Pros/Cons of where you have lived

[Punisher762]

Idaho: Born and raised there. Fantastic growing up and hunting the mountains. Never a soul is sight. Moved away and heard it is not the same (too many people now).

Chicago: Great food and that is about it. Was never a great state for hunting (almost all private) and way too dangerous and corrupt to live in.

Oklahoma: Super nice people and plenty of game here. Dirt cheap to live as well.

 

[Rifleman86]

Chicago- horrible weather. Tons of people. 4 hour drive to public land plus traffic. Extremely corrupt. Very left.

Denver- much better public access. Getting more left by the day. Housing prices have reached insanity levels.

Unfortunately with my job I'm kinda locked down to an area as a firefighter. If I move out of state my pension won't transfer. Hoping to retire in 15ish years to Alaska.

@streetdoctor same boat being stuck somewhere as a firefighter. Only reason I’m in central Ohio, and it’s the only reason I don’t like the job. I wish someone would’ve explained that when I started. T-13 years and I’ll have my 25. I’ll be 49… I’m getting out as young as I can, screw the drop, I’ll find something else to do in retirement. Wife is on board with Wyoming.

I’ll echo what the OP said about central Ohio. Cons… Very little public land/access. Big whitetails if you do have access (I killed a 197 3/8” Booner on my place last year.) Some decent smallmouth fishing in the streams but most fishing is over pressured. Stream access laws suck. Land prices are insane and just going to get worse (that might help me out when I leave.) Columbus is lefty as it gets, crime ridden, and its disease is spreading.

Southern Alabama- Cheap cost of living, good people. Deer are small, but good hog hunting. Weather sucks as I hate heat and humidity and want all four seasons. I missed “real” fall. The beach wasn’t far which was nice.

Northern VA-traffic sucked, but some decent public land and fishing around. Very liberal but I didn’t hate it when I lived there for ~ a year. Wouldn’t have wanted to live there permanently.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Southern WV

Pro’s: Good hunting for everything that lives here. Very rough terrain so it’s not hard to get by yourself. Good fishing for smallies. Easy to find something to do if you like being outdoors.

Cons: The trout fishing program sucks. No elk to hunt.

 

[Sanchez]

Oregon coast.

Pros- great fishing in the ocean for salmon, bottomfish, halibut, dungeness crab and tuna. Lots of public land and OK hunting for deer, elk and upland gamebirds. Good climate.

Cons- Liberal politics, entitled people who want to socialize everything. Oregon (Portland) is a global destination resort for homeless and a corresponding industry of non profits that self righteously enables the deadbeats. The City of Portland smells like an overflowing septic tank. Worst public education system in the country.

 

[desmog]

Squamish, BC. Just incredible. Beautiful place, access to proper wilderness it minutes away. I have had good interactions with indigenous folks on their land. Camping and Ski touring is among the best anywhere, and hunting is very accessible within a few hours drive. Sadly, BC (and Canada really) are politically corrupt, commie lunatics. Do what I can, vote on all levels, but enough about that.

Always wanted to get property in Montana. I do not hold a US passport, and am looking into ways to get property there. I have a few good friends from Whitefish, and found that place very familiar and comfortable.

Ontario. Well yuck. Not my jam at all. Very industrial. Lived near Milton for a while, which meant soul crushing commutes for work. Best thing I ever did was move to Squamish all those years ago. These are my peeps.

 

[jonboy]

N. Ga - Pros; Lots of NF nearby for hunting/fishing, small town vibe.
Cons; Atlanta is too close, not a lot of job opportunities
without getting in Atlanta.

Central FL. - Pros; still thinking on this one.
Cons; Radically hot/humid, overcrowded, hunting nonexistent.
A really high per capita A33hole rate.
Fishing was really not that great despite what they say.
No "culture" whatsoever.
Grass needed cut twice a week in summer.

AL. Gulf Coast - Pros; Good fishing and within driving distance of decent hunting.
Ducks on Mobile Bay ( I dont really duck hunt).
Winters are perfect. Not overcrowded yet. Low cost of living.
Year round vegetable garden.
Small town vibe.
Cons: The Summers are absolutely brutal and the tourists are
everywhere in season. Fishing sucks in the winter.
Did I mention how hot it is in the Summer?
Hunting and fishing OK, but not world class stuff.
Mowing 4 acres once a week.

You ain’t kidding about the summers being brutal.

 

[wapitibob]

central Oregon
pro: everything
con; nothing (ignore portland and it all works out)

Oklahoma
pro; heat lightning, and hot women with accents
con;
me, what's with the brown water in the lakes and river (like mud puddle brown)?
Oklahoman, what color is it supposed to be?

 

[hunterjmj]

central Oregon
pro: everything
con; nothing (ignore portland and it all works out)

Oklahoma
pro; heat lightning, and hot women with accents
con;
me, what's with the brown water in the lakes and river (like mud puddle brown)?
Oklahoman, what color is it supposed to be?

Funny you mention central Oregon. As soon as I graduated from Bend I got the hell out of there. That was 97'. Been back a couple times to visit family. It was a good place to grow up back then. I was there in 17' and couldn't believe how it's exploded.

 

[wapitibob]

Funny you mention central Oregon. As soon as I graduated from Bend I got the hell out of there. That was 97'. Been back a couple times to visit family. It was a good place to grow up back then. I was there in 17' and couldn't believe how it's exploded.

Been here for 66 years, we just topped 100k

 

[hunterjmj]

If I remember it was still under 30k in 97. A great memory was driving by Brooks-Scanlon and the smell of the logs and the mill.

 

[WiscoHoundsman]

SW Wisconsin
Pros- lots of whitetails and fishing, great views and sunsets. 4 ish hour drive to the north woods and bear hunting. Not a ton of crime.

Cons- access to private ground is almost required to hunt as the little public can be crowded.

 

[S.Clancy]

I've lived several places in MT and WY.

MT Pros- tons of hunting and fishing opportunities, so many it may be to its own detriment. There is a lot of good people here, especially out east. I couldn't see and do everything in MT in my lifetime.
Cons- Housing is absolutely out of control now. Our state govt caters to NR moving here and jacking up housing prices, developers are mostly scumbags. Bozeman is an absolute atrocity. I lived there for over 10 yrs, there is no way I would live there now. I hate MT winter's, this one has been long and snowy.

WY Pros- Still not a lot of people, lots of stuff to do, good opportunity for residents, pay is better than MT on my experience.

Cons- Winter's are worse that MT, stream access law sucks, only a few places (IMO) that are nice to live. Housing still ain't cheap in the best spots. Did I mention the wind? And winter...

 

[MallardSX2]

Great thread!

PA
Pro's- Hunting can be good. Lots of public land to hunt. It's within a decent distance to some midwestern states that a actually have good trophy potential for whitetails. Has deer, small game, turkeys, bears, elk.
Con's - Trespassers and Amish, weather can be pretty bad depending on what part of the state you live in. Its turning blue year by year. Property taxes are high in a lot of places. Good paying jobs are VERY hard to find. Unions have ruined the place.

West Virginia
Pro's- None
Cons- Drugs, hunting sucks.

GA
Pro's- Good weather, fair amount of public ground to hunt, affordable hunting licenses (Best value I have ever found), fishing is good, weather is good. Cost of living is reasonable. Good population of deer.
Con's- Deer leases are super expensive, waterfowl hunting sucks. The whole area within 30 miles of center of city of Atlanta is an absolute shithole of democratic wasteland. Don't EVER move to Atlanta.

NC
Pro's - It's a really pretty place and the weather is good. Fishing is decent for trout.
Cons- Its filled with liberal hippies who just want to go kayaking. The hunting sucks pretty bad.


If I had to choose, I would choose PA over all of the other states I have lived just because of the hunting, and it is where I grew up and amount of public land that you have access to.

 

[dallen]

So, I’m now doing what many retired Alaskans do…..I migrate in the winter. So, two areas to compare.

Wasilla Alaska…
Pros: vast expanses to explore, rules aren’t so burdensome, and in the winter, you can point a sled in a direction and go a long way and never see a no trespassing sign, fence….or human. A serious feeling of independence and self reliance. Good hunting….although access away from people can be tough and/or expensive.
Cons: Loooooooooong dark winters. I’ve done thirty something and they seem to get longer. Vegetables are pretty tasteless and expensive.

Eastern WA

Pros: Good waterfowl hunting, cool areas to explore, people very similar to what I’m used to in Alaska. Mild winters (relative), lots of sunny days and some ok archery deer opportunities. Did I mention mild winters….

cons: Like most of the west coast , State Gov is run by lunatics, and seems to be getting worse. Lots of private land that is hard to get access to. Some public land opportunities for big game but be prepared to not be alone.

 

[Trackerbacker]

In no particular order

Iowa:

Dubuque
Pro-big town, little city
Con-home town, it thinks it's a big city and a little town.

Calmar
Pro- small town, unplugged
Cons- rr track through town

Decorah
Pro- damn near God's country
Con- uppitys cloaing light up the bluff in bluffton

West des moines
Pro-everything near by
Con-everyone near by, $

Grimes
Pro-small town, edge of nowhere and a metro
Con-$

Waukee
see west des moines

Grimes
see grimes

Pella
con-dutch heritage. If you aint dutch you aint much

eagle butte SD
pro- middle of nowhere
con- rez

Wyandotte OK
Pro- boring
Con- boring

I'm sure I've forgotten somewhere.

 

[Swampcruiser]

SE Michigan -
pro’s - none, unless you like Walleye polluted with Pfas and other toxics
Cons- Toledo, Detroit, neighbors OD ing with ambulances running bodies around in the am, crime, long drives to any place public and wild ( N. MI) , always cloudy.

I’m kinda stuck here and own land but I hate it. Kudos to the guys who find positives before me about this area.

 

[TurkeyReaper69]

Rural West TN
Pros: lots of deer, excellent BBQ
Cons: CWD (these days). Obesity

Hattiesburg MS:
Pros: close to New Orleans
Cons: it’s Mississippi

Nashville TN:
Pros: lots of deer and turkeys
Cons: mediocre BBQ, every person in the world decided to move there

Memphis TN:
Pros: fantastic BBQ, fairly easy place to live
Cons: violent crime, high obesity, reasonably cheap

Durango CO:
Pros: extensive public land access, best Mtn range in the Rockies.
Cons: Texas style bbq, declining winters, insanely expensive

I currently live in Lauderdale County. Crime is just as bad here as it is in Memphis now. I won't be here too much longer, crime is insane and CWD sucks.

 

[KurtR]

In no particular order

Iowa:

Dubuque
Pro-big town, little city
Con-home town, it thinks it's a big city and a little town.

Calmar
Pro- small town, unplugged
Cons- rr track through town

Decorah
Pro- damn near God's country
Con- uppitys cloaing light up the bluff in bluffton

West des moines
Pro-everything near by
Con-everyone near by, $

Grimes
Pro-small town, edge of nowhere and a metro
Con-$

Waukee
see west des moines

Grimes
see grimes

Pella
con-dutch heritage. If you aint dutch you aint much

eagle butte SD
pro- middle of nowhere
con- rez

Wyandotte OK
Pro- boring
Con- boring

I'm sure I've forgotten somewhere.

I would have bet a million dollars no one would ever list eagle butte. Not enough room to list all the cons

 

[WCB]

MN- great for growing up playing hockey, lots of recreation even in the winter, was fairly quiet no nonsense. Con- is I moved back and live here now and it is quickly turning into CA Jr. I avoid Mpls St Paul like the plague.

Blind River, ON -played Jr. hockey. Very similar to MN. Nobody locked their doors. Tagged along on some hunts and did a lot of fishing...nice people.
Con- Canada

Big Timber, MT- (early 2000s) Quiet. Good hunting and fishing. laid back and easy striking distance to Livingston and Bozeman ( I guess Billings then for flying in and out). If I still lived there I would say those are now negatives.
Con- I moved back to MN

 

[Trackerbacker]

I would have bet a million dollars no one would ever list eagle butte. Not enough room to list all the cons

hahahahah......you know whats up....