Retirement options

What ever you do, don't come to AZ. We have enough folks here already. After all, you'll never draw anything here, big game wise. You'll be forced to hunt 4 species of quail, dove, lots of ducks, geese and cranes. Its really tough having to put up with so much public land too. Lots of areas with four season climates as well as the desert areas that are wonderful for 8 months/year. Its just a sucky place. Its a real drag to have to draw for most big game. I've complained for years that I only draw elk every 3-5 years, lions are year round, javalina are fun in the desert areas, but they smell. Muleys are down a bit but Couses deer are pretty easy to draw but they are small, hardly worth the effort. I feel screwed because both desert and rocky mtn sheep are once in a lifetime (I've drawn both and scored on both) sucks to work with the sheep society to put more sheep on the mountains. Don't come here to try and game the system with a lifetime license. Go to New Mexico and stuff yourself with enchiladas Christmas style and really enjoy NM's 3 day seasons and crooked land owners, unless they are relatives, but hey, they don't have points. Choice is eezy peezy. GJ

Originally from Northern Colorado, lived and worked in Arizona for 30 years. I am now retired back in Colorado. I hunted deer and elk in Az for 20 years usually hunting Deer annually and elk every 2-3 years. I hunt with bow and rifle. I would say that if you want to hunt bull elk in Az that's a tough tag to obtain. I've drawn 3 bull elk tags in Az the others drawn were for cow. I don't particularly care for hunting for a trophy, but for meat. Deer I've always hunted with bow otc with acception to drawing a Strip deer tag for rifle 6 years back (lucky). After moving back to Colorado a little over a year ago I will certainly be hunting elk with my bow every year unless I'm drawn for a rifle tag. Deer is another tough tag in Co. imo. I agree with others that NM has the best program for their draw system. As far as the winter season here in the northern front range area... MILD in my opinion. Especially in comparison to Icelandic conditions Mn. can bring annually. Best of luck to your future endeavors wherever you decide to retire. Enjoy it!!!

brymoore said:

NM is a third world nation. It's nice to visit and leave.

I'd suggest you travel the West a bit before making a decision. You're excluding states based on a preconceived notions.

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A friend of mine just described NM as a beautiful sh*thole. As a former NM resident I agree with brymoore. Nice place to visit and leave.

CO is getting more and more crowded so while I don't begrudge anyone wanting to move to our beautiful state, I'm not exactly leading the marketing efforts either. That being said our winters, especially on the Front Range or West Slope(Grand Jct, etc) can be very mild with little snow. I mean Denver gets big storms so rarely you'd think you were living in the South with how freaked out people get when they get anything over a few inches. And it's not unheard of to have warm sunny stretches in the heart of the winter were highs there can push 60. We certainly have real cold spells and snow, but compared to MN you'd think it was Mexico some winters.

Hell I live at 8000ft in a ski town and we still get over 250 days of sunshine a year. Up here the only time it's not sunny is if it's snowing. We don't have many cold, overcast days.

cgarner said:

My wife and I are planning for retirement as well. She said if I get a house in Wyoming she gets on somewhere in the Caribbean.

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Similar boat. I said Alaska and she said Hawaii.