was based in Portland Oregon. We live in a small town in eastern Oregon, and while there are drawbacks, I had zero desire to move to a big city like that and sacrifice all the outdoors and peaceful lifestyle we enjoy just for a good job.

Living in a small town has some drawbacks, so keep that in mind when planning a move to some small towns. I'm 3.5 hrs from Boise, the closest major city and airport. Having a restaurant that serves anything other than pizza and burgers would be nice. The nice thing is that we can be hunting, fishing, hiking, almost year-round with virtually few crowds. You're single so I imagine you'd like to go out on a few dates once in a while. A decent sized city or town will have much better prospects for that. In eastern Oregon, my single male friends struggle with the lack of prospects to date. The single guys I know love the hunting and outdoor opportunities here, but they have a hard time dealing with the nonexistent dating scene and loneliness.

I don't know MT or WY very well, but cold winters and windy weather is always a factor there. While Boise is a bigger city, I really like it there. Homes are reasonable priced, decent job prospects in a bigger city, there are plenty of amenities when not hunting, and ID hunting can be very good with lots of opportunities within an easy drive. The weather in Boise is also pretty temperate compared to a lot of places in MT/WY.

What else do you like to hunt? I'm a big chukar hunter, and Boise has some really good hunting available relatively close by on both the ID and OR side. Steelhead fishing, chinook, elk, deer, cougar, bear, turkey, etc....all readily available around Boise.

I'm sure there's plenty of plus sides to WY/MT, but the cold winters make me cringe a little. Just my 2 cents, but I'm looking very closely at Boise for a potential move.

 

[ChrisC]

I have absolutely zero experience living out west, so take this for what it's worth. but, depending on how good the severance package is, you might want to think about getting a small pace near a city for job opportunities and amenities, and then find a small cabin in a rural area that you can stay for hunting seasons.

 

[Conroy]

I am originally from a small town in upstate NY and now live in Wisconsin. The cold and snow doesn’t bother me, but of course there is more of it in the areas I asked about. As far as hunting, I want to hunt everything I can while I still am able to. I hunt deer, bear, turkey, rabbit, and sometimes ducks. I want to get into elk and mule deer.

I was married for 22 years and it ended in divorce. If I had known it was going to turn out this way I would have moved out there years ago. I am just finally at a place that there is nothing holding me here anymore.

Of course I would like to date wherever I end up, but I think right now I want to focus on fishing and hunting and doing what I want to do for a change. I have a girlfriend that I will be leaving to move there. She has no desire to ever move there so I would be setting myself up for the same thing all over again. I want to go before things get too serious here.

I am considering staying near a city so I can still work. I just want to be able to get to good hunting in a couple hours. Right now my son and I have scouted western Nebraska for deer a few times on long weekends and that takes us 13 hrs to drive.

I appreciate everyone's feedback. Has anyone here just up and moved out there to hunt as a resident?

 

[Blockcaver]

I moved to CO from WI for the job and hunting 42 years ago.....and tallied up 33 or so CO archery elk, 2 bighorn rams, 2 mt goats, a bunch of mule and whitetail deer, antelope, bears, mountain lions, great wife, etc. All in all it was a great move for me. Then we moved from CO to BC for the job and hunting 7 years ago. It has been super as well, archery grizzly, stone ram, a couple moose, Roosevelt elk, white and black tails and a bunch of black bears. Got Canadian citizenship, built a house and have retired here.....more hunting time.

Anyway, follow your instincts and if you love to hunt, go west, even if you aren't a young man. All areas you mention have + and - issues. If you can find a place to live, a house, a truck and a wife that each rates out at over 95% on your scale of importance, just be happy! There aren't any 100% perfects in life (IMO).

 

[elkyinzer]

I consider myself a future resident of Idaho although I hope it doesn't get too crowded and progressive before I get there!

 

[Whip]

I am also from WI. At one time I thought seriously about moving out west. I retired 8 years ago and it would have been pretty easy to do. But as much as I love the west, after years of traveling and hunting all over I have yet to find the one place that I really want to make a year round home. Some of the most intriguing areas are just so remote that I don't think I'd enjoy living there year round. Being single would make that even more true. Their bow seasons are generally short and I would really miss the Midwest in November. I've been lucky enough to find a good balance. Summer camping (scouting) in the mountains, and a couple of western hunts every year.

If I ever did consider the move I'd be looking at climate as a big factor - some of the most beautiful areas can be brutal. And I'd try to be close to the border of another state or two so that I could hunt there as well easily.

If I really thought I could stay put in one place Kodiak Alaska would be high on my list. Spectacular area and a surprisingly moderate climate year round. But the only way to go anywhere else means air travel and I can't let moss grow under my feet.

 

[wyosteve]

In your situation, I'd pick a state and try it. If you don't like it in a year or 2, go to the next on your list. You may never again have so few 'roots' holding you back.