Living and hunting in the west?

[snag]

Oregon is fast becoming less "bowhunter friendly". They upped the tag fees again. The units are slowly becoming draws instead of otc tags. There is less and less animals due to different factors like predation (cougars went from 800 to over 5,000 since the good citizens voted no hunting them with dogs!). High state income taxes. High unemployment.
If you want the sun then central Oregon is the place. You'll see the sun around 300 days a year. But it takes until April/May to see the temps up over freezing regularly. Short summers.
I would definitely take a look at SW Colorado! Lots of animals, beautiful country.

[Northwest_Bowhunter]

I will also have to agree with Styder, the weather is nicer in the south-central part of the state though they do get much more snow then we do on the coast.  it isn't so far that you couldn't come out here for Roosevelt's or Black-tail but you also have a lot of Mulies and some white-tails we don't have on the western side.  With the exception of hogs and bison you can hunt nearly anything here you can in most states.

I have never had the chance to spend anytime on Colorado but everything I have seen on film makes me want to go there.

[B/W lvr]

If you don't like long wet crummy winters scratch oregon and washington. Also scratch them due to all of eastern oregon and a lot of wa are draw and preference points only. These are the 2 I've lived in for the last 35 years and believe me they are nothing to brag about. Frank

[durp]

if she's looking for sun you best scratch north idaho off the list too...yesterday was the first 60 degree day since last fall...always cloudy...

someone mentioned wolves...yes we have a season on them this year but our elk seasons are going down hill fast...bulls only during bow season this year in some areas that up till last year were either sex the whole season.

and to top it off my wife is like yours and headed to maui today!!!

[snakebit40]

I live in Northwest Kansas and love it here. We are getting more and more WIHA (Walk in hunting area). Everything for archery is over the counter also. The winters are not very long at all. usually get our first snow in November and starts getting above 32 at the end of Feb or beginning of March. Some years are worse than others on both sides (stays cold longer or not as much snow). The part I REALLY don't like is the summers. By June its hitting 100 and stays within 10 degrees either way till Sep. We also don't get a lot of rain here. We've had years where we've had less than 20 inches of precipitation in a year. Another option is central and Eastern KS. They don't have the muleys but it does rain a lot more. Let me know if you have any questions.

[bayhunter]

I love the weather in california but i have no idea how the hunting is, i hope to find out soon  :D

[AZ_Shooter]

In AZ for bowhunting deer there a few areas up on the Kaibab that you have to draw for, but for the remaining areas the tags are OTC.  Now elk, turkey and javelina tags are all draw, but you can hunt all the furbearing animals along with dove with an OTC.

I think AZ is a great place to hunt for bowhunters.

[Hud]

You might want to consider what the economy is like in your move. WA, NV, Tx, Wyo have no income taxes. The economies of ND, SD, are better than most because of the oil drilling. WA, OR, CA, AZ, NV have terrible housing markets. WA, OR, CA are having severe budget problems and education relies heavily on state funding.

I know WA & OR have or are raising hunting & Lic. fees for everything. If they aren't taxing it, it must be dead. I think hunting opportunities are good for Traditional hunters in OR, WA, Id, Co.  

If rain doesn't bother you, western OR & WA get it. We set a record in April. The weather forecast for the mountains is more snow next week. There is lots of snow in the mountains, and California is over their drought for the first time in years.

A recent article in the Oregonian, said the town of Hermiston has the greatest population gain among school age kids. Some areas are loosing population and closing schools, not so in Hermiston, OR.

[Joseph]

In Montana you get 6 weeks of bow season and 6 weeks of rifle season that you can hunt with your bow.  Archery antelope starts August 15th and you can hunt from then until the weekend after Thanksgiving for something.  I think about 60% of the state is public land.  As far as teaching jobs I don't know the availability of those.  As far as sun goes that just depends on where in the state you are.  Sheep, Moose, and Goat are draw tags.  Archery antelope is a garunteed draw.  Black bear, mountain lion, deer, elk, turkeys, upland birds are OTC and we are going to have a wolf season again this fall!

[Workaholic1]

i would have to agree with Snakebit.  Kansas might be a viable option. Over the counter permits for residents, somewhat short winters, not a whole lot of snow as long as you stay away from the northeast corner.  they opened up elk to the whole state recently, but i haven't seen any down here in south central Kansas yet.  Hogs aren't legal to hunt here, but, a 2-3 day round trip to Oklahoma takes care of that issue.  antelope if you live in the western part of the state.  Down here where I am, plenty of whitetail, birds (pheasant, prarie chicken, dove), and turkey (not to mention the cottontails and squirrel).  within a 30-45 minute drive of wichita you can be on public or private land hunting for most of what i listed, except quail (they're kinda scarce down here).  An hour to hour and a half drive east/northeast covers the quail issue, too.  If you're wanting antelope within an easy drive, i suggest doing the research and looking at the maps to see where it's open (basically the western third of the state).  Summers hit the 80-100* mark with lows in the 70-80* area usually, some years rain is plentiful, others, not so much. Plenty of state lakes and private ponds for fishing, too, if you wanted. I'll be happy to give you what info I can, just let me know.

-rich

[PaddyMac]

snag, yeah, I know.       Oregon isn't like it was 25 years ago, but it's still better elk hunting than Washington. You get a whole month and can shoot any elk in most units and can hunt both sides of the mountains. That's still pretty cool. Plus, there's that token trad-only  week in Canyon Creek.

As for Idaho and the wolves. That's a problem, for sure. It's amazing what's happened just in the last 10 years, but even so, Idaho's herds are still stronger than Washington.

In short, my friends, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence!    

[maineac]

Thank you, some great information, and as always here, honest.  Thanks

[bowslinger]

One suggestion is to look at Rapid City, South Dakota.  Out here on the plains, it is called the Banana Belt because it tends to be warmer in winter than surrounding areas.  There are a lot of hunting and fishing opportunities around Rapid City, and it is within a long day's drive of Yellowstone National Park.

Pheasant hunting is legendary in central South Dakota, and you are only a few hours drive from Nebraska, North Dakota and eastern Wyoming for additional outdoor opportunities.

[slivrslingr]

I've had to good fortune to live all over the western US and in several different countries, Oregon is where I call home.  Yes, there some issues living there as with anywhere.  The tax man gets you no matter where you live so it's a moot point.  It's the only place that I can think of where you ski Sat morning, go wine tasting Sat afternoon with the Mrs., then drive to the coast to fish for salmon then have breakfast at the beach Sun morning and go hunt elk and deer Sun afternoon.  Once you're a resident you can buy a Sports Pac license which allows you to hunt everything but sheep, goats and antelope which are draw only, all for less than $200.  It also includes your fishing permits.  If nothing else, you've got a great excuse for a roadtrip!

[jhg]

Originally posted by maineac:
... tired of the long winters and gloomy springs of Maine...
...My issue is I have become used to having lots of land to roam and hunt right out my back door...  

I grew up in Maine hunting all my life there then came out West 19 years ago and have never looked back.
 Had the same questions about hunting and, yes, its different- you adjust. You will never regret it as long as you remember Maine is a special place and no place can ever replace it, but some places have charms of their own and its a lot of fun learning about those too and its an adventure worth having, hunting wise and otherwise.


Joshua

[Fisher Cat]

Well said.

[Soilarch]

How 'bout Midwest instead of West? haha


We've got a saying around here.  "If you don't like the weather in Southern Illinois, wait till tomorrow."  

Winters hover around teens for several weeks, Springs will have you cursing the rain, Summer (the humidity) will have wondering if it's possible to melt, and fall...well, fall's perfect.

Don't come to Illinois though, our State is broke and we can't seem to keep our Governors out of jail.  

[scedvm]

I grew up in SW Colorado and now reside in central NM.  SW Colorado has nearly unlimited outdoor activities and I preferred living there to NM but the hunting is crowded.  The elk hunting in NM is excellent and the draw is not as bad as many people like to make it.  Javelina and mule deer are fairly easy draws and the hunting is good for them also.

[Bear Heart]

I would go for Idaho.  Good hunting and even the big city of Boise has a smaller town feel to it.

[Bear Heart]

As for the wolves Idaho and Montana are having a limited season this year.