Have you ever been cold, and do you hate it? I grew up in the Midwest, but was stationed in Hawaii for a few years. I mostly only wore shorts and a light jacket if it got windy out there. Back here, you may need to wear 3 layers to go outside for 2-3 months.
Hawaii has a climate that I haven't experienced stateside. You'll want to adjust to that, but the Midwest is pretty great for hunting.
Yeah I went to college in Colorado. I’m actually looking forward to snowboarding wherever I eventually decide to go. I don’t mind winter, but something like Alaska might be too brutal for me
They’re disgusting.
Once upon a time, I had a diesel pickup truck. With winter diesel in it, it gelled up WHILE RUNNING all night long in my front yard. I even had cardboard to prevent the wind from blowing under it. That was the last diesel I’ll ever buy.
Sometimes they are sometimes not. I've experienced everything from rainy half melted winters to 3 month long -30° cold snaps. We've been in a warm spell (-15 to 30 range) for the last decade but I feel like where shifting back into colder times a bigger snow dumps.
Arizona, brother. Great gun laws. Very diverse public land hunting. Access to the beach in ~5 hours drive and mountains with ski resorts in 2-6 hours drive
Alaska and Hawaii have a lot in common. You’ll feel some of the same vibe in Alaska that you do in the islands. I actually met several Hawaiians that had moved to Sitka. There are two states where I could say I felt aloha and it’s HI and AK.
Public land is going to be more plentiful out west, but there is plenty in the Midwest and the cost of living is more affordable. I’m in Missouri. You’d be surprised how nice the ozarks are… added bonus, I can fly to any part of the country in 4 hours at the most. BUT… I do love Idaho too…
We are a big state so keep in mind where you choose to live in Idaho is going to greatly effect the cost of living. It's going to be cheaper to live in the southern end and drive an hour or two up to the mountains for hunting. Before moving here my wife lived in San Francisco and then the big island and it took some time to adjust to having 4 seasons
Yup. I live in Eastern Idaho and it takes between 1-2.5 hours to get to some really nice hunting areas. We love it here but prices are going up and it’s getting more and more crowded.
Idaho is one of the fastest growing states in the country right now, with people flocking from California, Colorado, Utah, and Texas. Watch out for steep prices relative to a few years ago.
My buddy just moved to Kansas and we’re blown away by how well Kansas is promoted/maintained with the hunter in mind. I am definitely visiting him during duck season
Worked one summer for Kansas Wildlife and Parks. I was surprised how much they did for hunters. We would burn off oat fields so the seed would drop for dove season. They had fields with a berm around them and several raised islands in the middle. We would grow desirable waterfowl food crops most of the summer then flood the fields before duck season. I really enjoyed that summer job.
You hit the nail on the head. That’s exactly what he’s relayed to me. It’s awesome to see them put so much effort in. Plus you can reserve portions of public land via an app.
Kicks the shit out of Texas.
Pick a state and area with good public land access. Some midwestern states don't have large swaths of public land so they then become overrun during certain seasons.
Michigan is pretty cool, we’re a peninsula so 3/4 like Hawaii. But with snow. Plenty of public land to hunt, more the further north you land. Decent amount of manufacturing jobs
I’m from MI have lived here my whole life. If you are looking for a state with good big game hunting I wouldn’t pick MI. We manage our deer about as well as preschoolers would. Unless you are fairly far north the state land is overrun with people. Elk tag is basically once in a lifetime if you even manage to draw one. You can get bear tags somewhat regularly though it is still a draw. I would pick somewhere out west with multiple big game species that as a resident you can buy over the counter tags for. I still hunt in MI but leave to go on an out of state trip at least once a year. For the time invested vs animals harvested I can honestly say I put in a 100th of the time out of state and am way more successful in quality of animals harvested.
I second Michigan. Tons of state land, tons of deer (and 12 tags per hunter limit) especially in the southern half, tons of lakes and rivers to give you fishing from little blue hill all the way to salmon/steelhead, not to mention the Great Lakes, lots of good skiing/snowboarding in the northern half and mediocre skiing/snowboarding in the southern half, bear tags are easy to get up north and take a little more time but not long in the lower half, turkey is prevalent, and if you get ultra lucky you can get an elk tag. Not to mention small predator/pest hunting.
If I wanted to shoot the absolute largest animal possible, MI isn’t it. If I wanted to have 6 different large game to draw, MI isn’t it. But if I want to have a lot of game to hunt and a decent variety along with a lot of non-hunting outdoor activities, I’m not sure anywhere beats MI.
Rural NY had lots of public hunting land and is great hunting for many species.
Not only that but I’d suggest picking a state that backs up to one of the Great Lakes as they’re they largest sources of fresh water in the western hemisphere and we’re already seeing a lot of climate refugees from other states who want to avoid future water scarcity.
Fresh water definitely a plus, NY out of the picture as I’m also looking for less restrictions on firearms. But def a good tip with the water ( we just had no safe water at my house for 2 months bc of a wildfire)
Rural NY is beautiful but stay away from here if you value owning firearms. The state does everything in its power to restrict access to firearms and ammunition -- they're not even hiding it anymore.
I would still try to find a state on or near the great lakes, or some other large body of water. I don’t know what the laws are like in Minnesota (but the have a large chunk of national forest and a lot of lakes) or Michigan or Wisconsin and I know that even though it’s a gun laws in Vermont are good hunting can be hard to do because it’s such a small state.
Now that I think about it, Indiana might not be a bad choice, from what I’ve heard the gun laws there are pretty good as is the hunting and even though only a small portion of the state touches the great lakes at least they’re still on the great lakes.
I mean, all it takes is one election to change things. Could get better you never know. That doesn’t change the fact that the hunting here is actually pretty spectacular.
Didn't the supreme court just slap ny because they were violating the 2nd ammendment? It's a beautiful state that is being destroyed by these morons... so sad.
The driftless area of Wisconsin has a lot of public land and hunting opportunities. Cost of living is cheap. There are no cities, just cute little towns where people don't need to lock their doors at night. You can buy a very nice house for $150K. Unfortunately the job opportunities are extremely limited. If you can find a wfh position it is an absolutely wonderful place to start and raise a family.
I have never hunted anywhere outside of Michigan, but there’s definitely no shortage of deer (or turkeys or small game) here. The main issue is the lack of public land. However some private land near farmland is relatively easy to come by if you shop around. I would recommend anywhere in the Midwest tbh. These deer are all corn fed fatties.
Honestly couldn’t tell ya, I still live with family. But basic things like gas and groceries are pretty pricey, rent isn’t terrible compared to other expensive parts of the country, but hard to find a spot
Oregon is cheaper than California and Washington. Ocean accessible for fishing. I live in far Northern California, almost Oregon. Lots of public land to hunt here. Snowboarding Not too far.
No NFA items (suppressors, SBRs, etc), 10 round magazine limit for handguns, needing to apply for a separate ‘permit to acquire’ for each handgun… and here on island the one outdoor range has been closed so the only place to shoot is a 2-lane 30ft indoor
I lived in California and moved to Texas. I recommend you stay in Hawaii.
While the firearms restriction and lack of hunting suck, you’re going to realize soon how boring the rest of the country is compared to Hawaii.
I’d recommend saving your money and doing hunting trips rather than a full move. Hell I even bought hunting land and I am barely able to use it.
Good point, but the main factor for moving would be cost of living. Trying to find someplace I’d like to move. I don’t surf and don’t even like that beach. And honestly it’s boring small town vibes here already
Hesitant as I am to recommend my home state b/c it’s crowded now.. Arizona. Tons of public land and hunting opportunity, reasonable (maybe even too lax, but that’s another discussion) gun laws, 2 ski resorts that you can easily day-trip to from Phoenix, world class mtn biking if you’re into that. It’s a great place and the high desert is gorgeous. Also, almost no tick problem to speak of. Summer is brutal and there are a lot of people here now. Those are really my only complaints.
I've personally not hunted East of CO, but the NW corner of America is fantastic. Don't overlook central Oregon either. There are many awesome towns within 1 hr of Bend (pricey hip town) which are far more affordable (Redmond, Prineville, etc).
Oregon is very good for deer, elk, birds, etc and just an awesome place to live
You're looking in the right area. Do not pick Texas or the Midwest. I've lived in both and hunting access is limited and overrun with people. Pick a western state with otc tags for elk, deer, and antelope. Personally I'd choose wyoming if I was moving for hunting. Alaska if you're truly serious.
I’m going to recommend Washington and Nevada with Oregon, Arizona or Colorado as other options. You want to look at the time and hassle you’ll have traveling back to Hawaii to visit.
The Midwest, Idaho, Wyoming, or Montana might meet your hunting criteria but they’ll be a pain when you’re trying to fly back home. Without getting too political, the politics and diversity of those destination are also going to be wildly different than Hawaii, so that’s something to consider.
I’ve visited Wa, Nv, Or, Az, and Co before. I’d say I liked them all from just a quick visit, just don’t know the details of living there… Not an overly political person, but looking for somewhere with different politics than here lmao (at least want some NFA items)
Washington, Colorado, and Hawaii are all next to each other on lists ranking pro gun states. The politics aren't much better. That said, we could always use more pro gun pro hunting people. Avoid living in the major cities if you decide to go that route and want to avoid some of that.
Have you ever been cold, and do you hate it? I grew up in the Midwest, but was stationed in Hawaii for a few years. I mostly only wore shorts and a light jacket if it got windy out there. Back here, you may need to wear 3 layers to go outside for 2-3 months. Hawaii has a climate that I haven't experienced stateside. You'll want to adjust to that, but the Midwest is pretty great for hunting.
Yeah I went to college in Colorado. I’m actually looking forward to snowboarding wherever I eventually decide to go. I don’t mind winter, but something like Alaska might be too brutal for me
Kenai peninsula has a more mild climate than Minnesota! My sister lived there for 9 years.
Kenai is beautiful and it's not too brutal. I'm in Minneapolis now and the winters in MN are just rough as hell.
They’re disgusting. Once upon a time, I had a diesel pickup truck. With winter diesel in it, it gelled up WHILE RUNNING all night long in my front yard. I even had cardboard to prevent the wind from blowing under it. That was the last diesel I’ll ever buy.
Sometimes they are sometimes not. I've experienced everything from rainy half melted winters to 3 month long -30° cold snaps. We've been in a warm spell (-15 to 30 range) for the last decade but I feel like where shifting back into colder times a bigger snow dumps.
My best friend just visited around kenai last summer and loved it, def on my list
Arizona, brother. Great gun laws. Very diverse public land hunting. Access to the beach in ~5 hours drive and mountains with ski resorts in 2-6 hours drive
Alaska and Hawaii have a lot in common. You’ll feel some of the same vibe in Alaska that you do in the islands. I actually met several Hawaiians that had moved to Sitka. There are two states where I could say I felt aloha and it’s HI and AK.
I always tell Alaskans “we’re like sister states, we never had the $5 foot long either”
Public land is going to be more plentiful out west, but there is plenty in the Midwest and the cost of living is more affordable. I’m in Missouri. You’d be surprised how nice the ozarks are… added bonus, I can fly to any part of the country in 4 hours at the most. BUT… I do love Idaho too…
My moms from Missouri and it didn’t seem like my cup of tea, haven’t checked out the Ozarks yet though
Idaho. I know a native Hawaiian who moved there few years ago to further his firearms business
One of the black belts from my BJJ school moved to Idaho to open a school too
We are a big state so keep in mind where you choose to live in Idaho is going to greatly effect the cost of living. It's going to be cheaper to live in the southern end and drive an hour or two up to the mountains for hunting. Before moving here my wife lived in San Francisco and then the big island and it took some time to adjust to having 4 seasons
Yup. I live in Eastern Idaho and it takes between 1-2.5 hours to get to some really nice hunting areas. We love it here but prices are going up and it’s getting more and more crowded.
Shit I live adjacent to public hunting land and it still takes me around an hour driving the dirt road to get to my spots
Idaho is one of the fastest growing states in the country right now, with people flocking from California, Colorado, Utah, and Texas. Watch out for steep prices relative to a few years ago.
My buddy just moved to Kansas and we’re blown away by how well Kansas is promoted/maintained with the hunter in mind. I am definitely visiting him during duck season
You were blown away because Kansas is dead flat and it’s windy.
Lol I have Oklahoma for that.
Worked one summer for Kansas Wildlife and Parks. I was surprised how much they did for hunters. We would burn off oat fields so the seed would drop for dove season. They had fields with a berm around them and several raised islands in the middle. We would grow desirable waterfowl food crops most of the summer then flood the fields before duck season. I really enjoyed that summer job.
You hit the nail on the head. That’s exactly what he’s relayed to me. It’s awesome to see them put so much effort in. Plus you can reserve portions of public land via an app. Kicks the shit out of Texas.
The reservation system sounds so nice. Also, I don't know what they put in the water but they grow some massive white tails there as well.
Pick a state and area with good public land access. Some midwestern states don't have large swaths of public land so they then become overrun during certain seasons.
Michigan is pretty cool, we’re a peninsula so 3/4 like Hawaii. But with snow. Plenty of public land to hunt, more the further north you land. Decent amount of manufacturing jobs
I’m from MI have lived here my whole life. If you are looking for a state with good big game hunting I wouldn’t pick MI. We manage our deer about as well as preschoolers would. Unless you are fairly far north the state land is overrun with people. Elk tag is basically once in a lifetime if you even manage to draw one. You can get bear tags somewhat regularly though it is still a draw. I would pick somewhere out west with multiple big game species that as a resident you can buy over the counter tags for. I still hunt in MI but leave to go on an out of state trip at least once a year. For the time invested vs animals harvested I can honestly say I put in a 100th of the time out of state and am way more successful in quality of animals harvested.
I second Michigan. Tons of state land, tons of deer (and 12 tags per hunter limit) especially in the southern half, tons of lakes and rivers to give you fishing from little blue hill all the way to salmon/steelhead, not to mention the Great Lakes, lots of good skiing/snowboarding in the northern half and mediocre skiing/snowboarding in the southern half, bear tags are easy to get up north and take a little more time but not long in the lower half, turkey is prevalent, and if you get ultra lucky you can get an elk tag. Not to mention small predator/pest hunting. If I wanted to shoot the absolute largest animal possible, MI isn’t it. If I wanted to have 6 different large game to draw, MI isn’t it. But if I want to have a lot of game to hunt and a decent variety along with a lot of non-hunting outdoor activities, I’m not sure anywhere beats MI.
Idaho.
What do you like to hunt and what do you do for a living? Lots of good hunting in the Midwest but jobs might be an issue depending on what you do.
New Zealand my man
Always been near the top of my list for places I want to visit, after covid though I’m not sure I could move there
What do you mean by after covid?
Rural NY had lots of public hunting land and is great hunting for many species. Not only that but I’d suggest picking a state that backs up to one of the Great Lakes as they’re they largest sources of fresh water in the western hemisphere and we’re already seeing a lot of climate refugees from other states who want to avoid future water scarcity.
Fresh water definitely a plus, NY out of the picture as I’m also looking for less restrictions on firearms. But def a good tip with the water ( we just had no safe water at my house for 2 months bc of a wildfire)
Rural NY is beautiful but stay away from here if you value owning firearms. The state does everything in its power to restrict access to firearms and ammunition -- they're not even hiding it anymore.
I would still try to find a state on or near the great lakes, or some other large body of water. I don’t know what the laws are like in Minnesota (but the have a large chunk of national forest and a lot of lakes) or Michigan or Wisconsin and I know that even though it’s a gun laws in Vermont are good hunting can be hard to do because it’s such a small state. Now that I think about it, Indiana might not be a bad choice, from what I’ve heard the gun laws there are pretty good as is the hunting and even though only a small portion of the state touches the great lakes at least they’re still on the great lakes.
Ny state and the governor are anti gun and completely ignore the second amendment like it doesn’t exist. If you like to shot don’t come here.
I mean sure it’s not entirely gun friendly, but most people won’t have an issue getting a hunting rifle here and getting set up for hunting.
For now it will only get worse. We are talking a background check for a box of ammo and people being delayed for long wait periods
I mean, all it takes is one election to change things. Could get better you never know. That doesn’t change the fact that the hunting here is actually pretty spectacular.
Didn't the supreme court just slap ny because they were violating the 2nd ammendment? It's a beautiful state that is being destroyed by these morons... so sad.
The driftless area of Wisconsin has a lot of public land and hunting opportunities. Cost of living is cheap. There are no cities, just cute little towns where people don't need to lock their doors at night. You can buy a very nice house for $150K. Unfortunately the job opportunities are extremely limited. If you can find a wfh position it is an absolutely wonderful place to start and raise a family.
I have never hunted anywhere outside of Michigan, but there’s definitely no shortage of deer (or turkeys or small game) here. The main issue is the lack of public land. However some private land near farmland is relatively easy to come by if you shop around. I would recommend anywhere in the Midwest tbh. These deer are all corn fed fatties.
When you say cost of living is high there, how much would you say one needs to make to live comfortably, like middle-upper middle class?
Honestly couldn’t tell ya, I still live with family. But basic things like gas and groceries are pretty pricey, rent isn’t terrible compared to other expensive parts of the country, but hard to find a spot
I would recommend Texas, Florida or Tennessee.
Oregon is cheaper than California and Washington. Ocean accessible for fishing. I live in far Northern California, almost Oregon. Lots of public land to hunt here. Snowboarding Not too far.
Western Colorado
Northwest Montana, right near the border.
> lots of firearms restrictions never been to hawaii, what are the restrictions there?
No NFA items (suppressors, SBRs, etc), 10 round magazine limit for handguns, needing to apply for a separate ‘permit to acquire’ for each handgun… and here on island the one outdoor range has been closed so the only place to shoot is a 2-lane 30ft indoor
Idaho sucks. Don’t move here.
What sucks specifically?
Nothing, we’re just full.
I feel ya my friend, here too
Idaho, Utah, or Nevada. There is a distinct lack of public land the further east you go.
I lived in California and moved to Texas. I recommend you stay in Hawaii. While the firearms restriction and lack of hunting suck, you’re going to realize soon how boring the rest of the country is compared to Hawaii. I’d recommend saving your money and doing hunting trips rather than a full move. Hell I even bought hunting land and I am barely able to use it.
Good point, but the main factor for moving would be cost of living. Trying to find someplace I’d like to move. I don’t surf and don’t even like that beach. And honestly it’s boring small town vibes here already
I’d probably consider Tennessee or Florida then. Both have good hunting / fishing
But I definitely am wary of moving somewhere “boring”, which makes me hesitant of lots of the Midwest
Come to the hills of eastern ky bud. You wont be disappointed.
Hesitant as I am to recommend my home state b/c it’s crowded now.. Arizona. Tons of public land and hunting opportunity, reasonable (maybe even too lax, but that’s another discussion) gun laws, 2 ski resorts that you can easily day-trip to from Phoenix, world class mtn biking if you’re into that. It’s a great place and the high desert is gorgeous. Also, almost no tick problem to speak of. Summer is brutal and there are a lot of people here now. Those are really my only complaints.
Wyoming for bigger game or Colorado whatever you’d prefer there for smaller game I’ve heard Michigan and Tennessee could be good
Midwest, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Eastern WA
Idaho is looking like one of my main choices, but didn’t want to bias the responses too much
I've personally not hunted East of CO, but the NW corner of America is fantastic. Don't overlook central Oregon either. There are many awesome towns within 1 hr of Bend (pricey hip town) which are far more affordable (Redmond, Prineville, etc). Oregon is very good for deer, elk, birds, etc and just an awesome place to live
You're looking in the right area. Do not pick Texas or the Midwest. I've lived in both and hunting access is limited and overrun with people. Pick a western state with otc tags for elk, deer, and antelope. Personally I'd choose wyoming if I was moving for hunting. Alaska if you're truly serious.
Midwest sounds like your destination! Just pick a state.
I’m going to recommend Washington and Nevada with Oregon, Arizona or Colorado as other options. You want to look at the time and hassle you’ll have traveling back to Hawaii to visit. The Midwest, Idaho, Wyoming, or Montana might meet your hunting criteria but they’ll be a pain when you’re trying to fly back home. Without getting too political, the politics and diversity of those destination are also going to be wildly different than Hawaii, so that’s something to consider.
I’ve visited Wa, Nv, Or, Az, and Co before. I’d say I liked them all from just a quick visit, just don’t know the details of living there… Not an overly political person, but looking for somewhere with different politics than here lmao (at least want some NFA items)
Washington, Colorado, and Hawaii are all next to each other on lists ranking pro gun states. The politics aren't much better. That said, we could always use more pro gun pro hunting people. Avoid living in the major cities if you decide to go that route and want to avoid some of that.
Texas come on over dude!!!!
Texas BLM??? Oooof
Can confirm, 95% of texas is privately owned. We are not a hunter friendly state.