Boast about your location.

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My FnG Game Unit is #23, and its the same borders as our Northwest Arctic Borough, and is larger in size than the state of Indiana.

I live where 6 Rivers meet the Chuk-chi Sea, The Kotzebue Sound and Kobuk Lake in between and a river delta between that and the village I live in.
Were surrounded by mountains and theres trees along the rivers, open Tundra all over.

In the borough, the population is almost 9,000 people total, 1/2 are under the age 12. Almost 4,000 live in the 'hub' , Kotzebue and the rest are spred among 10 other villages.

Imagine Indiana with 9,000 people total....

Federal Subsistence laws are very generous, State fnG laws are too.Theres a LOT of land here locked up in Parks, Monuments, Wildlife refuges and preserves, and are all very huntable.

We have no roads in and out of the region and no fences.

There are 235,000 Caribou in our local herd and people here are veryy pro Hunting and Gun.

The fishing is wide and varied.

Every one is armed.

Ak has extreamly awsome gun laws. Everything from conceled carry with out a permit to "Must sign" laws for CLEO to sign off for those who qualify for class 2 and 3 weapons.
 
I live in Michigan but my vote would be for either North or South Dakota, ideally right along the Missouri River. Deer (both whitetail and mule), turkey, pheasants, ducks, predators, etc are in abundance. The fishing is really good in the areas of the river that are dammed up. Bonus is the cost of living is a lot less than it is here.
Michigan is nice, but there are a lot of hunters (too many for my tastes) on public land. I will stick to driving to South Dakota to hunt my family land out there.
The people are super friendly and nice out there too.
 
Antipasto here. Illinois used to be the Mecca for whitetail deer hunting but has seriously declined over the last decade. Political game non-management, unnecessary antlerless late seasons, cwd, ehd, blue tongue, diseases ignored by the IDNR, phony phone in check ins, and caving to pressure from insurance companies to up the kill have caused a serious dip in quality deer herds.
On my land we have seen half the number of does and only two shooter bucks this year so far. We chose not to shoot does this year and maybe even next.
Used to boast about deer hunting in IL. Now, hope for a recovery.
My kudos to those who live in states where game departments are run by biologists and hunters rather than political appointees.
 
MN still has a lot of land left that's affordable. keep away from the major developed lakeshore and look for the river channels, and smaller lakes and land is still reasonable. I recently looked at a river lot which was 2.5 acres at $35k for the lot. in an area with the median income is roughly $40k, that's not too bad.

Outside of the metro area, the iron range, Duluth and Rochester, it's a very firearm friendly state.

In my location I'm 30 mins from over 500 fishable bodies of water, and there's something like 10,000 acres of public hunting land within 60 mins.

It's still a good-old-boy network out here however, there is lots and lots of private ag and wooded land that produces tons of hunting opportunities - you just gotta break into the group.
 
The problem for me and Minnesota is that the lakes are known as outdoor ice rinks this time of year. LOL! I'm too used to warmer climes. It drops to freezing and I go into hibernation. I guess that comes from a life lived in south Texas. Being a motorcyclist, I've always preferred the weather down here. I can dress for anything I've ever encountered down here, right down to the electric vest if need be. :D

I've always thought New Mexico would be the place for me, except for the lack of good duck hunting in most of the state. There are a few lakes, though. I remember reading 40 years ago that 51 percent of the state was public land and there were only 3 million souls in the whole state. There might be a few more people there, now, but it's hasn't grown THAT much. The politics suck there, but the gun laws are pretty lax. Open carry is legal, more'n I can say for Texas. :rolleyes:

But, I doubt New Mexico would be much of an improvement over Aridzona for the OP. LOL Of course, for me, driving to and hunting the Guadalupe mountains was doable, just had to buy an out of state license. No elk hunting there, they're real proud of the elk herd there. But, the mulie hunting is fantastic. Rough country and in my condition I have given it up. But, it was sure fun to go up there.
 
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MCgunner said:
The problem for me and Minnesota is that the lakes are known as outdoor ice rinks this time of year. LOL! I'm too used to warmer climes. It drops to freezing and I go into hibernation. I guess that comes from a life lived in south Texas.
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lol. I know what you mean. Had an exchange student a few years ago. the concept of a "ice house" was not what he expected. the concept of ice fishing totally confused him as well. The first time we drove out onto the lake he had a minor panic attack, and the "highways" and "street signs" from the ice house "towns" were the icing on the cake - so to speak.
 
The U.P. Is nice but cold. Bring your own money there ain't much work up there. A great many Yoopers have cut pulp or tended bar at some point in their lives.
 
North Texas/East Texas bass fishing is hard to beat. The weather takes some getting used to. The heat in the summer is too much for most people. I don't hunt, but I am told the non-canned deer hunting isn't bad if you don't mind smallish deer. You can buy a "trophy guaranteed" deer hunt if that is your thing. Pig hunting is very popular.
 
If you like to fish more than hunt, then Florida is for you. Hogs are plentiful but Fla. would probably be in the bottom 20% for deer hunting of all the states.
 
My "playground country" since 1972. It's some six miles from the red rock to the white triangle off to the left. My hunt camp is about halfway between. My house is about fifteen miles south.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11432&d=1078669635

From home to the Rio Grande by road is about seventeen miles.

So, mule deer, javelina, aoudad, doves, blue quail. Varminting for cougar, bobcat and coyote. Fishing for catfish, mostly when canoeing the river.
 
Art Eatman said:
My "playground country" since 1972. It's some six miles from the red rock to the white triangle off to the left. My hunt camp is about halfway between. My house is about fifteen miles south.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=11432&d=1078669635

From home to the Rio Grande by road is about seventeen miles.

So, mule deer, javelina, aoudad, doves, blue quail. Varminting for cougar, bobcat and coyote. Fishing for catfish, mostly when canoeing the river.
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You forgot the chili.
 
I hunt in Western Massachusetts as part of an NRA affiliated club. We have exclusive use of 800 acres of hardwood forest, some wetlands suitable for waterfowl hunting, a brand-new cabin (2 story, large wood stove/oven,sleeping quarters) 12 acre pond filled with fish. The owner is a great conservationist. Last year he cleared 3 approx. 2 acre plots which have been planted with food crops to attract deer. So far this year one member has taken a nice buck by using "traditional hunting secrets" getting on site early, waiting patiently, not making any noise, putting in lots of time, etc. We have about 10-12 members, it costs about $1000 per member per year. We are always looking for new members. This is a great way to introduce our kids into hunting/shooting, and we carefully make sure the other members are safety-conscious, and responsible. Also many of the members are not deer hunters, so the actual hunting pressure on any single game species is not that severe. There are also black bear, coyotes, turkey and other species on the property.
 
And Art's post should show you how diverse Texas is. It's a big state with lots of different biomes from coastal marshes to post oak woods to hill country/small mountains to piney woods to desert. Unfortunately, public hunting land is fairly scarce in all, but the piney woods. There are historical reasons for this I won't go in to, but it's not Alaska, put it that way. :D Alaska has always been my ideal, but for the cold, the remoteness, the skeeters, well, it has its down sides, too. Some find the down sides to Alaska unimportant to the freedom. Romantic notion that I never thought much about when I was younger or I might have made the move. Well, there were other reasons not to, just sayin', it's "No Country for Old men", though. :D
 
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Terlingua averages a tad over six inches of rain per year; Beaumont, almost six feet. :) Not a whole heckuva lot different, though, when looking at northernmost California as compared to down near the Mexican border. Or in Arizona, compare Yuma and Alpine.
 
I live in Juneau, Alaska running a 78 foot catamaran doing whale watches 6 months out of the year. Those summer months are the best for doing just about anything! Of course, my 65 hour work weeks put a dampener on the recreational side of summer :p

We hunt Blacktail deer and bear here. Ptarmigan, Grouse, Ducks too. I fish for Salmon, Halibut, and my personal favorites...cutthroat trout and dolly varden.

Lots of hiking, camping, trails, etc. to get lost in. Now if only i could find affordable ammo or at least reloading components!


...Not very affordable. I pay 2000 in rent each month :banghead:



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Southern Arizona. When I say Southern I mean within 10 miles of the Mexican border. Coues Whitetail, Mulies, Coyotes, Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Javalina, Dove and Quail are our most hunted animals. Have to drive hours for Elk and the draw isn't exactly what I'm used to.
 
Access to land is hard to get.

This area has a little bit of everything except quail. I grew up shooting quail in the 60's. You could go out on Saturday morning and have a limit out of 5 or 6 coveys by noon. Now You won't see 2 coveys in a month.

The biggest problem here is access to good hunting land. This is a retirement area and small acreage has been bought by outsiders. They will buy 5 acres and post 40. Larger tracks are leased to hunters from eastern Arkansas.

There is a lot (170,000 acres) of National forest land but the deer season is about half has long as private land seasons and the bag limits are reduced. Regulations prohibit use of ATVs except on designated roads so access to thousands of acres are only available by foot or horseback. This area is rough and steep. I'm sorry guys, but if I hike in 2 or 3 miles and someone rides through on a horse, I am afraid that they would walk out.

This area also has 2 large lakes with a buffer zone around them owned by the state. These are designated wildlife management areas and have the same regs as the NF.
 
I live in Arizona, and IMO we have the best of all options. We have excellent fishing, hunting, and our gun laws are as relaxed as it gets. We have large massive wilderness public lands also, places that rarely see a human foot print. Plus we have public lands that are so abundant and large, that you can literally get lost for life if you don't know your way around the roads. Get off the roads and get lost, and you'll likely never be found by anyone, ever.

GS
 
Arizona has one of the best elk herds in the country and has 2 species of deer, almost all of the state is public land and is accessible, has decent dove and quail hunting, excellent coyote, fox and bobcat hunting... Arizona has a lot to offer. I'm staying ;)
 
In the UP. Do you buy a tag for deer hunting? And how much?
Is the UP much different than the rest of MI.? Laws and attitudes about hunting? I was thinking its remoteness would be a benefit in that way.
 
In Arkansas we have long and liberal deer seasons -- you can take up to six. We have good turkey hunting, great squirrel and rabbit hunting, phenomenal duck and goose hunting, good bear hunting, and we also have elk.

All in all, not a bad state to settle in.
 
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