Want to buy some land up north

[nightowl1]

My dad is looking at buying some land. He has eyed the northwest for his whole life and has finally saved up enough to buy some land and go.

So i have a few questions for you guys... I know this has been asked before but I have read all of them. I have some specific areas of interest.

Northern Idaho, Northern Montana, and British Columbia. How do you pick?

Hunting, fishing, canoing, hiking, and the like are what he is after. You can run out of land to explore in Texas real quick.

If you buy land in Canada do you still have to have a guide to hunt there, definitly want to remain a US citizen.

I plan to move to Northern Id, Mt when i get out of nursing school. So I'm kind of using him as my scout as well.

[Blackhawk]

Moving to Canada as a U.S. citizen is going to be tougher than staying within the good ole USA.  If you're willing to do the paper work and can wait your turn, it's possible to become a landed immigrant and retain your citizenship.  Residents do not need a guide, even if a US citizen.

I love northern Idaho and Montana, but do not overlook the NE corner of Washington north of Spokane. It's not as crowded as our West side and has beautiful country with good hunting, fishing and hiking.  We have no state income tax...YET.

[pete p]

a friend bought some land in ontario, im talking several thousand acres for a rediculously cheap price compared to what we see in the states. he goes up and hunts whitetails every yr.  old farm house, some pasture and some big woods mixed in. he does not need a guide.  good move on the nursing school.  im a nurse and even in this bad economy i dont see a problem finding jobs.

[Steve H.]

It's mostly not necesssary to buy land "Up North" for hunting since there is SOOOOOO much public land\\ and for most people you can't buy enough to be significant since animals "Up North" tend to roam further than what most people can afford to buy.  Buying a chunk for a homestead might be a different story.

[nightowl1]

That is true but would probably put a small cabin on it and call it home for a while

[snag]

Are you ready for long cold snowy winters/spring? I see people head up north and are loving it until winter sets in. But the end of summer they don't want to go through another winter and sell and move. But if you can do it the north has a lot to offer in recreation all year roung.

[Jesse Peltan]

You might want to try Alaska. They have some remote spots that sell really cheap. Some only a couple hundred an acre if you buy bulk. They also have homesteading programs where you get a number of acres in an area that has pluming and electricity. All you have to do is build your house and make it your primary residence for however many years. In Alaska if you live there you can hunt any game animal without a tag(if I am not mistaken) just a licence. They also have oil money that you get for living there (around $1000-$1500 a year). If you are interested google it and you can find a lot of info.

[dragon rider]

Blackhawk has a great point; it doesn't get as much PR as MT and Idaho, but NE Washington has some beautiful country - used to run up there occassionally back when I lived in SE Washington.

That said, Snag has a very valid point.  Winter in Texas can get pretty nasty for a few days, but there's nothing in Texas like a true northern winter (I spent a winter at Fort Hood and have daughters living in Houston and in the Dallas area by way of credibility).  I'd give some serious thought to seeing if I could rent a place for a winter before I put my money into owning.  Move in in early October. If at the end of March you still love it, then buy.

[snag]

Good advice Dragon Rider.

[nightowl1]

Thanks guys have thought about that alot too. I'm definitly going to rent before i buy and my dad's job requires him to stay south in the winter so it would work out for him.

I just get tired of 100+ degree days for 3 or 4 months. Can only take off so many clothes

[ron w]

Try to pick a spot where the weather is mild enough for year round activities but close for a short commute to the mountains for the winter stuff, snowshoe,skiing ect......I envy you guys. Good luck and good hunting!!!

[Jason Jelinek]

I agree with Steve H. the animal density "up north" is much less than "down south".  40 acres will work great for people down south, whereas 160 acres is barely enough for whitetails up north (and some areas a section, 640 acres, barely is).  Mule deer and elk are spread out even thinner.

Ahhh winters.  You can always put more clothes on, but a month of sub-zero temperatures and constant black and white landscapes for 3-4 monts will wear on even the most hardy of folks.  To me it's worth it, others not.  I can't stand the heat, don't know if it's genetic or conditioned living here most of my life.

[snag]

Might look at the Okanagan Valley in B.C. It is kind of the "banana belt" with a lot of orchards.

[earl baugher]

I hate to do this to them, but the "banana belt" of Idaho is Lewiston, Id and they consider that northern Idaho...

[nightowl1]

alright what is a banana belt?

[Bjorn]

Whether you winter in Kelowna, Lewiston, or Kallispell, in winter it will be cold as Hell compared to Texas. 'Banana Belt' is a marketing term-nothing more. Google will help you gather data on average temps. etc. The Okanagan 'Banana Belt' offers some of the best snow skiing around!
(google 'big white'). Buyer beware.

[hunt it]

Most Canadian Provinces have special exemptions for non residents that own land in Province. In many cases this removes the "need guide" requirement. Vancouver Island in British Columbia has similar weather to washington state, snow falls once or twice per winter at best. Only few days each winter does temp drop below 32. Lots of bears,blacktails,cougars and elk on the island as well.

[SCATTERSHOT]

One thing to consider is the amount of public land in the West. You can get a lot more "bang for the buck" by buying a parcel that adjoins a national forest, or has good access.

Some places out here, you can drive to the city limits and go hunting, so don't rule out small towns.

Good luck!

P.S. I'd stay in the US. A lot less gun control hassles here, even though Canada is beautiful.