Best state to hunt multiple game animals

T.R. said:

I grew up in Powell, Wyoming. Good mule deer and elk hunting can be found within the western facing foothills of the Bighorn Mts. Plenty of antelope in nearly all parts of the state. We moved to Rapid City, South Dakota in 1994 when I retired from USAF. Truly terrific deer hunting within the Black Hills if you can be drawn for a good unit. Plenty of antelope along the Wyoming and Montana border. For elk hunting, I always return to the nearby Bear Lodge Mts. of Wyoming. South Dakota is also famous for pheasant, prairie dogs, and waterfowl. For the most part, South Dakota offers better selection of medical clinics and doctors. We moved again to Pennsylvania in 2005 because I landed a most excellent salaried job. Then retired to the Gulf Coast of Florida in 2017. I continue to hunt in Wyoming and South Dakota plus Alabama and Georgia. You don't have to live there to hunt there.

Hoping this is helpful.
TR

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Got family not too far from rapid city.

DM~ said:

Depends on where you live in Alaska, not all parts of Alaska have long serious cold winters...

DM

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Yeah. My dad lived in southern Alaska and said the winters were actually pretty mild thanks to a warm ocean current. Not all that different than NY winters.

I looked up the range of every type of North American game I’d be interested in hunting and Western Montana was the answer.

Everything but wild pigs.

daniel craig said:

NY ain’t too bad. Deer, waterfowl, varmint, Turkey, bear...

We don’t have hogs though.

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You don’t want them.

All our hunts here in New Mexico are lottery for residents, but we have Deer, Elk, Antelope, Oryx, Ibex, Barbary Sheep, BigHorn Sheep, Black Bear, Javelina, Wild Hogs, lots of birds, etc.

Upstate NY is beautiful. I used to live in Orange County and you can’t count all of the deer that migrate to Bear Mountain State Park during deer season.

Extreme taxes and insane liberal government convinced me to move to Florida where I can buy a handgun and not feel like a criminal.

jmorris said:

You don’t want them.

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No. No we do not.

If I weren't a farmer that's farm is in Ohio I would love to be a resident of Montana. That state has it all a good variety of large game in the west with grouse mixed in wolves to hunt with cheap tags. Waterfowl hunting is good across the state. Then if upland hunting is an interest go to the eastern part of the state for pheasants. Not to mention the pronghorn in the east as well. A beautiful place but long winters.

nick22 said:

If I weren't a farmer that's farm is in Ohio I would love to be a resident of Montana. That state has it all a good variety of large game in the west with grouse mixed in wolves to hunt with cheap tags. Waterfowl hunting is good across the state. Then if upland hunting is an interest go to the eastern part of the state for pheasants. Not to mention the pronghorn in the east as well. A beautiful place but long COLD winters.

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Fixed that for you..................as someone who spent two winters next door in ND, I know how cold that area can get.

Weather beater

Rubone said:

All our hunts here in New Mexico are lottery for residents, but we have Deer, Elk, Antelope, Oryx, Ibex, Barbary Sheep, BigHorn Sheep, Black Bear, Javelina, Wild Hogs, lots of birds, etc.

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I'll second that, not sure about the hogs (lots in neighboring TX and OK), but three kinds of deer in addition to what you mentioned, two kinds of turkey, several kinds of quail, and grouse. The big game hunting has been amazing, moved here twelve years ago and have successfully hunted elk (another last Tuesday ), oryx, barbary sheep, and pronghorn on overnight trips from Albuquerque. Very easy to get to hunting areas, unlike say Alaska where it's often a flight or boat ride away. Much better climate than other areas mentioned, I once posted a photo of a barbary sheep I got in Feb. on a forum and someone asked where you get that kind of weather in Feb. Although hunts are lottery for residents if you're willing to pay you can always buy a private land elk tag for as little as a couple thousand, more for oryx. Fantastic pheasant hunting in Kansas a 7 hour drive away. The San Juan river is one of the world's great trout rivers, as a tailwater it is good every day unlike rivers I've fished in Montana where everything has to line up just right for good fishing. Unlike neighboring AZ there are a lot of other good trout streams. And a good gun state, wonderful Albuquerque city gun range, now with a 1,000 yard range, the NRA Whittington Center in Raton and half the state is either BLM or National Forest land open to shooting. Last year NM was the #1 state for retiree relocation, more than FL or AZ.