Best State to have a Hunting Retreat as a NR

[Ozzy]

Howdy,

This is still years away, but one day I am going to buy a lot and build a mountain retreat out West. I want it to be used by all of my family, so it won't be strictly for hunting. It'll need water/power (not off the grid), but be remote. That being said, I want it to be in a state with NR friendly elk and deer hunting. Fly fishing nearby would be nice too. I'm thinking parts of Idaho, Montana, and Colorado check all the boxes. My only worry is the amount of people swarming Colorado eventually ruining the backcountry experience when I'm hunting. So I'm leaning towards the other two. Thoughts from people who do a lot of NR hunting or have a similar situation?

Thanks in advance

 

[Addicting]

Reach out to Southernelk in a PM. He is can probably show you some really nice places in MT that fit your requirements.

 

[Mica Man]

Montana and Colorado sound like solid options.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Definitely Idaho.

 

[jlong17]

Definitely not California.

 

[antlerradar]

Montana would have been good in the past few years but you may want to rethink Montana as it looks like a Combo licence is no longer a given.

 

[Rancho Loco]

Seriously, anyone else catching the irony of someone wondering where to move that hasn't been ruined by people moving there?

 

[belshawelk]

Not Oregon

 

[rmyoung1]

Seriously, anyone else catching the irony of someone wondering where to move that hasn't been ruined by people moving there?

That’s the story of the West. Dude ranchers, outfitters, fishing guides etc all market a wilderness solitude experience to people who are free to fall in love with it, move in and ruin it. The Rocky Mountain West has always had that tension.

 

[Ozzy]

Seriously, anyone else catching the irony of someone wondering where to move that hasn't been ruined by people moving there?

Seriously, anyone else catching the irony of someone wondering where to move that hasn't been ruined by people moving there?

I see what you're saying. But I'm talking about people who would ruin the outdoors experience. I love seeing other hunters in the field. I keep hearing new stories of guys hunting Colorado and running into nudists, dope smokers, etc. That's different than seeing another bow hunter.

 

[Ozzy]

That’s the story of the West. Dude ranchers, outfitters, fishing guides etc all market a wilderness solitude experience to people who are free to fall in love with it, move in and ruin it. The Rocky Mountain West has always had that tension.

I think you're being a little harsh assuming I'm going to ruin someplace just by moving there to recreate. I leave every hike I do packing out all the trash I find. Have you hunted a Western state as a NR? Is every NR hunter who goes somewhere ruining that place? I fell in love with the West in NM while on my first elk hunt. It led me to read about conservation and the history of North American game. I ended up joining RMEF and BHA because of that trip. I'm sure some guys on here do way more for conservation than I do, but I assure you I am not ruining public lands.

 

[TheJason]

I think you're being a little harsh assuming I'm going to ruin someplace just by moving there to recreate. I leave every hike I do packing out all the trash I find. Have you hunted a Western state as a NR? Is every NR hunter who goes somewhere ruining that place? I fell in love with the West in NM while on my first elk hunt. It led me to read about conservation and the history of North American game. I ended up joining RMEF and BHA because of that trip. I'm sure some guys on here do way more for conservation than I do, but I assure you I am not ruining public lands.

I think you're taking this in an overly personal fashion. The irony IS real. I've hunted the west as a resident and a non-resident. I've seen places ruined, and I've helped ruin places by increased recreational use. It is what it is. From a standpoint of additional strain on a resource, decreased solitude, increased impacts on the locals (traffic, road maintenance, etc), it's pretty hard to enjoy the outdoors without having an effect on something or someone. Thank you for your involvement in RMEF and BHA. Resource use presents an interesting conundrum, and we should all be honest about it.

 

[rmyoung1]

I think you're being a little harsh assuming I'm going to ruin someplace just by moving there to recreate. I leave every hike I do packing out all the trash I find. Have you hunted a Western state as a NR? Is every NR hunter who goes somewhere ruining that place? I fell in love with the West in NM while on my first elk hunt. It led me to read about conservation and the history of North American game. I ended up joining RMEF and BHA because of that trip. I'm sure some guys on here do way more for conservation than I do, but I assure you I am not ruining public lands.

Oh, yeah, I am not saying anything personal against you at all. I apologize that it came across that way. I’m merely saying that this contradiction is a reality in the American West. I’m just like everyone else. I love it out there. Grew up in Yellowstone and would love to turn a secluded 20 acres bordering the A-B wilderness into my personal hunting cabin retreat. But, of course, I wouldn’t want the other guy to do it. That tenuous balance between loving it and ruining it is something every govt agency with land management authority and every wilderness-loving individual wrestles with.

 

[Ozzy]

Oh, yeah, I am not saying anything personal against you at all. I apologize that it came across that way. I’m merely saying that this contradiction is a reality in the American West. I’m just like everyone else. I love it out there. Grew up in Yellowstone and would love to turn a secluded 20 acres bordering the A-B wilderness into my personal hunting cabin retreat. But, of course, I wouldn’t want the other guy to do it. That tenuous balance between loving it and ruining it is something every govt agency with land management authority and every wilderness-loving individual wrestles with.

Fair point. Sorry if I came off as butthurt!

 

[Ozzy]

I think you're taking this in an overly personal fashion. The irony IS real. I've hunted the west as a resident and a non-resident. I've seen places ruined, and I've helped ruin places by increased recreational use. It is what it is. From a standpoint of additional strain on a resource, decreased solitude, increased impacts on the locals (traffic, road maintenance, etc), it's pretty hard to enjoy the outdoors without having an effect on something or someone. Thank you for your involvement in RMEF and BHA. Resource use presents an interesting conundrum, and we should all be honest about it.

My apologies for coming off as offended. I agree with everything you said. Especially about honesty. Every organism has a footprint on this Earth, especially us. How do we love something, but not love it to death?

 

[rmyoung1]

Fair point. Sorry if I came off as butthurt!

No sweat. I didn’t wordsmith my initial comment very well. More of a retort than a constructive comment. That’s on me.

 

[LopeHunter]

Colorado has better infrastructure if you want to get somewhere fast such as a hospital. The older you get, the more you notice a hospital when you pass one. You might need that hospital for something other than a twisted ankle.

I trust Montana more for providing non-residents a way to hunt elk and deer just about every year. The economy has been on a ten year recovery/boom. That will end. Demand for $1000 elk tags will trail off so should be able to draw every year in MT here soon. Also, big game hunters are diminishing as a group so will be less demand no matter what the economy is doing. If the herds of elk and deer are kept steady, should be easier to draw or buy a tag out west for deer and elk.

 

[ccc23454]

Idaho, unless you considered California then just move to Colorado.

 

[ErictheRed]

Alaska or SE Idaho. Central Montana is in 3rd place.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

You probably also should consider ease of access if you want your family to actually want to go there, hub airports versus only having rural airports. If you want to be on city water/power that really limits you...