Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire not sure how to ask....

but I really need some "help". I HAVE to go on a walkabout/hiatus/sabbatical. I had planned on an extended holiday anyway, but things are just way too extreme for me here. Going through a messed up separation, got laid off from a 14 yr job, and am not sure what I want to do.
I am going to have everything, 2 trucks, house, 5th wheel, etc., paid off at the end of Feb. Giving house to StbX(Soon to be EX), she can sell/keep whatever. She has a truck and car, paid in full as well.
Anyway, my thinking is this....
I would like to head south first part of March,(too damn cold up here) and find a "few" places that I could "squat" for a week or more. Preferably the latter, where I would be out of the way, able to shoot, reload, and wonder around the country side and ponder on what I am going to do for the rest of my life. This will also (I hope) help me loose the 40 extra lbs I added since last Oct!
I have most of the backpacking gear I would need for hiking as well. And what I don't have, will be easy to add as I go.
If a few of you have a small corner of land that I could borrow, here and there, (or suggestions where I could find such land), I am willing to pay for the use - either with cash or labour. I am looking mostly at the western states for now.
And if anyone thinks I am doing the wrong thing, please don't be shy - I am a big boy - just a little messed up right now.
If anyone knows the laws concerning doing something like this, please chime in. I have to get a couple of non-res hunting licenses anyway, as I am on the Texas Hog Hunt and the Wyoming, Colorado, Montana Rendezvous. I am also going to hit some of the nice parks, but as I stated, would kind of like to be apart from all the hustle and bustle of crowds and all that goes with them.
I just went over this post, and it may seem a little convoluted, but that is how I feel right now. I hope it makes sense to you all.

Thank you for you input/advise/abuse;) etc....
Little Lost LeRoy

Can't help you out on the "down south" thing, pard, but wishing you the best.

dude there ain't nada like gettin some free space to reconnect with yourself.


your plan sounds fine to me.


i'd take the break, hike the Appy Trail or something else, live outa the back of your truck, take odd jobs whatever until you have a clear head and direction.


sounds like a freakin blast to me

God Bless and good wishes from here in Oregon.

Sorry for your tough spot.

BMT

I drove outta Fbx and went to whore shoein' school. Took alla the wrinkles out.

ironed you out right nice too!


how much better can life get than "no particular place to go"?

Things just become sooo simple!

Head for someplace like Elk City or Elk River in Idaho, put up a sign @ the post office or local store & ask for handyman work / room & board whatever. The locals will empathize..... & some of the outfitters will be starting to do some busy work to get ready for next season in March & April. Warmer in Lewiston, Id.
MC

Lots of places in national forrests you don't have to pay. No power or water though.

I'd start south and follow turkey season. In fact I'd go to Alabama turkey hunting and crappie fishing.

Hook-up the 5th wheel and go. Oregon isn't very far south, but there is lots of public land you can camp on for free.

Find a spot in the desert outside of Zion National park in Utah or anywhere further south. Weather will be outright balmy to you, 3/4 or more will be public land, and you can work our whatever you need to work out for free, not counting ammo and targets. With very few exceptions, all "National forest" and "BLM" government land is open for camping purposes. In popular areas, you just have to move your outfit every 14 days, IIRC. All the best, Dutch.

LeRoy:

Ford 250, camper shell and a dog for company. Thought about that kind of life many a time.

It would work for me, if it came to such a turn. Hope it works for you.

- Tom

Minnesota DNR has a scattering of "Forest Management Units" where you can park yourself and your camper for up to nine [IIRC] days at no cost. They are generally adjacent to large tracts (large for Minnesota anyway) of state forest land.

If you're in the Houston or Winona county areas of MN, look me up. It'll be worth at least a hot meal and a couple drinks, and maybe a secret fishing hole or hunting spot.

LeRoy;

I'd look HARD at the Adirondacks for that.

Except for the shooting part, I'd think about starting at South Padre until the spring breakers arrive. Or even after. Some of them could take your mind off a divorce.

You folks are the greatest! I really appreciate all the leads. I wonder how long it would take for them to find this middle aged illegal immigrant;)
Maybe I could write a book about my travels, and all the cool people I meet!
Now I gotta go, seems to be a leak.....

THANK Y'ALL!

pm's are good too, got one real nice one, if you like.

Leroy, as far as I know, you'll be breaking no laws for the first six months, and nobody on this side will care if you stay longer. Working for pay would be the only thing that would get someone's interest. FWIW, Dutch.

Leroy:

If you're looking to leave in the next month, then you'll want some place further south and warmer than the souhtern Utah deserts. Don't get me wrong, there's some beautiful country there but as anyone knows whose spent time in the desert in winter, it's not the day time heat you have to worry about but it's the night time cold that chills you to the bone. If you go in February, I suggest you take a look at Big Bend National Park and Big Bend State Park in Southern Texas, then maybe wander over to Coronado National Forest in southern Arizona. By the time that those places start to get uncomfortably warm, you can start migrating north into the mountains of our national forests and BLM land. There's a lot of places out there to get lost in and find your inner self in the process.

I think Dutch is right. You'll want to make sure that your passport is current and get a tourist visa. They are good for six months and they can be extended indefinitely so long as you're not working.

Charles Kerault wrote a book about wandering around the country in a trailer/camper. I think it is called Travels with Charlie.

KC

Yup, the Az. Border region could use a few more Albertans.

I mean that.

GTC

Quite a while, actually. And by then, you might be tired of us, anyway.

- Tom