Seeking help - moving up north and hunting

[Sniper338]

Trying to use options available to me to help narrow down where would be best for us to move to up north for a year or two. Itd be a good move for my job, but also seeking hunting and fishing opportunities.

Border states only... washington, montana, maine, new york, nh, vt, mn, wi etc etc...

I dont know the fish and game law anywhere else but texas... id be living where ever I moved so id be a resident... id be after black bear, elk, mule deer, moose, etc... anything ive never experienced. Of course there would have to be alot of public land im assuming. More wilderness to go hunt the better... not totall sure what else to add to get this converstation off the ground.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

Northern Mn whitetail, black bear, coyote, bobcat. Once in a lifetime Moose,elk. Fishing, small game grouse,woodcock, snowshoe hair, rabbits. Terrible liberal attitude, no wolf season even though usda kills a bunch each year and north state over run with them.

 

[EOD Rob]

I would keep in mind the gun regulations for the state you are looking to move to first. New York, New England states, and Illinois would be off the table for me. Washington and MN would be questionable at best for me due to the issues that are going on there these days. Even thou I'm a big Buckeye's fan, Michigan is really bombing in the wildlife these days. A lot of trophy animals are coming out of there. Montana, and WI would not be a bad choice either. Just understand that all of these states have very harsh winters and it will take you some getting accustom to.
Good luck with you choice!!!

 

[Alex Wheeler]

The only one you mentioned that has public land you can hunt and shoot on that I would consider is MT. But you have to like winter. We got snow twice this week. Its very long.

 

[Sniper338]

The only one you mentioned that has public land you can hunt and shoot on that I would consider is MT. But you have to like winter. We got snow twice this week. Its very long.

I forgot about gun laws... kinda narrows it to montana... i didnt know how Maine is... i knew new york is off the table for sure. I dont know much at all really... my wife was leaning Montana.

 

[caihlen]

So, the housing market in MT is dismal. Everything is way overpriced and there is very little inventory in the major “urban” areas. Even far flung outposts are selling homes in 12 hours sight unseen. If you’re planning on renting it’s even worse.

 

[Toby Bradshaw]

Idaho borders Canada for 45 miles. 66% of Idaho's land area is open to public hunting; Montana is at 32%. Total land area open to hunting is a little higher for ID (35M acres) than MT (30M acres).

And Alaska is a border state ...

Total Public Hunting Land Acres by State for USFS, BLM, State Owned

Table of total public hunting land acres available listed by state including US Forest Service, BLM and State Lands. Total acres per person to hunt.

www.backcountrychronicles.com

 

[drover]

Most states have residency requirements that have to be met before you are considered a resident, if you don't meet those you will have to buy non-resident license to hunt or fish. If I recall correctly MT requires that you live there for 6 months before you can purchase a non-resident license.

You did not say what your trade/skills are but speaking for ID/MT/ND it is unlikely that you will come close to the wages you are getting in TX - something else to consider. Also there are so many out of staters moving into the western states that housing and or rent is over the top in comparison to wages. You have a lot of homework to do before making your move.

drover

 

[snert]

If I were only going for a year or so, no reason NY isnt ok. Honestly.

Upstate and adirondack is full of Whitetail, turkey, coyote and great fishing. Samon River, finger Lakes, lots of trout streams. If you are in CNY, or Northern NY, nothing is more than 4 hours away

You can hunt with shotgun and rifle. it would be too short a time to make handgun of any type worthwhile attempt.

Good fly fishing, trolling, ice fishing, bear, small game.

You might be surprised. And the food in CNY is pretty good.

 

[hogpatrol]

Check the hunting regulations in each state also. Some of them you need an attorney on speed dial before venturing afield and some don't have Sunday or only limited Sunday hunting. Pennsylvania is one of them.

 

[shoot4fun]

So, the housing market in MT is dismal. Everything is way overpriced and there is very little inventory in the major “urban” areas. Even far flung outposts are selling homes in 12 hours sight unseen. If you’re planning on renting it’s even worse.

A friend talked to am agent in MT, got the info on a couple pieces of land he was interested in and then got on a plane the next day to go see the parcels.
Called the agent from the airport in MT and was told he had wasted his trip. Both parcels sold before he got there to look and decide.

 

[caihlen]

A friend talked to am agent in MT, got the info on a couple pieces of land he was interested in and then got on a plane the next day to go see the parcels.
Called the agent from the airport in MT and was told he had wasted his trip. Both parcels sold before he got there to look and decide.

Super common. Folks are buying stuff over the phone the instant it’s listed

 

[Willshooter]

Trying to use options available to me to help narrow down where would be best for us to move to up north for a year or two. Itd be a good move for my job, but also seeking hunting and fishing opportunities.

Border states only... washington, montana, maine, new york, nh, vt, mn, wi etc etc...

I dont know the fish and game law anywhere else but texas... id be living where ever I moved so id be a resident... id be after black bear, elk, mule deer, moose, etc... anything ive never experienced. Of course there would have to be alot of public land im assuming. More wilderness to go hunt the better... not totall sure what else to add to get this converstation off the ground.

Maine offers great hunting ,big bucks lots of timberlands. Gun laws ok. Cold during winter if you live past bangor or jackman. Maine offers very remote places to hunt you don't have look far. Lived there for seven years.

 

[bigted]

buffalo ny best bass fishing samon deer hunting @ turkey

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Problem with Montana right now is real estate prices are thru the roof and any of the good areas to live in the mountains are gone before you can blink. Even if you have plenty of money, any decent home is gone in less than a day after hitting the market. Rent prices are also sky high, way higher than any equivalent home mortgage so finding a place to rent is just as tough for people going that route.

Don’t expect to draw a moose tag in Montana anytime soon. Took my father 37 years of applying to finally draw a tag. After drawing, you have to wait 7 years to apply for moose again whether you harvested an animal or not. He’s 74 years old now and will most likely never see that tag again before his days are over. I’m 40 years old and have been putting in for moose since I was 12 years old and still haven’t drawn.
You want to kill a moose...move to Alaska.

Back country wilderness areas are not something a person can just “go and hunt”. Usually miles ride in on horseback to any wilderness boundary and very rough terrain once you are in there. Requires excellent physical fitness, top of the line gear and boots to stay warm, dry and comfortable, great optics for long glassing sessions, and good horsemanship skills. If using a guide which is pretty expensive, the horsemanship skills don’t go much past trail riding which is the easiest part. It is a lot of fun hunting in the back country tho and highly recommend it if you are up for the challenge. There are no fancy hunting stands or blinds with gun rests. Most shots are taken at odd angles from whatever rest the natural surroundings can provide. But the hardest part for flatlanders is adjusting to the thin air. Unfortunately there is no amount of gym time or fitness that can prepare your lungs for the lesser amount of oxygen in the high mountain air. A couple weeks of hard hiking in the mountains will usually get your lungs acclimated better. But then the cold air is another thing. Last fall it was -16F where we were at on opening weekend of our rifle season. My brother in law and his cousin didn’t have very good boots and clothing and had to turn back to head for camp by 10am because their feet and hands were completely frozen. Good gear is of the utmost importance in Montana. Top quality boots suitable for rugged high mountain terrain and blistering cold while hunting in the winter here are going to start at around $400 and go up from there.

Gotta have a 4x4 pickup or SUV. Montana doesn’t even sell 2x4 pickups and most dealers won’t take them on trade because they can’t sell them. People have no use for them here. So if you need to change rigs, best to do it before coming to Montana. If driving during winter in Montana mountains, you WILL eventually get stuck really bad in a remote area with no cell service so you better have all the gear and know-how necessary to get yourself out of a bad situation.

Below are some pics of my buddy’s truck from this year. Luckily we had taken two trucks that day to get where we were going and I happened upon him not long after he wrecked. There was a foot of new snow on the ground, he couldn’t see the edge of the road with all the snow and drove right off it. Simple mistake put him in a really scary situation. If we all would have been in his truck, it would have been about a 10 mile hike back to camp cuz there was no cell service and nobody else in the area that day.

 

[Ranger188]

You had mentioned Wisconsin.
No mule deer, moose, or elk. limited black bear hunting.
Mostly whitetail. Great fishing. Property taxes are higher than most.
Pretty much the same thing in Michigan.
If you need a northern state, I'd look at Idaho or Utah.

 

[L.Sherm]

Its not all peaches and cream in Montana.
My wife has one of here staff moved here last year and is already talking of moving back to Indiana because she can't afford to live here.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Its not all peaches and cream in Montana.
My wife has one of here staff moved here last year and is already talking of moving back to Indiana because she can't afford to live here.

I hear it’s next to impossible to even get a rental car there now, and most vacation homes are booked up a long time ago.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

You better watch out for these little critters up north too. They love snacking on new folks who are unaware. Lol

This is a “small” grizzly front paw track from last year. They get a lot bigger

 

[bluealtered]

I sure understand why you skipped Oregon, the way the nations population is shifting any more, it only means that the state with great hunting regs. now may change in only a couple of years at this point. Simply something else to consider.