Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Better hunt state MN or WI?

Will be relocating to the upper midwest next spring. If you had to claim residency in MN or WI which would it be? Bears, big deer and muskie/smallmouth and general quality of life. It is a 3 year assignment so the fact that WI is anti/CCW and basically run by NPR and a city mascarading as SanFrancisco can be ignored. Your thoughts?

I would pick Minn. Less taxation, better muskie fishing, a moose season, further from Illinios,. Not sure if they have CCW, but here in Wis we dont, as our governor is from the same commie mold as Hitlary. I could go on and on..

No brainer

uncas,

i spend a lot of time in both minnesota and wisconsin... they both have their draws.....

wisconsin has some big woods areas and a lot of national forest.... the big woods there, for the most part, are of the eastern woodland variety...

minnesota has their share of that type of terrain, as well... in the northern part of the state, though, you can find true northern coniferous forest in large tracts.... and they have the boundary waters... a major draw in it's own right....

both states have some terrific rivers to run, although, for my money wisconsin has more....

have not hunted minnesota in over 30 years.... but as a high school kid i had a ball up there with cousins.....

the southern part of both states is typical midwestern farm country

lake superior is also a major consideration...
the south shore, which comprises wisconsins northern border, seem a little more remote, and less spoiled to me.....
the north shore which is in minnesota seems a little more rugged and picturesque, but is also a litlle more built up and, for lack of a better word, touristy.....

i would not consider my descriptions to be a comprehensive picture... more of a limited perspective based on experience in certain regions of both states....

overall, my experience is broader in wisconsin, although i know very little of the lake michigan area, and eastern wisconsin....
as to minnesota my experience is mostly limited to the area from the twin cities north olong the 61/35 corridor and over through the boundary waters... i have spent very little time in western minnesota.....

i'm curious as to what type of community you are looking for, and, though it's none of my business, what brings you to that area.... john w

Pretty much a wash overall I think. Fishing wise, I think MN might have a little advantage overall. A little more open minded DNR towards muskies than WI. Wisconsin bear tags can take up to 10 years to draw. Wisconsin's deer population is huge. No moose season in WI. Pretty much a wash overall. The biggest difference would be WI has a much better NFL team. TTS

LOL. I was going to include that about the holy grail Lambeau field vs the metrodump and said teams.

Anyways, yeah I agree with some of the trade offs from one state to the other (but they do have a moose season) regarding hunting fishing and outdoorsy stuff.

What part of either state are you considering? There is a big diff from southern vs norther areas of both states. International Falls will give Fairbanks a run for their money when it come to cold winter temps, while southern parts you can get by with a light jacket all winter. (ice fishing sucks though)

You must be relocating somewhere in the Twin cites to Eau Claire,(farmland) seein' how you have this choice. Or perhaps the Superior/Duluth (forested) areas.

As said, taxes are higher here. So is gas. If you live in Minn and want to hunt Wis whitetails as a non res, the cost is about $160. Not bad. You said 3 years here, so that leaves out bears. The moose in Minn is a one time shot assuming you can score a tag.

You can poach wolves in either state (just kidding LOL)

I'm thinking the tiebreaker might be bird hunting. Grouse is probably similar, but Minnesota pheasant and waterfowl hunting is probably better.

On the other hand, the Great Lakes fishing out of Wisconsin thumps Minnesota's...

I have lived about 1/2 life in each state, currently been in n.e. Mn. for the last 13 years. Mn. would get my vote The county I live in is 90% state and federal forrest land, we've got good #'s of waterfowl, deer, bear, moose, grouse and some of the best fishing in the lower 48, taxes aren't bad and if your used to Ak we're the closest weatherwise you'll find. Feel free to p.m. for any more info.

handwerk you just nailed it. Man that all sounds good.

Uncas, there is your answer!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I think MN is your best bet. It's also closer to SD pheasant hunting and ND waterfowl hunting. Both which draw hunters from all over the U. S. From MSP airport Alaska is only a 6 hour non-stop flight away. MN does have a shall issue CCW law.

If close enough you could consider Michigan's U.P. Plenty of deer over on the western side. Supposed to be able to draw a black bear tag every three years. (I'm running every nine, but then I don't have the right connections or something?) Great fishing (heck here we border not one but THREE of the great lakes! plenty of grouse hunting, with pheasents on the west end. Plus turkey's too. Plenty of moose with out a tracking collar!!!??!! if'n you feel the need and want to risk it. Great Coyote hunting all over and we grow's em big here.

And the best part is..........................There's going to be an opening here soon..............I'm moving to Idaho in about two weeks!!!!! Let me know and I'll put a word in for you for my spot!! Good old Gov. Granholm is gonna need someone else to tax to death in my place!!!

Reguards, Rob

Whoops - we forgot - turkey here too.

I grew up in Wisc. but I lived in Mn. for seven years.

I enjoyed Mn. so you can not go wrong with either choice.

The deciding factor is that the Vike Queens football team sucks arse. They are less enjoyable to watch than getting a warm water enema <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I moved to Northern Minnesota from Kentucky 12 years ago, and wouldn't move back for money, big money. There''s some real "back o' beyond" here, loads of deer and bear, 3 kinds of grouse open to hunting, great fishing, and it's many hours of driving from the hordes of city nimrods.

Any where in Wisconsin is not far from a big town, and crowds of folk wanting to be out of town.

You just don't enjoy watching them kick the Packer's azz like they did twice last year. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Ok here is the deal...After 10 years in AK, My wife of 27 years decided to end one career and start another. We have lived in North-East Iowa two of the last three years as this is the location of her school. We spent the last year in far North-Western Kansas, where she intern-pastored two Lutheran Churches. We are back in Iowa until spring, (graduation) and can generally select a region to be eligable for her first call. The need is greatest in the upper midwest. We return as much as possible to Alaska. While in Kansas we bought a small hunting cottage, so are set up pretty well for major trips. We are familiar with Door Co and I make a pilgrammage to Lake of the Woods (Ontario part) each September. We visited the Fargo area last week. We use to vacation in the UP as we lived in MI before the move to AK Visiting a place and living there is another matter. Thank you for your thoughts, Bill

There's an awful lot of beer being consumed in Wisconsin, I hear, but crime stats indicate that Minnesota is probably in greater need of increased spiritual guidance. Some say that's due to the influence of the pro football program there. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />



Walking toward cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After a slow start, the Twins have been the best team in baseball since mid-June (51-19). They have passed Chicago and have been steadily gaining on Detroit and now stand 4-games out of first in the Central, making up 4-games in the last 10.

We got us a Pennant race in Minnesota...

Vikings? Packers? Who cares? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

JOG, ol' buddy .... Beer drinkers everywhere care!

Ya gotta change the channel once in a while. "The News from Lake Wobegon" ain't a real news program, ya know. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

No, I don't mind that so much as the fact that they have great seasons then they absolutely fall on their faces in the playoffs.

Or to mention the fact that they are the only team to have ever lost four SUPER BOWLS and not even won one. If you want to see super bowl trophies take a run to Lambeau.

Their fans are also too fickle, they are there when things are good and tearing them up when they puke out.

If Viking fans were one nationality they would all be French <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You are a Tikka fan as well if I remember correctly,yes