About time...

Timbolero · Jul 11, 2004

Been lurking around this site for sometime,so I finally registered and will open up needing some input.My wife has agreed to sell our little house in the Black Hills of S.D. so we can move to North Central Idaho or Western Montana.I need some better huntin grounds!We have the deer and elk,but getting tags is startin to be a real hassle.Amid the shouts of " GO away! Go away!" I thought somebody might know of a little town that actually wants new folks to move in.Any thoughts? Thanks

Smiley · Jul 11, 2004

I think you would be happy either place, great people in both areas.

BOHNTR · Jul 11, 2004

LAST EDITED ON Jul-11-04 AT 09:37PM (MST)[p]Timbolero:

Don't have a lot of info for you on where to move up there, but thought I'd welcome you to MonsterMuleys. Looking forward to some posts and good luck town shopping.

BOHNTR )))------------->

B_F_E · Jul 11, 2004

Ditto, to the welcome, I've visited the Idaho areas of which your referring to & found it very pleasing, some of the folks I came across looked semi Granola like,
if your relocating for hunting only, find the most abundant herds with the most resident tags & you'll be chitting in tall cotton.
Also like you did here, keep BS-ing people for their opinions & you'll find a good fit.
I'll be spending my winters in Mexico at retirement age & I have started, similar research down there.

Timbolero · Jul 12, 2004

Thanks for the welcome!My wife and I are planning a little trip out thru Montana and over to Idaho soon.I've got the elk and black bear bug real bad and just want to live somewhere I can hunt em every year at a decent price for tags.Just about the time I think I've got things narrowed down I see a post from someone that gives me another view,and thats what I'm lookin for,all the opinions I can get.Now that "semi granola type" thing has me thinkin some more,Thanks

fatrooster · Jul 12, 2004

Welcome to Monster Muleys Timbolero. I don't live in either Idaho nor Montana and I don't know a thing about Montana. But I do know a little bit about Idaho. The Southern bottom of Idaho is not granola at all. It's mostly farming, ranching and dairy communities. Very friendly people. But it is deserty flat lands for the most part. Elk and deer do reside there and the mountains are close by. If you want trees then you need to go North and you will find them. But you will also find some granola people and the cost of living starts to go up. Cost of living in the south is pretty good.
Idaho used to have the second largest elk population and I think it still does. You can buy most tags over the counter. I happen to be hunting deer this year in the Featherville area of Idaho. Idaho and Montana both now have wolves. I don't know anything about far Northern Idaho. I really like Twinn Falls myself because of the small town atmosphere and its not a yuppie city but your still not far from the mountains. Boise is a college town and bigger than Twinn. Hope this helps a little.
Fatrooster.

shotgunjim · Jul 12, 2004

Try Salmon Idaho. The locals are real nice to out of staters who move there, in between the times when the Sheriff isn't raiding your new house and accusing you of growing Dope and someone robbing your new house and then burning it to the ground. Other than that, their reeeeeeal nice.

shotgunjim · Jul 12, 2004

OH yea, I almost forgot, after your house is burned down, the Sheriff returns and accuses you of burning it down for the insurance money. real nice place and I hear the public schools are excellent too.

Timbolero · Jul 12, 2004

Shotgunjim,GOOD GAWD ALLFRIDAY!!! I hope you are speaking in jest and not from personal experience!Fatrooster,We are looking at the area between Grangeville and Orofino right now,and those over the counter tags are just what I'm lookin for.I can live with the granola eaters as long as they dont start spoutin off about my huntin and guns.I was kinda lookin at Salmon until Shotgunjim told his tale,hope he was pullin my leg!

Razaboo · Jul 12, 2004

I went to school in Moscow Id. at the University of Idaho. The granola types are pretty much centered around Moscow. The seasons are long and the game is plentiful. I think that you will like the Orofino area over the Grangeville area due to the river being right there. The area has some neat things besides hunting to explore. There is a place north of Moscow near Potlatch where you can dig for Star Garnetts (a semi-precious stone). Also the rivers are cool to explore, and the north end of Hells Canyon is within easy driving distance.

Stan

Timbolero · Jul 12, 2004

Razaboo,I've always wanted to do some exploring in the Hell's Canyon area and maybe a little gold prospectin would be in order also.I believe gold was first discovered in Idaho around Pierce,somebody correct me if I'm wrong on that one.Anyway it looks like theres lots to keep a guy busy in Idaho when the huntin seasons arent goin.

shotgunjim · Jul 13, 2004

Timbolero,
That did not happen to me, but it happened to a good friend of mine and what I said is 100% the truth.

Timbolero · Jul 13, 2004

Shotgunjim,I've no reason to doubt you.Sounds like your friend might have gotten on someones bad side.Hopefully your friend didnt have any kids to witness those events,things like that can chart a young kids future,good or bad.Since I too have a special knack for gettin on peoples bad sde I think I'll shy away from Salmon...no offense.

idhunters · Jul 14, 2004

Hey Razaboo..GO VANDALS! U of I, class of 91!

Timbolero:
My wifes family lives in Salmon, they will never leave they love it soooo much and none of them were born there. Sorry about the trouble the other fella had but that is the exception not the rule.

I have lived in Idaho my whole life and spent most of it in Southeast Idaho. The southern 1/2 of the state is where most of the people are and the center of the population is around Boise. If you need to be gainfully employed, you might have to look toward the population centers. Once you start going north, the jobs get a little tough as they are primarily resource based (logging mining etc) and are in trouble now. Lewiston/Moscow area in N. Idaho would offer the jobs as would the Cour d' alene/Sandpoint areas farther north, but those are really close to Spokane.

If you are fortunate enough to not be dependent upon "town jobs", your choices become almost endless. As for me, I might seriously look at Grangeville. Its a nice area, not very populated, mild climate, lots of elk, mule deer, whitetails, turkeys, pheasant, grouse, etc. in the area, all with general resident hunts. Located very close (w/in 90 minute) to the Snake River/Main Salmon/Little Salmon/SF Clearwater and Main clearwater rivers, all of which offer bass, steelhead and chinook Salmon, among other species.

Check out the country and climate, job opportunity, etc, and make your choice. I think you'll be happy.

IDHUNTERS

Timbolero · Jul 14, 2004

IDHUNTERS,Thanks for the input.The more I hear about Idaho in general,the more I like it.The wife and I are not wealthy or ready to retire,but our needs are simple.A slower,less stressfull pace is what we want,and the hunting opportunities of course!I really want to get away from any population centers and will make the sacrifices I need to make.At 45 and watching friends and family pass away you start to think.I'd rather be et by a bear and shat all over the woods than killed by some 16 year old speedin around in daddy's Lexus!