What Western State To Retire In?

[Dart368]

Hey all. I didn't see a general "Hunting" forum so I figured I would post it in the elusive elk forum area.
My girl and I are planning to move to a more hunter friendly state in about 8 years. She will actually still be working in the medical field but I will be free and clear. Hunting would primarily be done with archery equipment but sometimes rifle. I also like to hunt duck, deer, other upland game and would like to try bear and possibly pigs. If the place has decent fishing, that would be a plus. We want to live on the outskirts of town in the woods if possible. The other thing I am considering is I will be 65 years old and would not want to spend several years trying to build up points for a preferred unit to have a decent chance to bag a nice animal.

The states I was looking with pros and cons at were:

Idaho
Pros: Conservative state, Beautiful country, Seems like plenty of game
Cons: Can get cold at times with snow.

Colorado
Pros: Beautiful country and I hear it is the elk capital of the west.
Cons: I have heard it is a very liberal state. Cost of living is higher.

Utah
Pros: My best friend is planning on moving there around the same time (He is a non-hunter). Warm climate for the most part.
Cons: Mostly desert terrain in the South West where we would be living. Heard it has a higher cost of living .

I am open to suggestions regarding other states West of Colorado but am reluctant to look at Wyoming due to the harsh winters and all the wind I hear about. Other states like New Mexico and Arizona from what I hear have pretty conservative draw limitations and are ultra liberal as well. Please help me out.

 

[tstith]

I am a long ways from retirement so I don't feel like I am in the best place to give this advice... but I am a resident of Colorado and from Wyoming. For my retirement planning, a lot of consideration is going to state taxes and cost of living when deciding where to retire. I would dissuade you from Colorado due to cost of housing, that is really the only part of the cost of living that is disproportionate to other states around. I would also encourage some parts of Wyoming, around the Big Horns. Its not any worse wind-wise than Colorado and you are close to hunting. There are also a lot of medical jobs for your significant other in the state. I did a quick Google search for the tax friendliness of states and linked it below.

The most tax-friendly U.S. state for retirees isn’t what you’d guess — and neither is the least tax-friendly

How a state treats Social Security income is often pivotal.

www.marketwatch.com

 

[William Sublette]

The west is full, have you looked at the s.e.?

 

[Dart368]

I am a long ways from retirement so I don't feel like I am in the best place to give this advice... but I am a resident of Colorado and from Wyoming. For my retirement planning, a lot of consideration is going to state taxes and cost of living when deciding where to retire. I would dissuade you from Colorado due to cost of housing, that is really the only part of the cost of living that is disproportionate to other states around. I would also encourage some parts of Wyoming, around the Big Horns. Its not any worse wind-wise than Colorado and you are close to hunting. There are also a lot of medical jobs for your significant other in the state. I did a quick Google search for the tax friendliness of states and linked it below.

The most tax-friendly U.S. state for retirees isn’t what you’d guess — and neither is the least tax-friendly

How a state treats Social Security income is often pivotal.

www.marketwatch.com

Thank you for your advice. Yes, I saw that Wyoming has no income tax which is awesome. I will take a look at the Big Horn area.

 

[Dart368]

The west is full, have you looked at the s.e.?

My girl doesn't want to live there. She was born in Florida and has lived in South Carolina and would rather not go back.

 

[Clrems77]

Hey all. I didn't see a general "Hunting" forum so I figured I would post it in the elusive elk forum area.
My girl and I are planning to move to a more hunter friendly state in about 8 years. She will actually still be working in the medical field but I will be free and clear. Hunting would primarily be done with archery equipment but sometimes rifle. I also like to hunt duck, deer, other upland game and would like to try bear and possibly pigs. If the place has decent fishing, that would be a plus. We want to live on the outskirts of town in the woods if possible. The other thing I am considering is I will be 65 years old and would not want to spend several years trying to build up points for a preferred unit to have a decent chance to bag a nice animal.

The states I was looking with pros and cons at were:

Idaho
Pros: Conservative state, Beautiful country, Seems like plenty of game
Cons: Can get cold at times with snow.

Colorado
Pros: Beautiful country and I hear it is the elk capital of the west.
Cons: I have heard it is a very liberal state. Cost of living is higher.

Utah
Pros: My best friend is planning on moving there around the same time (He is a non-hunter). Warm climate for the most part.
Cons: Mostly desert terrain in the South West where we would be living. Heard it has a higher cost of living .

I am open to suggestions regarding other states West of Colorado but am reluctant to look at Wyoming due to the harsh winters and all the wind I hear about. Other states like New Mexico and Arizona from what I hear have pretty conservative draw limitations and are ultra liberal as well. Please help me out.

Im in the same boat as you, hopefully leaving in less than 6 years. Toured Montana last year and loved it. Heading to Colorado next month, but as you said, LIBERAL! With the Gov just removing Qualified Immunity for first responders, Im gonna bet crimes going to jump as the cops arent going to want to do anything risking everything they have. Idaho and Utah are on my list as well!

 

[Gila]

I think Wyoming or South Dakota is a good place for ya. They will welcome you with open arms. I highly suggest Rock Springs since it is close to SLC but Casper would be a good option as well. Rapid City has mild weather and all kinds of great fishing.

 

[Brendan]

My Better Half wants to live in Southern Utah. I'd prefer Wyoming, MT, or even AZ myself, but it'd still be an upgrade over the East Coast.

 

[wmashburn]

Anything west of Kansas lol

 

[bohntr]

I really enjoy retirement in the White Mountains of AZ.......lots of opportunity for a bowhunter....on second thought it’s terrible here Look at WY.

 

[Elktaco]

Utah. Yep definitely Utah.

 

[Dart368]

Thanks for the replies. So now all of you are making me think that perhaps I should look elsewhere besides the states I mentioned.

I know there will be good and bad in each place. But I also have to look at overall where would be better. Yes, I want good hunting and fishing, but I also need to look at cost of living, housing, job possibilities for my partner, etc.

The Northern states sound like a dream, I am just a little bit scared of the harsh winter climate. Snow is a given and I can deal with a little bit of it. But being buried in several feet of it in my 60's does not sound appealing.

 

[Dart368]

Utah. Yep definitely Utah.

I heard you have to wait several years to draw a decent tag in Utah. Am I wrong?

 

[manitou1]

If you don't like cold, be careful of your choice. We are moving to the Bighorn area of WY, but wife grew up there and I have been going for 23 years. Winters aren't for the faint of heart. We still get a little sticker shock out there as we are from Missouri and houses here are half what they cost out in NE WY. Everything is a lot less expensive here... groceries, gas, licenses, lumber, etc. Gotta pay to play I suppose. Seems some folks get out there and after a winter or three, decide it isn't for them... then it can take 2-3 years to sell the house. Before we decided to build we were looking at nice homes that had been on the market over two years. A quite a few. Some over three years. Not trying to discourage you by any means, but you mentioned being concerned over the cold winters.

 

[cnelk]

I think Wyoming or South Dakota is a good place for ya. They will welcome you with open arms. I highly suggest Rock Springs since it is close to SLC

Rock Springs???!!

I spent a week there one night.
No way.

 

[Spoonbill]

Hey all. I didn't see a general "Hunting" forum so I figured I would post it in the elusive elk forum area.
My girl and I are planning to move to a more hunter friendly state in about 8 years. She will actually still be working in the medical field but I will be free and clear. Hunting would primarily be done with archery equipment but sometimes rifle. I also like to hunt duck, deer, other upland game and would like to try bear and possibly pigs. If the place has decent fishing, that would be a plus. We want to live on the outskirts of town in the woods if possible. The other thing I am considering is I will be 65 years old and would not want to spend several years trying to build up points for a preferred unit to have a decent chance to bag a nice animal.

The states I was looking with pros and cons at were:

Idaho
Pros: Conservative state, Beautiful country, Seems like plenty of game
Cons: Can get cold at times with snow.

Colorado
Pros: Beautiful country and I hear it is the elk capital of the west.
Cons: I have heard it is a very liberal state. Cost of living is higher.

Utah
Pros: My best friend is planning on moving there around the same time (He is a non-hunter). Warm climate for the most part.
Cons: Mostly desert terrain in the South West where we would be living. Heard it has a higher cost of living .

I am open to suggestions regarding other states West of Colorado but am reluctant to look at Wyoming due to the harsh winters and all the wind I hear about. Other states like New Mexico and Arizona from what I hear have pretty conservative draw limitations and are ultra liberal as well. Please help me out.

Maybe eastern Oregon? Not far from Idaho, pretty warm most of the year. Oregon is liberal but that is mostly west of the Cascades.

 

[MuleyFever]

I heard you have to wait several years to draw a decent tag in Utah. Am I wrong?

Yes you are wrong. It is way more than several.

 

[ramsdude47]

What about residing in Idaho and renting / RVing in Arizona for the worst parts of winter?

 

[Ucsdryder]

California is beautiful.

 

[Sportsman]

AZ isn't liberal - not sure where you got that. It's more in the middle now as CA moves East but still rated as one of top states for gun owners. OTC archery deer in most units (not Kaibab) with an early and late season. One deer per calendar year so you could kill a deer in the Aug/Sep season and hunt again in January. A January kill does rule out the fall.

Elk is going to be a draw but as a resident, you can hunt every few years when you aren't trying for a trophy unit and retired, it's an easy drive to hunt CO, UT or even ID with OTC options.

Lifetime pref point for hunter safety and loyalty point for applying for same species for 5(?) years in a row.

One of few states to still have a healthy quail population and one of best dove hunting states. Javelina tags are easy to draw and you can kill two per year.

Summer can be brutal unless you live in Flagstaff but lots of retirees live in Prescott or Flag. Cost of living is among lowest in nation.

If you want actual woods, look around Flagstaff/Williams area.

Oh, and medical jobs tend to be easy to come by here.