What would be wrong with northern New Mexico or AZ. Humidity gone, heat mostly gone, winters not so cold.
I'd have to look into Arizona, but NM is a no-go. Unfortunately I'd have to go back to school and get a degree in Surveying. I have a Bachelors from UT, but apparently that's not good enough to survey in the great state of New Mexico.
Side note: a guy I work with is originally from Greece. He has a couple of degrees from universities over there, one of them being a Surveying/Engineering degree. He had to take a Chemistry class or some BS so they'd allow him to take the New Mexico PLS exam.
Everyone in MT has highly transmittable venereal disease, is addicted to prescription pain pills, or both. Whatever stuff you own that doesn't blow away in the wind will get stolen by meth addicts. The school systems recently got around to buying books which recognize Hawaii as a state. Upon hearing your accent, locals will just assume you're a holdover from the oil patch and hate you even more.
I hear Wyoming doesn't have any of these problems.
Idaho is a number of different places. I can't say how the surveyor job market is in any of them, though. Southern ID is much drier and higher. Summer humidity can be as low as 10 to 15%. 90F is a lot more livable that way. Higher doesn't necessarily mean steeper, though. North ID has it's share of vertical stuff. Being drier means lots more sagebrush and more open country. In the south, mulies are more prevalent while the north has more whitetails. The ranges overlap considerably, though. Hunting in the south half gives lots of opportunity to sit and glass for miles. The north has much more timber and brush so hunting styles are different.
Much of the elk hunting in the south is by lottery while in much of the north tags are OTC. Exceptions abound. For draw hunts, ID has no point system so your odds of drawing are the same as everyone else's every year. However, if you don't draw, a little more driving will put you in an open deer or elk hunt somewhere every year. There's no reason to miss an elk or deer season because you didn't draw. We have open hunts with very good game populations so missing out on a draw doesn't reduce your odds of scoring.
βIn a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.β β George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
5-10mph doesn't bother me, that's what I consider a breeze. I'm talking about 20+mph constant winds like you get in some of the plains. We hunted southwestern NM several years ago and the wind about drove me nuts. Everything covered in dust, tarps blowing off, etc.
Yellow Pine, Idaho would be my choice. Jumping off place to Middle Fork, Salmon River Wilderness country. Need horse, will travel! (Across the counter elk and deer tags, last time I was there- a couple decades ago....) Or maybe Calder or Red Avery up in the St. Joe.. St Maries if you insist on civilization- only 60 miles from Spokane, and less (or more) into real country. Spent 2 summers USFS trail crew out of Calder Ranger Station, back in the late '60's. No doubt it's changed somewhat, but still...
Roughly 60 miles south of (Kellogg)??. Dunno if the FS trails are still there, ut they were, the whorehouses are long gone with the logging days. Also the smelters with mining days.
I am in NM and would not move here again. Blows almost everyday so if you don't like wind, not good. I have never heard you need a degree to be a PS here? I have friends that are and do not have degrees?
I am moving in 4-years when the last kid graduates somewhere north.
You sure are close to a lot if good hunting in Austin. I hunt in Burnet now. I have been working outside for 40 plus years. You don't like the heat, but you sure as hell wont like all that Ice-snow crap. I would study on that long and hard. Lots time lost to bad weather up north. Not so much down here. I drive right through Liberty Hiil on way to Burnet. We turn north on 281, turn left at last light, if you turn right it goes to Burnet high school. We are off county road 108. If you are sitting at that light looking to the northwest. The big hill a couple of miles is our lease. You can see into Lake Buchanon from our lease. We hunt on the Fry ranch. Half ass deer, lots turkeys, untold amounts of damn hogs.
Idaho might not be quite as high as CO (our highest peak is 12,600') but it's no pushover. I read an article by an outfitter who'd worked in every mountain state during a long career. He rated Idaho as the most rugged. It wasn't the altitude, it was the valleys. He said they tend to be deeper and steeper than what he found in the other mountain states.
βIn a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.β β George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
You sure are close to a lot if good hunting in Austin. I hunt in Burnet now. I have been working outside for 40 plus years. You don't like the heat, but you sure as hell wont like all that Ice-snow crap. I would study on that long and hard. Lots time lost to bad weather up north. Not so much down here. I drive right through Liberty Hiil on way to Burnet. We turn north on 281, turn left at last light, if you turn right it goes to Burnet high school. We are off county road 108. If you are sitting at that light looking to the northwest. The big hill a couple of miles is our lease. You can see into Lake Buchanon from our lease. We hunt on the Fry ranch. Half ass deer, lots turkeys, untold amounts of damn hogs.
Decent hunting, sure. As long as you have a lease or family/friends with a place.
I'm not sure if I'd hate the snow and ice, but I can GUARANTEE I hate, hate, hate this heat.
I was ready to make the move about 5 years ago, but we moved into a new house with a pool. The pool helps make the heat somewhat bearable, but that's only when you're in the pool. Hard to shoot, hunt, etc. in the pool.
My wife and I are contemplating a move too, but for opposite reasons. We live in Minnesota, and to be honest, the winter's are starting to be a grind. We're both in our mid 50's and starting to think about simplifying our lives a bit. Our 3 bedroom rambler is really more than we need at this point. Son's moved out, and our daughter is in college.
For me, the winters keep getting tougher, and quite honestly, I'm getting to the point where raking the leaves, and snowblowing really don't interest me as much as they used to.
Thinking of somewhere with a little milder winter, and there'd have to be public hunting opportunities with a good deer season available. It sucks to pull up roots, and move away from one's friends and family, but sometimes you just gotta do it.
We're really leaning toward the Boise area. Plan is for a trip up there early next week with the whole family to make sure everyone is on board. Then we just have to make it happen...
