Hey guys,
Just some background on me. I'm a second year law student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Lived in Illinois, specifically a small suburb of Chicago my whole life. Not very well-traveled as I've only been to a few states: Colorado, Massachusetts (Boston), Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Was most recently in Colorado interning for the Air Force JAG in Aurora, but didn't have much time to explore.
I'm in the process of wrapping up a rather messy divorce and it's given me a new perspective on life. Do what you want and be happy!
So right now I am thinking of places I would want to work and play after I finish law school. I've been doing my own research but it would be fantastic to hear from people who have either been to certain states and can give direct feedback to their experiences, or those who have made their own wish lists as well.
- Paul
There are many great places, but depends on the person. BTW, what is nibre? I don't think that is a word.
QuoteOriginally posted by Jerry Jeffer:
There are many great places, but depends on the person. BTW, what is nibre? I don't think that is a word.
That is very true, Jerry. I was just curious of peoples' thoughts. People often ask this sort of question (of where they would like to live) but I wanted to hear opinions from a bowhunting perspective. For myself, I've been looking at Hawaii and Alaska. But there are 50 states out there...
And "el chupa nibre" is a character from an animated TV show: Futurama. Obscure reference, I know!
HANDS DOWN IOWA I love them BIG Midwestern white tails! :thumbsup:
It really depends on what animal you want to focus on. AK has great animals but is difficult to hunt most of them without a major excursion - flying in, etc. HI is beautiful with year round hunting for feral animals. Western States have some great species to hunt and lots of variety, but most bow seasons are relatively short.
For me personally, I'd choose a state like Iowa, Kansas or Nebraska with some great whitetail hunting and long seasons yet reasonably close to the mountain states for a trip or two each year.
But that's just me....
that's easy. south Dakota. long bow seasons. good variety of big game. borders Montana any wy, close to all western action. world class pheasant and waterfowl hunting. great fishing for about any species of freshwater fish available. I live in wy, close to the border, and if I wasn't as close as I was with a good enough job for some out of state tags, id have moved over years ago...
Montana or Alaska - I still have a few adventures left in these aging bones
Wyoming
Anywhere in the mid west but particularly Iowa.
Kentucky. Great deer numbers with long liberal seasons, land that is still relatively affordable, booming elk herds, and an ever increasing bear population. Weather is also pretty decent most of the time, and the economy is the central part of the state has been fairly recession tolerant.
Colorado or South Dakota.
Rural Iowa or Ohio.
Limpopo.
Oh, wait. That's a province.... where they're bummed if you do see at least four species of planes game per day.
Georgia not only has a wide range of animals and terrain (moutains in the north, lowlands in the east, foot hills in the west) but also has generous seasons and limits. I believe that if a fella likes to hunt, he can do serious hunting 12 months of the year with a Georgia license. The default being pigs, but deer, bear, predator, and small game are abundant. Also there are a good amount of WMAs and public land available, though in the southern and eastern regions finding land owners willing to let you hunt pigs is no real problem.
I would live in Canada best hunting of all for almost anything .Then go to Texas for hogs and deer in the winter.
I am in the same situation as huntnmuley. If I was to pick another state, it would be WY. I live 12 miles from the WY border in Spearfish, SD about an hour and half from newcastle.
From a strictly bowhunting perspective we have long seasons for antelope/deer. Other opportunities are limited though.
Iowa or Ohio I love BIG whitetails. Really have no urge to big game hunt anything else. Weird I know but im a whitetail weirdo as my wife calls me lol
I live and hunt in rural Iowa and love the state, however my wife and I spend about 150 days in Wisconsin each year at our rural property there. Both states are great for hunting, but often times when people hear the word Iowa all they think about are the huge bucks.
There are some very nice deer in Iowa, but it depends a lot on what area of the state you're talking about. In many of the strictly "agriculture" areas the bucks get thinned down pretty quickly during the shotgun seasons. Not to say there still aren't some big ones out there, but the north central part of the state doesn't compare to other parts.
Bernie
As a fellow Illini (undergrad not law), I'd say Iowa. About 13 years ago my wife and I were in your shoes. She was finishing up med school and we were weighing our options on where to live/do residency. We choose Iowa, and I am very glad we did.
Obviously, everyone knows about the deer hunting here. No, there aren't 180 inch bucks behind every tree like the television shows and magazine articles like to portray, but the deer hunting is very good. Turkey hunting here is top notch too. There is a decent amount of public land. More would be better of course, but it's not bad. Getting permission for private land isn't too hard either. If you want to buy your own ground it is cheaper than Illinois. It's still expensive though. Besides deer and turkey our bird hunting is pretty good. Pheasant numbers have rebounded and the quail population in southern Iowa is decent. If you like waterfowl hunting there are plenty of options there too. I would argue Iowa is the best state in the lower 48 for trapping, and our fishing is very underrated.
While we don't have elk or bears it isn't too bad to travel for those hunts. I can be at good elk ground in Colorado in 13 hours or so. MN has good bear hunting and it's not a bad drive.
Good luck, and if you have any questions on Iowa I'll do my best to answer them.
-Ben
QuoteOriginally posted by Biathlonman:
Kentucky. Great deer numbers with long liberal seasons, land that is still relatively affordable, booming elk herds, and an ever increasing bear population. Weather is also pretty decent most of the time, and the economy is the central part of the state has been fairly recession tolerant.
This would be my choice as well. But I'm not really interested in anything bigger than deer. really like their season & license structure, and their weapon options.
I grew up 15 minutes West of Des Moines Iowa, great place to live. The economy is fantatic, very inexpensive housing market (land is way expensive though) The pheasant and quail popukation is WAAAY down compared to 15 years ago but getting better (JOIN PHEASANTS FOREVER/DUCKS UNLIMITED please) There are obviously big bucks there, always saw a 160+ during bow season on grandpa's 90 acre farm.
That being said Northeast Iowa is a huge sleeper part of the state. People always travel to Souther Iowa and for good reason, but 2 of the top 4 trophy producing counties are up NE.
Easier to make a great living for yourself/family in Iowa
moved out to Bozeman Montana July of 2013. Montana is a whole different ballgame! Longest bowhunting seasons in the West I believe, huge variety of animals to chase after. I called in a 386" bull elk for a buddy to 18 yards, and had aother mid 340" bull at 32 yards but my buddy setup on the wrong tree.
I got a pretty nice pronghorn with my compound, and there are guys shooting some really nice 190+") muleys. I havent seen any, thats my fault as I didnt scout nearly enough..
It is tough to hunt out here, and truth be told I really miss my family and stand hunting for whitetails back in beautiful Iowa.
Hard choice, ideally I could buy a hunting cabin/home on some land back in Iowa and still be able to hunt here in Montana. The mountains are just gorgeous, fantastic hunting opportunites and some of the best fly fishing in the world.
Good luck with your choice
QuoteOriginally posted by Biathlonman:
Kentucky. Great deer numbers with long liberal seasons, land that is still relatively affordable, booming elk herds, and an ever increasing bear population. Weather is also pretty decent most of the time, and the economy is the central part of the state has been fairly recession tolerant.
X2...Kentucky is the place to be for me!
I did see futurama a once. Funny. Any way, I sure like bow hunting in NJ.
May I ask what is wrong with IL? I know the area around Chicago is gone price crazy but what about further south? I know they used to turn out a real good deer heard in lower 1/3 of state. There used to be a couple National Forests that were good hunting also.
I'm going to vote for Maryland, the eastern shore specifically. Beautiful land, fairly flat, excellent whitetail herd, excellent waterfowl and small game habitat, and the Chesapeake bay and everything that amazing waterway has to offer. Deer seasons are long and you can take more deer with the basic license than anyone really needs to take.
If I had it to do over again, I'd look for the place I could buy the biggest chunk of land, with a decent climate.
Another vote for Kentucky...great hunting and my home state
Id have to vote for S.Dakota as a great all around choice especially if you factor great fishing. It has low population and HUGE chunks of land that arent ruined. Wyoming is nice if your game is elk,muleys,moose. Trout fishing is good also.
It would be hard for me to choose a state that did not have more than two or three big game species. Any of the rocky mountain states would do it for me. I do not like the short seasons and limited bag limits in WA, but love the variety of species. You can hunt Elk for 2 weeks, Whitetail, Muley, or Blacktail for a little more than a month in most places, Moose/bighorn sheep/mountain goat if you are very lucky, black bear, cougar, pheasant/quail/grouse/turkey/geese/ducks. The only thing we don't have is pigs and squirrels and antelope. No wolves or Grizzly to hunt either (though they are here in limited numbers).
Oh yeah, there is also 13 MILLION acres of public land open to hunting here too. Almost forgot that part lol.
Alaska is great I love it here. It is a great place to hunt. But there are very few advantages to bowhunting such as longer seasons. All of my hunting is done competing with the rifle hunters. Also like mentioned it takes more of an expedition to hunt here. There are a lot of hunting opportunities off of the road system but most of those get hunted pretty hard and very little of the state is accessible by road system. But the variety of game is good.
Thanks for the replies everyone! It's very appreciated!
As for why I am looking outside of Illinois, my soon to be ex-wife will be remaining there and I think I need a change in scenery.
what Whip said X2
Everything that was said above! Whatever you do, don't come to Texas! Texas is a terrible place to hunt, no one ever wants to come to Texas to hunt! :bigsmyl:
LD
Arizona is my pick after having visited every state in the US and hunting in 20+ and 6 provinces. AZ has it all--mountains to desert; and I believe more species of big game to hunt than any other state--no moose or mountain goat but everything else.
Oh yeah, winters in AZ on top of giant Midwest whitetails and September in the mountains. Yeah, that should do it. ;)
Lived in Iowa my whole life so some might find it crazy that I'd choose a different state. But, aside from white tail deer and turkey - we don't have much to hunt. Small game hunting is not great and the fishing is poor at best compared to a lot of states.
Most of our prime hunting land is leased up or at least very hard to get permission on. If you said 'own land' then maybe I'd look at Iowa again.
I absolutely love the Western landscape and the variety of animals to hunt. That would drive me outside of Iowa.
I would choose Colorado or Wyoming. I would consider South Dakota as well for the fishing in the off season!!
I've lived in Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky (in that order). I liked all those states (and this KY) but I wouldn't move back to any of them. Because I work from my home I can live anywhere I want (in the lower 48) EXCEPT, my wife of 37 years and I don't want to live much further than a stone's throw from at least one of our children and our grandchildren. So, I'm quite happy here in KY.
If the who tribe would go with me I'd pick Colorado and try to ignore the deteriorating politics there. Several species of big game, OTC tags for many and of course it is a beautiful place. My first job was three months "counting trees" in Colorado back in 1977.
Indiana, or Montana....
Right here in GA.....
Big Deer in parts, turkeys, grouse, bears, small game...and hogs YEAR ROUND!!!
Love it in ky... But I was born and raised here and God willing my children's grandchildren will say the same. There's a good amount of critters to hunt here. If you look at the zone map on ky game and fish you will see which counties are zone 1. Those counties have an unlimited bag on antleress deer, which is fun! I live close to mammoth cave national park and wouldn't live anywhere else in the nation! Good luck in your search!
Wyoming.
The grass always looks greener in another state except for Kentucky, where it is blue.
One of the magazines recently had an article listing the best cities to live if you like hunting, fishing, and the outdoors in general.
Might have been Field and Stream?
I can't remember for sure.
Rapid City topped their list.
Personally, I really don't mind spending winters in FL or TX, hunting hogs, and the rest of the year in the Midwest.
Thanks again, everyone! Lots to think about...
I love Michigan, but if I could afford to I'd sure as heck go somewhere else for the winter!
19 degrees in November sucks!
Most hunting I know of requires a modicum of expenditure, so you have to have a job or inherit the family fortune. For most folks, its the former, so you need to live in a good place to work as well as hunt. Last I checked, it was impossible to sit for the Hawaii bar exam and practice in HI unless you went to law school there.Also a VERY expensive place to live.
Wyoming for big and bigger big game-elk, antelope, mulies & whitetail.
If you never hunt anything larger than deer then South Carolina is not bad. I live in South Carolina and while the weather is hot in early season the deer season in some parts of the state runs from August 15th through January 1st. Wild hogs, turkeys and a few bear to be had as well.
Kentucky is a great state for big deer also and as noted above elk are thriving. I believe the Kentucky elk herd is now over ten thousand.
Take a look at Oregon. Lots of public land, mild climate, long hunting season and a good variety of game.
QuoteOriginally posted by mangonboat:
Most hunting I know of requires a modicum of expenditure, so you have to have a job or inherit the family fortune. For most folks, its the former, so you need to live in a good place to work as well as hunt. Last I checked, it was impossible to sit for the Hawaii bar exam and practice in HI unless you went to law school there.Also a VERY expensive place to live.
Not sure of where you heard that information, but you are be able to sit for any bar exam that you wish so long as you've graduated from an ABA-accredited law school. Having such a provision necessitating graduation from a same-state law school program would discriminate against interstate commerce and would therefore likely violate the dormant commerce clause (not sure if the Fed has spoken directly on this topic and too lazy to do the research lol).
But yes, it is expensive to live there but I don't need much in terms of worldly things. The biggest issue of Hawaii for my particular circumstances is that the legal market is not very developed compared to other states, meaning less opportunities.
You can go 300 miles south remain in the state of Illinois enjoy a rural lifestyle, reasonably priced property and long liberal seasons, Whitetail, Turkey and great waterfowl hunting if so inclined.
Do your research, I was born and raised is So. Illinois moved to Colorado 1979 spent the last 35 years there, retired at the end of June and relocated back to So. IL always was my plan, love it here we have a great a little farm that backs up to Natl. Forest.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Dang double post!
QuoteOriginally posted by Tater:
You can go 300 miles south remain in the state of Illinois enjoy a rural lifestyle, reasonably priced property and long liberal seasons, Whitetail, Turkey and great waterfowl hunting if so inclined.
Do your research, I was born and raised is So. Illinois moved to Colorado 1979 spent the last 35 years there, retired at the end of June and relocated back to So. IL always was my plan, love it here we have a great a little farm that backs up to Natl. Forest.
Good luck with whatever you decide!
Not sure if I'm ready to commit to living a rural lifestyle just yet. I guess I'm kind of a city slicker. I was raised in the Chicago area my whole life, but I also happen to love the outdoors. In that way, I really stand out as an oddity in my family: no one has any inclination towards participating in outdoor activities like myself.
Furthermore, I'm ethnically Korean, which makes me even more of an oddity, from both perspectives of hunters and non-hunters alike (especially in Illinois as there aren't many Asian hunters/outdoorsmen as far as I can tell). But I do agree that staying in Illinois has its advantages. Without going into too much detail about the divorce itself, I just think I need the fresh beginning and moving to another state has its perks.
Thank you for the well wishes!
If you are a city slicker, maybe the front range of Colorado would be up your alley.
I would say North Dakota except so much of it is privately owned. It is tough to find public land , except in the west.
You have a chance to draw permits for whitetail, mulies, turkeys, moose, elk and sheep. Admittedly, the last three are near impossible to get but it lets me dream about it every year.
Also great walleye fishing.
I like Colorado, but would miss the deer hunting in MN and ND.
Like Centaur (Pat) said if you like traffic,left wing liberals, urban sprawl and big cities move to the front range of Colorado, don't get me wrong I loved the years I spent there it is beautiful.
BUT it's not the same state I moved to in 1979!
QuoteOriginally posted by centaur:
If you are a city slicker, maybe the front range of Colorado would be up your alley.
I agree,
If you want to chase more than whitetails and turkeys.
I've always had the desire to move out west but if I did it would have to be an area with good whitetail hunting. I just don't see any species of big game taking over my love for whitetails. I live in Illinois. We still have some big deer here but gaining access to them has become very difficult. My largest chunk of private ground is about 20 acres of woods. The public areas around my home are absolutely overrun with hunters. I hunt as often as I can and I normally see around 30 deer per season. I imagine parts of Iowa are the same way. I went to college in Southern Illinois and while I'm sure things have changed there as well, I'd move back there in a heartbeat. Even if you cannot get permission to hunt private ground there are 250,000 acres of public ground. Big bucks are not common but they do exist and getting away from people is not too hard to do. I would also consider living in Kentucky if I could. Nice climate and good deer numbers. As a whitetail hunter I'd love to be in Iowa but it seems to me that it would be very difficult and perhaps expensive to gain access to good deer hunting. Steve O mentioned AZ and honestly I have never even considered that. My uncle lives out there. But then again if have to leave my whitetails.
Somewhere where I can buy over-the-counter elk tags and also hunt whitetails and that is "gun friendly" as well.
Merely a desirable dream:
The forum "The Hawaiian Connection" reveals numerous attractive exotic-type species and hogs as well as having a lengthy turkey season. The terrain, as a ground hunter, is personally attractive.
I feel quite fortunate, blessed and well pleased residing in my own area of KY, however Hawaii's varied beautiful game has me nibbling at the bait.
Hands down; British Columbia
sure its a province...not a state...and its Canada but you can hunt almost all big game species in North America except a few. Heck, you can hunt 3 species of sheep without a guide if you are a resident.
Vancouver is a beautiful big city...great fishing too...i could live just outside there or in Victoria in a heartbeat
I am pretty satisfied here in my home state of Georgia. Primarily, I hunt whitetails and sometimes hogs and turkeys, so I don't need to travel out of state to do it. If I moved to another state, the hunting opportunities would not be the reason. However, lack of hunting chances could keep me from going there. If however, I left Georgia, my choices would be Florida, Alabama, or Mississippi.
I am on the same page as whip. Some where in the midwest with liberal deer seasons and relatively close to places to hunt the western planes and mountains. also you would be relatively close to GA and SC for hogs. I am all for having options and relatively mild winters.
You sound pretty grounded and I would bet that your going to do very well. At your age you still have a number of chapters to go through. Most of these great recommendations come from people who live or get to visit those places a lot. I like the theme of going to a number of places..and let it unfold. I'm a SoCal guy but the Pacific Northwest brings an awful lot to the table...must be a reason there are so many bowyers there....best of luck, Tom.
One thing to take into account is climate. That's something you have to deal with daily. I like the hunting in Southern Il and Ky because I am mostly a deer hunter. But the summers can be brutal with humidity.
Not a day goes by I wouldn't rather be in Wyoming summertime. Also if looking out west you need to pick a region as much as a state. That seems to open up a lot more opportunity. I do favor Wyoming. But the winters are hard.
Like Jonny Horton said, "Way up North...North To Alaska!"
So far nobody has mentioned Oklahoma...hmm. Makes me wonder why I'm still here. Some good input here. Given your background, I'd give Colorado, Arizona and the west coast a good look! Hunting is great but there is more to life.
I spent my childhood years in Northern CA...it felt like we were a few miles away from everything! As a lawyer you should be able to own some land set aside for special trips. I'd recommend Texas or Kansas for that, land is still cheap and the game is plentiful!
I have invested most of my money and twenty five years of my life buying and developing my own little ranch in Texas. I love whitetail hunting and now I live in one of the highest whitetail population density areas of the nation. It is not uncommom to see in excess of twenty deer on every early season hunt. I can shoot deer without even getting out of my yard (no fun) and can get up twenty minutes before dawn and not be too late to hunt. I love it and this is my foundation. That being said, I love muley hunting in New Mexico, pheasant hunting in Iowa or Nebraska, and elk hunting in New Mexico or Colorado.
I think the ideal place for any hunter to live is where the animal you love most lives. That is where nearly all of your time will be spent as work and family will demand your presence. You can always plan vacation hunts to add some variety to the hunting menu.
Alaska. As long as I can live somewhere warm in the winter. Their winters are too long and too cold for me.
I would love to be a resident, to be able to hunt Dall sheep and Mountain Goat DIY. Not to mention caribou and moose.
Have spent tons of time in Alaska, but not my choice of a state to live in. Summers are very short and fall is even shorter unless you live in the far southeast...then it's a long ways to good moose and caribou.
Hawaii would be great. Sheep, goats, deer and pigs...often with no limits and year-around hunting. Fantastic fishing any day you want. Outside 365 and no snow. Stranded on an island would likely turn into a negative in time.
Arizona...now you're talking. AZ has it all from high mountains to desert sand. Snow and sweat...whatever you like. Gun friendly politics. Outstanding scenery and lifestyles...many cultures represented. Big game hunting most of us dream about. Just about every freshwater fish known to man. Hop the border to Utah, NM, NV or CO. Somebody pinch me!
x2 beendare- i live on the queen charlotte islands, BC.
9 month deer season- 15 tags, also got rooseveldt elk , and big blackies. i think we have one month a year where there is no hunting! world class fishing. love the island style!
mainland has everything else :) :)
I'm with Kevin, AZ would be amazing but something tells me if I were away from my whitetail for very long the grass would be greener on this side again.
Hmm with me its not all about hunting every day of the year I need a variety of things to do,,,, that's why I'm retiring in West Virginia or Maryland maybe NC.. I seen more deer when hunting these states than I ever did in my life anywhere and all within easy bow range I'm talking 14 deer under my stand at once,,, not huge bucks but I don't care about big bucks I want meat and skin not heads with horns.
property prices are very affordable, friendly people I blend well with, the laws are great, yeah without a doubt WV, MD and NC a close 3rd,,,, if I had to still work It would be the mid-west maybe Colorado but no work then I head south from Taxachusetts.
Kevin Dill,,, I'm pretty heavy into saltwater fly fishing and Hawaii is the best for fishing,, huge bonefish on the flats and even peacocks in Wilson lake, pig hunting in the hills.. Hawaii is an awesome place if we hit the lottery I promised the wife we'll buy a house there but for now its trips only.
I'd give up Iowa for a state with more and bigger game if i had the chance. Altiman94 posted some good reasons why. The deer herd is going fast as is the good places to hunt. Most of the big boys you see were taken on tied up lands. You want to try it i know a small acreage (10 acres) with a nice home for sale. Plant some trees and a food plot you might have a chance.
Just wanted to say thank you again to all that replied. It's been great to hear other peoples' insights!
Wyoming...
Another vote for Arizona, my gameplan is to retire there someday...
BTW, didn't Jack O'Conner reside in AZ?
Simplest question ever: Alaska
Farther north and west than Oklahoma but not CO.
Great thread guys and thank you OP for starting it. Sorry to hear about your divorce,even if amicable it's never easy. Prayers for you bro.
I appreciate the responses as I've been contemplating this myself. I have been blessed the last 3 years to have a friend with a 300 acre farm with about 60 acres of woods. He let my buddy and I hunt these grounds. Not a lot of deer but Indiana public land can get dicey. Anyway, the landowner has decided that the cost of soy bean and corn being what they are, the trees have to go so he can plant more.
So now I have to explore some other options. I work from home and travel for my job. I cover the Midwest and Northeast so I can live in any of those states. The wife hates winter and wants to move to the south, southeast or maybe the southwest. She'd definitely settle for Hawaii though lol.
I don't recall anyone mentioning Tennessee. I oiled think hunting opportunities there would be pretty decent. Anyone from Tennessee or have hunted Tennessee have any thoughts?
Freshly divorced.... city slicker type, with outdoor tendencies.... I'd have to say Denver Colorado would be worth checking out... Everything you could want in city life department,and right at the base of the mountains.... There is good hunting for snow bunnies at the ski resorts in winter time too.... Catch & release, bag limits are unlimited too.
Right where I am. Rural IOWA. Best whitetails in the country. Great fishing in my area. Not too far from other states with hunting and fishing opportunities. Far away from the coasts or big cities where populations are dense, and like minded folks are fewer and further between.
Kirkll - I thought the same thing about Denver after I went through a divorce in 97... Gorgeous state, and lived there about 2 years, but realize about Colorado, their bowseason is only about a month and half long where as back home we have a 4+ month bowseason...
Southern Il, Shawnee area! :thumbsup: