If grouse, woodcock and trout are your life...

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Tom Flanigan

I live in Pawling, NY and the taxes are horrible. I had always thought that upon retirement, I would move to Estes Park, Colorado. I took three trips a year there hiking to altitude for greenback cutthroat trout. It's a great town and taxes are low.

But I decided to retire to Pawling, my home town. I have great hunting and fly fishing at my doorstep. You might consider Colorado. It's beautiful and there are some really nice towns. Travel to prospective locations before you retire. The town of Estes Park is beautiful and you can fish the many rivers in the area. It is also within striking distance of Wyoming and the wonderful North Platte river. Hunting is great in the North Platte area north of Casper. Many mule deer, pronghorns and elk. You don’t need a guide. Just drive out of Alcova and explore. You’ll see much game on open government land and damn few other hunters. No grouse and woodcock but the sharptails can keep you busy.

If you decide to go out there, send me a message and I can tell you some great spots for hunting and fly fishing.

I looked on a map. YUP, you're in the high rent district there within striking distance of NYC and CT Tom! Thank you, always wanted to get out the the Estes Park area.

[charlie cleveland]

the southern states like Georgia Alabama Mississippi tenn..are great states...not much cold good hunting good fishing...fairly cheap taxes.and best of all good people to live by....most of the time... charlie

[birddogdoc]

Originally Posted by Tom Pellegrini

Andy,
Try looking at Central South Carolina. Trout fishing in the Western part and bird hunting just about all over the state.

Shhhhhh! Just kidding. My wife and I love SC. We're gonna go between Tucson AZ and SC in a couple years. I just sold my practice this past December and if Colorado continues to head the direction of CA...I'm out of here sooner than later!

Taxes at 18K/YR ought to be a crime!

[Harold Pickens]

Andy, you posed a great question that I have pondered for years. Back in 1983 when I graduated from optometry school at Ohio State, I was adamant about wanting to move where I could hunt grouse and have good fishing for smallmouth and walleye. To that end, I took the board exams in Michigan and Wisconsin, and took a driving/camping tour thru Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. I was also going to take Minnesota boards. I was then offered a position in an HMO Medical clinic eye dept just 10 miles from where I grew up. Well, everything I wanted was there. eastern Ohio had phenomenal grouse hunting with a season that came in around Oct 10, and went thru the end of February . The woodcock migration was good in November. Hunting 2 1/2 days/week with good dogs( we shot pointed birds only), it was common to shoot 40-50 grouse per season. Flushes of 30 birds/day--not counting reflushes--were not unusual. Then in 1986, I made my first trip to the UP, and have not missed a year since. The grouse hunting wasnt better in the UP than it was in OHio and West Virginia, but it sure is a hell of alot easier. Flat ground and lack of blood letting briars was a welcome change to us brush worn Appalachian grouse hunters. One week trips ,turned into 10 day trips, then 2 weeks and now 3.
Then the plummeting of the grouse population to almost endangered specie levels happened. The DNR said poor habitat, thats bull, I spent the day today in fantastic grouse cover, no birds. In 2009 I told the DNR it was West Nile virus--have a MS in Microbiology, and was working on PhD--now look what they have suddenly come up with--WNV!
Well , I digress. Good fishing is certainly easier to find than good grouse hunting. I love the UP, and the great northwoods of Wis. and Minn. Idaho offers such a wide variety and really piques my interest--I believe I'm going to have to go there in upcoming years.
Congrats Shawn on your retirement. My wife loves South Carolina also, esp around the Hilton Head area--cant really see the bird hunting very good in SC, what with the demise of wild quail and dearth of grouse in the mountains now.
Andy, tuff choice. My heart draws me to the Northwoods, but my wife wants to head South. Good luck on your decision.

[birddogdoc]

Originally Posted by Harold Lee Pickens

Andy, you posed a great question that I have pondered for years. Back in 1983 when I graduated from optometry school at Ohio State, I was adamant about wanting to move where I could hunt grouse and have good fishing for smallmouth and walleye. To that end, I took the board exams in Michigan and Wisconsin, and took a driving/camping tour thru Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula. I was also going to take Minnesota boards. I was then offered a position in an HMO Medical clinic eye dept just 10 miles from where I grew up. Well, everything I wanted was there. eastern Ohio had phenomenal grouse hunting with a season that came in around Oct 10, and went thru the end of February . The woodcock migration was good in November. Hunting 2 1/2 days/week with good dogs( we shot pointed birds only), it was common to shoot 40-50 grouse per season. Flushes of 30 birds/day--not counting reflushes--were not unusual. Then in 1986, I made my first trip to the UP, and have not missed a year since. The grouse hunting wasnt better in the UP than it was in OHio and West Virginia, but it sure is a hell of alot easier. Flat ground and lack of blood letting briars was a welcome change to us brush worn Appalachian grouse hunters. One week trips ,turned into 10 day trips, then 2 weeks and now 3.
Then the plummeting of the grouse population to almost endangered specie levels happened. The DNR said poor habitat, thats bull, I spent the day today in fantastic grouse cover, no birds. In 2009 I told the DNR it was West Nile virus--have a MS in Microbiology, and was working on PhD--now look what they have suddenly come up with--WNV!
Well , I digress. Good fishing is certainly easier to find than good grouse hunting. I love the UP, and the great northwoods of Wis. and Minn. Idaho offers such a wide variety and really piques my interest--I believe I'm going to have to go there in upcoming years.
Congrats Shawn on your retirement. My wife loves South Carolina also, esp around the Hilton Head area--cant really see the bird hunting very good in SC, what with the demise of wild quail and dearth of grouse in the mountains now.
Andy, tuff choice. My heart draws me to the Northwoods, but my wife wants to head South. Good luck on your decision.

Thanks Harold!

We could be neighbors and head southwest to AZ for the winter to chase desert quail!

[Harold Pickens]

Yeah, and we could move in on my veterinarian brother in Ashville, NC and look for some grouse in the mtns there. He's got a Fox Model B in 20 ga that I gave him.

[Stan Hillis]

Originally Posted by Harold Pickens

....cant really see the bird hunting very good in SC, what with the demise of wild quail and dearth of grouse in the mountains now.

You're overlooking one of the finest game birds ever created, the Mourning Dove. Dove shooting in the Carolinas and Georgia can be spectacular.

SRH

[Andy]

Harold, I really love your reply and thoughts and am envious of the time you've had in the field. I feel like I'm too old at 56 to just start discovering these wonderful guns, but heck, gotta start sometime. I graduated optometry school in 1990 and did a residency and then decided I wanted my own practice. It just turned 30 years old and I look back and have done well but missed a hell of a lot of time in the woods and waters. I'm trying to change it. 8 years ago I reached a point of total burnout and headed out with two guns, one dog, and drove to Minnesota alone and rented a cabin in the woods. My wife was MAD. But I got birds, bad shooting and all, and I got back to the grindstone. I am going to just cancel a few days and go to Maine this fall, alone or with someone, as I need it after this COVID year! I keep telling myself "there's always tomorrow" to hunt and fish and I have to start just making it happen. I hope to shake your hand this year Harold and I appreciate your thoughts on this stressful topic.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Stan Hillis

You're overlooking one of the finest game birds ever created, the Mourning Dove. Dove shooting in the Carolinas and Georgia can be spectacular.

SRH

Bucket list. Have never shot one. I see them sitting in the trees and phone lines and they look pretty easy : ) NY doesn't have a season although I've been helping lobby for one for years. The downstate doorknobs won't allow it.

[Mike McKinney]

I have lived in Western NC all my life, the far west for 13 years. I got my first Brittany in 1987 and we taught each other. Killed 3 grouse that first year. The next year we knew more about hunting, the habitat to look for, shot a little better, and my dog made a lot of progress. As Harold said, hunting and finding grouse was good. We hunted nearly always on NFS land and I’ve said myself before that three were as many grouse here as the UP, but I couldn’t wait to get there. My first trip was 1989 and my brother and myself planned to go every year, and did until 2000. I’ve been a couple of times since but it wasn’t the same without my brother.
We began to see less birds here in the late ‘90’s to the point it was hard to go regularly as it became just a hike. We always blamed it on habitat as the forest service just didn’t and haven’t cut much timber as it didn’t suit the tree huggers.
I used to think about going where the game was, but I think I’ve figured out I’m just a hillbilly, so I guess the next time we move will be when one of the girls need us to be closer.
There are lots of creeks and rivers to fish in, several lakes, good opportunities to be outside. Lot’s of folks have discovered our area and they want to be here, but they want it to be just like where they left.........but it’s still home to me.