If you could live anywhere...
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Don Fischer
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I didn't read this whole thing. Just no time, need to take a nap before I go out and do chore's! Retirement is tuff!! 
Seem's from what I did read, everybody is suggesting place's that can really get cold in the winter. The west side of the mountains in Washington and Oregon are pretty decent, if you don't mind rain! Colorado and Montana are super places to live. My son was born in Kalispell in December of 1972. -20* outside when he was born. Here in central Oregon we only had a week or so of cold this winter, never got below )8 but didn't get over 10& either! I've been in every state in every season, drove interstate for about 30 yrs. Cut a line across the country with I70 and stay south of that line, best to avoid the cold. I have seen air temp in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska at -65* below only one time, Normally stays above 0* for the most part.
Cold winter is a fact of life for most place's. I saw it snow in Macon, Georgia one time. 1" closed down the whole town. But you get into places like that and hunting for things like Elk become a non-resident game! Think you need to figure out what your willing to do about winter temps and what kind of game is important to you. Texas is really lacking in public lane. Get up north in Texas and I've seen more than a little snow. You might check out Arizona. draw a line across it that goes through Pheonix and stay south of it. I've been shut down a number of time's on a line through Flagstaff, beautiful country though!
If I was willing to move I could find a place in every state where I could live, but in Upstate New York and all of New England there aren't a whole lot of elk and it does get cold in the winter. 10 or 12 years of zero degree weather in the winter and you actually learn to tolerate it, not accept it but tolerate it!
Only two things keep me in Oregon, family and just to much stuff to move! 28 yrs in this spot and I've kept every piece of garbage along the way! I'd hate packing all that! Find a place you don't mind living, go there and travel to hunt what you don't have around home!
Seem's from what I did read, everybody is suggesting place's that can really get cold in the winter. The west side of the mountains in Washington and Oregon are pretty decent, if you don't mind rain! Colorado and Montana are super places to live. My son was born in Kalispell in December of 1972. -20* outside when he was born. Here in central Oregon we only had a week or so of cold this winter, never got below )8 but didn't get over 10& either! I've been in every state in every season, drove interstate for about 30 yrs. Cut a line across the country with I70 and stay south of that line, best to avoid the cold. I have seen air temp in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska at -65* below only one time, Normally stays above 0* for the most part. Cold winter is a fact of life for most place's. I saw it snow in Macon, Georgia one time. 1" closed down the whole town. But you get into places like that and hunting for things like Elk become a non-resident game! Think you need to figure out what your willing to do about winter temps and what kind of game is important to you. Texas is really lacking in public lane. Get up north in Texas and I've seen more than a little snow. You might check out Arizona. draw a line across it that goes through Pheonix and stay south of it. I've been shut down a number of time's on a line through Flagstaff, beautiful country though!
If I was willing to move I could find a place in every state where I could live, but in Upstate New York and all of New England there aren't a whole lot of elk and it does get cold in the winter. 10 or 12 years of zero degree weather in the winter and you actually learn to tolerate it, not accept it but tolerate it!
Only two things keep me in Oregon, family and just to much stuff to move! 28 yrs in this spot and I've kept every piece of garbage along the way! I'd hate packing all that! Find a place you don't mind living, go there and travel to hunt what you don't have around home!
Don Fischer
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Boy that would be me. I left there in 1975. Lived in Lakeside, abut 20 mi south of Kalispell and work back then was really really hard to come by. Locals gave first jobs to natives. You wanted to work there it was normally for min wage if you weren't a native! Beautiful beautiful country though!
pdq_wizzard
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AlaskaHunter
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nope Idaho is full, I closed the gate when I moved in
I moved up to Alaska from Moscow, ID in 1993.
I love both states..excellent hunting and fishing and wilderness.
Southern Elk
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I know this is an old thread, but I just moved to the place I'd live if I could live anywhere. Montana!
AlaskaHunter
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Alaska currently has no income tax or state sales tax.
I live in interior Alaska and property taxes are reasonable, you get a big break
after you turn 65 and do not pay property tax on the first $150 K of property.
Fairly dry..we get 12 inches of precip a year in interior.
Long warm summers, cold winters with sugar snow.
Free lifetime hunting/fishing/trapping license after age 60.
Oil dividend check every fall ranging from $1-$2k per family member.
Got to love snow....winters are typically Nov - April
Don Fischer
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Here in Central Ore today it was 18* when I got up, couple inch's of new snow and snowing lightly now. Of the places I've lived it would be a toss up between NW Montana and Alaska
noharleyyet
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I'll never leave Mother Texas...except to visit trickle down paradise's.
el unit
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Everyday is vacation in Montana.
JohnCushman
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I was planning on buying a big chunk of property in Colorado somewhere, but I am way too unhappy with the direction the state is heading. After seeing a few places in Montana I have talked to a couple of hunttalkers about moving to Montana and it seems like a good idea. After seeing the area I hunted with Randy this year, I absolutely love it there. From what little research I've done, I can get lots of land to build on, or even homes with acreage for a good price. I was planning on moving in 10 years, but I've knocked it down to 8 after my youngest graduates high school. We're making some renovations on my house here in CO, plus making bigger mortgage payments, and we'll be putting the money from vehicle payments when they are done into savings...so as of January, it's game on for the next 8 years.
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Addicting
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I know a good broker near Ennis that needs some commission to pay for a tractor. I could send you his card.
Phaseolus
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I’d love to live on the South Island of New Zealand at least part time. The Wife and I are going to give it a try in a couple of years. We have no plans to move there permanently or become ExPats.
Pondera
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Don Fischer
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ya know, thinking back, with the experience I've had moving around the country I ould probably make a home in any state in the country so long as it was in a small town, 2500 or less. Within not a lot of driving time from New York city there's good fishing, woodchuck hunting and deer hunting! Thing I'd have to do to live pretty much anywhere is simply adjust a bit. I like bass and catfish but there are none in Alaska, adapt! There are bass in Montana and I'd guess catfish too. About all I hunt anymore other than birds is elk, get a cow tag every year. Don't get worked up on deer anymore. Lot of rock chucks in Central Ore but I haven't a clue where to find them off private land. Lot's of sage rats but they don't turn me on either. Upstate New York when I was a kid had lots of Wood Chucks to shoot and most people let you on for them. Used to be a lot of deer up there too. Upstate New York is absolutely beautiful but, unfortunately it is a part of about as corrupt and expensive state as the country has to offer. But bottom line is I could actually learn to live in any state in the country without much trouble. How about Maine? They don't have any elk I don't think, but they do have moose! Thing is you have to adapt to the area you choose. Seen to many people come here, pop about 40, from the city to escape the city and bring the city with them! You have to adapt if your gonna be happy. Hunting and fishing of some kind exist's every where you go!
JohnCushman
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I've been planning on moving to Montana and buying acreage in the SE portion of the state. Then my HT buddies would have a place to hunt in a different area. Montana is becoming pretty liberal lately and it has me kind of worried, though, and that's would I would be getting out of Colorado to get away from. Time will tell, I suppose...
I lived in Great Falls, MT from 2001-2005, and it was liberal in areas then (Missoula comes to mind). This is nothing new. Any state that kept electing Max Baucus, has some issues. I live in Alaska now and love it, but it has it's issues as well. The only thing that will make me leave in the near future is the crime getting out of hand. Hopefully the new governor repeals SB91 and we can start prosecuting criminals again, instead of letting Class C felons continue to roam the streets and keep committing crimes day in and day out.
Dinkshooter
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Unshakable!
Dan O
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Born and raised in Great Falls. Moved west of the divide in 2013 to Seeley Lake. Go to Missoula a lot for shopping and such. Think of Missoula as little San Francisco it's a liberal place by far. It's called the zoo for a reason lol. Like the Seeley area great snowmobiling and lack of wind. Snow actually falls straight down, never seen that in Great Falls.
Dan
