Getting Out Of Dodge! Where Would You Go......

K

KILLSHOT

Guest
Alright guys I need some input from ya'all. Im starting to look around at some small-medium size country towns outside of Utah to load up the horse trailer and throw my two labs in the truck to get out of dodge and start fresh. Been looking a little bit in Montana and Wyoming but nothing has caught my eye yet. Something like Heber, UT is what Im going for. Got to be close to the mountains and some distance from the big cities. Where are some of your favorite towns you've lived over the years? Nothing like getting some advice from people that have been there and done that so lets here it. If you were 24, single, nothing holding you down and live to hunt and be in the mountains where would you go?
 
Somewhere that I could still earn a living. That's the trouble with small towns, not much for employment. Lots of cool small towns in Montana, That's where I would go, if I didn't need to earn much money to survive.
 
Money isnt too big of concern right now. Im set for a while if I live within my means so I might pick somethin up part time wherever I end up to fill the days but other then that its not too big of a deciding factor.
 
Thats a great question and one I have been kickin around for a little bit . I can retire next year , and I want to find a small town like you describe . I like having a big city that would be a short drive away for shopping , etc. When I have been looking at little towns the thing that has been a deal breaker for me is the harsh , nasty winters . There used to be some screaming deals on property in kemmerer Wyoming , but after talking with some locals I didn't like the sound of the winters . My family wants me to build down by Panguitch , Utah but the same thing with the cold winters .

I used to live in Ely , Nevada and I loved that country . All though I have heard property values have gone up and its harder to buy land .

Good luck with the search . You are in a great position to pull up stakes and find your dream town .
 
Ya I figure now is just as good as time as any. Im not tied down to my job or have to be close to any family so why not. Rough winters dont bug me too much, just more time to snowmobile.
 
Another thing if I was in your position I would bounce around a few states and pick me up the lifetime license in states like Arizona , Idaho .
 
I hated Lander, Wyoming. I have a friend that lives in Boulder MT, I like it. You have Butte to the south and Helena to the North.
 
LAST EDITED ON Feb-01-11 AT 09:14PM (MST)[p]I'd check:
Newcastle, Wy, next to the Black Hills.
Sheridan, Wy, larger city, closer to moose an elk.
Cody, Wy, cool town, next to Yellowstone, great hunting and fishing, wolves may have had impact.
Dubious, Wy, smaller than you want but tons of hunt/fish, cow country.

Cascade, Mt, small but stunningly beautiful. Close enough to Helena or Great Falls
Dillion, Mt, small college, mountains in all directions, fishing/hunting.
Boulder, Mt. cool but small.
West Yellowstone, MT great place but touristy and pricey.
Livingston, a sleeper, west coat influence moved in, beautiful country.

Helena, Butte, or Missoula don't fit your specs but both have a small town feel because five minutes in any direction and your in the country and the country is spectacular. Interstate 15 between Helena and Cascade is my favorite road in the lower 48 for mountain/river country. Jackson Hole, Wy country is great too but too yuppie for now days.

If I were 24, single and looking for hunting/fishing/female companionship and you say you aren't concerned about winter, I'd be in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in a New York minute. Stunning outdoors environment.

There a bunch of smaller towns in both State that are more isolated but these are the ones I'd be looking into, truth is, I've checked them all out and would be thrilled with anyone of them.

DC
 
>If I were 24, single and
>looking for hunting/fishing/female companionship and
>you say you aren't
>concerned about winter, I'd be
>in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in
>a New York minute.

Hopefully you wouldn't have to worry about the pesky white suprememacy(sp) guys holding bon-fires in the shapes of lower case t's. I heard they got it cleaned up a few years back, but everytime I hear that town's name it just brings back what a boss of mine told me about that community.
WVBOWAK
 
pardon my spelling but here goes..... kuduscop south africa. Its in the steeper hill terrain of south africa in the heart of kudu heaven. Kudu are the ultimate animal to hunt and I would easily put them over mule deer and rocky mountain elk. I've been to the area several times and its got the looks of steep pinyon and juniper country but with an african twist. Its absoultely beautiful country, and when you spot your first kudu you are hooked.

Hunting is cheap if you are a local since almost every landowner will barter for work, goods or a decent price. So if you are up for the ultimate adventure i would say to center you efforts for a few years in the heart of the greater southern kudu country in South Africa.

Just my two cents
 
>Girdwood, Ak
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girdwood,_Alaska


My curiosity got the best of me , and I had to read about Girdwood Alaska . The last sentence cracked me up . " Girdwood is a little town that smokes a lot of pot " .

I might have to look in to that place for a little convience store . Might as well get rich selling munchies to stoners , and get to live in Alaska .
 
oh wow...you've been to africa stinky??


JB
497fc2397b939f19.jpg
 
Thanks for the info 2lumpy. I will be checking a couple of those out. Stinky, hunting kudu is top on my list but stayin in the U.S. is a must for me. Too many favorite hunting spots that I have to visit yearly. Thanks for the info so far everyone, keep em coming!
 
I had lived in MT during the 70's and when time came to make a move a few years ago...I came home to NM.Lots of small towns without yuppies,and tons of game.
 
There are probably more hippies/Subaru Outbacks per capita in Gridwood than San Francisco. Difference between Alaska hippies and California hippies is that Alaska hippies carry firearms and some will hunt. Yeah they do smoke quite a bit of pot, but that is common in Alaska. Everything in that community is priced out of this world: land, houses, etc. There is Aleska ski resort that also helps drive up prices on stuff there. Now there is a little town not too far off from Girdwood called Whitter. It is on the other side of the mountain and to get there you have to use a tunnel that is also used by the Alaska railroad, there is a time schedule that the train runs on. Whitter is a cool little end of the road fishing village that was built during WWII for the train service. Neat little place, but I think almost everyone in the town lives in an apartment style building that was built by the government during WWII. Still pretty cool place to visit and take fishing charters out of.
 
So far the only thing I have see of Alamogordo is the airbase when they had OctoberFest there this year. I can say that the German Air Force guys there know how to throw a party.
WVBOWAK
 
Too many drunk indians wandering down the middle of the streets and highways in New Mexico for me.

Encampment, Wyoming doesn't look too bad. Been there when hunting, small town feel.
Saratoga,Wyoming is a little bigger but is not too big either.

Other than that I would just head north through Wyoming and Montana until I found something I liked.
 
I like Meeteetse, WY. 40 min from Thermopolis and 30 minutes from Cody. Might not be big enough, but it has a couple places to eat, a gas station and the best chocolatier in Wyoming. Nice people and good hunting within a short drive.

I think 2Lumpy had a good take with Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

-------------------------
www.sagebasin.com
-------------------------
 
Packout,

Your right, Meeteetse, WY is a good spot. Actually, if you can be happy in towns with less than 1000 folks there are dozens more in both Montana and Wyoming.

We spent a couple of nights in Meeteetse while we toured the museums in Cody, I'm too cheap to pay higher motel rates in tourist towns so we always look for a town 30 minutes or so out of the bigger place. Meeteetse motels are a third the price of rooms in Cody. I liked Meeteetse, they have a wonderful pioneer old west museum there that we spent 2 or 3 hours in.

One of my favorite stories about eastern city folk took place in a little bar/cafe in Meeteetse. We were setting in there having a sandwich for lunch and in walks this middle aged couple and they set down at the table next to us. Soon enough we are having a pleasant visit and find out they are from New Jersey. They had flown into Jackson Hole, rented a car, drove through Yellowstone and where going to go see the Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody. We are sharing their enthusiasm for the beauty of the area, the terrain, the rivers and lakes, the people and the abundant wildlife.

About this time this gal starts to tear up and her nose starts to run and pretty soon she is weeping loudly. Everyone in the rooms is now looking at us, like, "what is wrong with that woman".

What's wrong with her is: she started telling us about this herd of buffalo they had seen and how wild and beautiful they where and how great it was that the West was still so wild and natural and full of wonder, untouched, unspoiled and, and, and............on and on. The more she talked the more she cried and the louder she got. The husband is, nodding, agreeing and rubbing her back and clearly so moved by her moving and stunning display.

I'm like," ya, it's great isn't it". I'm thinking, holy hell, we live a little different than these folks. "Time for us to get on up the road, you folks sure seem to be having a great trip, very nice meeting you, come on Honey".

That damn woman stayed in my head for two weeks. Every time I thought about her I was wracked with guilty for not appreciating where we life. I can't imagine what she might have done if I'd made the mistake of telling her we hunt those animals and we like it.

Anyway, nothing to do with the original question here but when you mentioned Meeteetse, WY I had an immediate flash back and now here I am feeling all guilty thinking about that woman, again, dang you! ;-)

DC
 
Since Stinky is the 'advocate' for Africa, I nominate him for New President of Eqypt. Maybe he can shoot some of those damn idiots in his adopted continent!!
 
">Alamagordo is a big town
>here....Quemado,Pie Town...those are small towns."


LOL!
Pietown NM is a small town all right....a ghost town!
Unless you've seen it you wouldn't understand.

:)

I'd live where you can make the best living with enough country to allow you freedom.
The outskirts of a bigger town is a good way to go in my opinion.
Most of the best hunting country is vacant for a reason, usually a poor economy.

There are certainly exceptions, but generally speaking it's a tough balance, seems like too much of one and you don't get the other.

Another thing to consider is that these days with most good hunts being on a draw basis even for residents makes it tough to count on great hunting just because you live there.

The guys that I know that do the most hunting & fishing are the ones with the best jobs.
Seems a lot of the small town guys are too busy trying to make a living to really spend a ton of time chasing trophies.

That said, I'd love to see my son work at a fishing lodge on an Alaskan river for a few summers while he's still young.
Gettin an inside track to Alaska while young would be a helluva deal.
Two of my best friends from high school moved to Alaska.
One moved to the outskirts of Anchorage Ak., he lived in Eagle River for 15 years.
He reaped the benefits of of the nearby big city, made a great living and made a lot of trips into the back country for hunting and fishing which ain't cheap even for folks that live there.
The other moved to the fishing town of Soldotna, seemed he was always chasing a buck, though he often did so as a fishing guide.
Times change and neither live there any more.

You can really make use of the freedom of youth if you do it right.
Marriage & a career will lock you down and restrict your options in a hurry.
Don't let time slip away, I wish you luck.
HH
 
Move to BC and do some sheep and goat hunting.

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
 
I would either pic Cody Wy, or almost any town in North Dakota.
Why you leaving Ut? Some little philly break your heart? Or you taking her with you?


I'll tell you who it was . . . it was that D@MN Sasquatch!
 
lol no, not running from any heart break. Just want a change of pace for a little bit. Sometimes ya just get bored with your day in and day out life and need a little change of pace to spice things up ya know?
 
Eagle River is a nice community, but the a house of any good size (1300+ sq ft) is going to cost you a bundle. Most affordable housing is out the MatSu Valley ie. Palmer and God do I say it here Wasilla (Palinville), it is about 40 miles to Anchorage, housing is pretty resonable, there is a few of the conviences of town life. If you can get in good with some of the guys that work the North Slope and get a job up there, you can plan it out to work during the winter and have part of the summer off to fish and fall to hunt. Sometimes I wished I would have stayed up there but the wife wanted to move back here to New Mexico and I am starting to get used to it. If I want to go back, I can always hop a flight back.
WVBOWAK
 
Enterprise, Oregon, but unfortunately it's in Oregon and that state is controlled by the leftists in Portland and Eugene.

Salmon, Idaho is my kinda town.
 
Alpine Wyoming in Star Valley would get my vote too.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
 
I also would seriously look into St Anthony Idaho. You would never get bored up there. Tons of places to ride your sled, World class fishing and hunting.


I'll tell you who it was . . . it was that D@MN Sasquatch!
 
>So far the only thing I
>have see of Alamogordo is
>the airbase when they had
>OctoberFest there this year.
>I can say that the
>German Air Force guys there
>know how to throw a
>party.
>WVBOWAK

We had some Germans at TOPGUN a few years ago. Yea, they like their beer. One of them had a sore tooth, so he came to me for help. I hooked him up with a dentist on base and he was so grateful, that he asked me what I wanted. I jokingly said a case of this:
fun_cool_offbeat_weird_3766510550_314969d166_o_20090729124043126.jpg


A month later they came back through and he had the case.


Compromise, hell! ... If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?
 
>Packout,
>
>Your right, Meeteetse, WY is a
>good spot. Actually, if
>you can be happy in
>towns with less than 1000
>folks there are dozens more
>in both Montana and Wyoming.
>
>
>We spent a couple of nights
>in Meeteetse while we toured
>the museums in Cody, I'm
>too cheap to pay higher
>motel rates in tourist towns
>so we always look for
>a town 30 minutes or
>so out of the bigger
>place. Meeteetse motels are
>a third the price of
>rooms in Cody. I
>liked Meeteetse, they have a
>wonderful pioneer old west museum
>there that we spent 2
>or 3 hours in.
>
>One of my favorite stories about
>eastern city folk took place
>in a little bar/cafe in
>Meeteetse. We were setting
>in there having a sandwich
>for lunch and in walks
>this middle aged couple and
>they set down at the
>table next to us.
>Soon enough we are having
>a pleasant visit and find
>out they are from New
>Jersey. They had flown
>into Jackson Hole, rented a
>car, drove through Yellowstone and
>where going to go see
>the Buffalo Bill Museum in
>Cody. We are sharing
>their enthusiasm for the beauty
>of the area, the terrain,
>the rivers and lakes, the
>people and the abundant wildlife.
>
>
>About this time this gal starts
>to tear up and her
>nose starts to run and
>pretty soon she is weeping
>loudly. Everyone in the
>rooms is now looking at
>us, like, "what is wrong
>with that woman".
>
>What's wrong with her is: she
>started telling us about this
>herd of buffalo they had
>seen and how wild and
>beautiful they where and how
>great it was that the
>West was still so wild
>and natural and full of
>wonder, untouched, unspoiled and, and,
>and............on and on.
>The more she talked the
>more she cried and the
>louder she got. The
>husband is, nodding, agreeing and
>rubbing her back and clearly
>so moved by her moving
>and stunning display.
>
>I'm like," ya, it's great isn't
>it". I'm thinking, holy
>hell, we live a little
>different than these folks.
>"Time for us to get
>on up the road, you
>folks sure seem to be
>having a great trip, very
>nice meeting you, come on
>Honey".
>
>That damn woman stayed in my
>head for two weeks.
>Every time I thought about
>her I was wracked with
>guilty for not appreciating where
>we life. I can't
>imagine what she might have
>done if I'd made the
>mistake of telling her we
>hunt those animals and we
>like it.
>
>Anyway, nothing to do with the
>original question here but when
>you mentioned Meeteetse, WY I
>had an immediate flash back
>and now here I am
>feeling all guilty thinking about
>that woman, again, dang you!
>;-)
>
>DC


I got my own flashbacks about that town. 40+ years ago I was making my way back from Bozeman, MT....another good town to live near...and my jeep broke down. I was in that one spot near Meeteetse for 36 hours before a car came by. Even then, the guys from that car went rifling through my stuff before I stepped out from the bushes with my shotgun. Azzholes took off. But, in all honesty a guy from Meeteetse, who worked for Hughes tool company selling drill bits and other stuff to oil rigs, towed me all the way to Cody to lood for a water pump. Great guy and wouldn't take any money for it, just lunch and a beer.

Compromise, hell! ... If freedom is right and tyranny is wrong, why should those who believe in freedom treat it as if it were a roll of bologna to be bartered a slice at a time?
 

Similar threads

feddoc
Got in a hurry
Replies
10
Views
509
Stillwater165
Stillwater165
Jq23
Bookcliffs roadless
Replies
5
Views
832
greysriver
G
Jq23
Bookcliffs roadless bear hunt
Replies
4
Views
806
Muley_Hntr
Muley_Hntr

Click-a-Pic ... Details & Bigger Photos

Member Gallery Photos and Videos!

2D51BFA4-7DA7-47B3-93C1-B48E4ECCA569.jpeg
Screenshot_20221031_235704.jpg
05555383-D7D0-46D2-98FA-A5791DB6A625.jpeg
Big Buck on the Wheeler
IMG_0119.jpeg
IMG_0557.jpeg
C2BB6A59-557C-4632-9701-673B580B8B25.jpeg
Bull Elk Success
20141004_181656-1-1.jpg
IMG_0120.jpeg
C7046360-C547-4744-B3C3-928978E10249.jpeg
IMG_9161.jpeg
Back
Top Bottom