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10 Best Places to Retire if You Love Hunting

Enjoy the outdoors and catch some good game with these hunting locations.

Disabled Women Fishing at Lake Idaho
Updated Oct. 1, 2024
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You may want to spend your time hunting when you retire or perhaps it’s a new hobby you want to pick up.

Plenty of options exist that can work for you if you want different types of game or areas where it may be easier to pay fees or get licenses.

Which cities and towns top the list when picking up some prized game? Check out these choices to see if one of them can help.

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Seward, Alaska

Noradoa/Adobe Seward Bay Harbor in Alaska

Alaska is a great option for big game such as brown bears, grizzlies, elk, sheep, mountain goats, and more.

Check out Seward, which is on the Gulf of Alaska, to access large game as well as geese and other small waterfowl. You can also head out from Seward to the water for plenty of fishing.

You can also try other outdoor adventures when you live there and head to nearby Kenai Fjords National Park to enjoy nature.

Rapid City, South Dakota

freeograph/Adobe Carefree Hunters in Forest

Rapid City near the Black Hills offers a wide amount of land for plenty of hunting opportunities.

You can find elk, mule deer, whitetails, and more in the surrounding hills and prairie. Fishers will also love the area for its reservoirs filled with a variety of species such as rainbow trout.

The city is also close to national parks and monuments including Mt. Rushmore to enjoy when you’re not hunting and fishing.

Cody, Wyoming

Jon Camrud/Adobe Craig Colorado town with Cedar Mountain

Wyoming has some great places to live if you like to hunt, but Cody may stand out on your list.

The town is perfect for backcountry hunters looking for big game like elk, mule deer, and pronghorns. You can also head to the water to find trout.

Cody is also home to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and close to national parks.

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Ely, Minnesota

geoffkuchera/Adobe Historic Site in Ely Minnesota

Head north to Ely, Minnesota, for a variety of year-round hunting and fishing.

The area has plenty of hunting options in the fall, but the best choice is whitetails near Ely.

You can also spend the spring searching for walleyes and pike in the Boundary Waters Canoe area.

Craig, Colorado

Kyle Spradley/Adobe Buffalo Bill Center Cody Wyoming

The colorful state of Colorado has huge parcels of land for hunters to catch game.

Near the city are 1 million acres of public land and two of the largest elk herds in North America.

Craig is also home to Elkhead Reservoir State Park which includes fish like bass, bluegill, catfish, and pike.

Appleton, Wisconsin

DJ_38/Adobe elk walking in forest

Wisconsin has several different appealing counties in the state if you’re looking for large deer.

One place to start may be Appleton, where you can find whitetails while you’re searching for game.

The area also has great fishing in areas like nearby Green Bay, or you can try Lake Winnebago or the Fox River for walleye, bass, and muskie.

Salmon, Idaho

Drazen/Adobe senior man fishing with son

The game is in the name with the area boasting its best spots for salmon fishers. You can also try trout, steelheads, and other fish throughout the year.

There has been a resurgence of wolves, which may dampen big-game hunting, but you can still try for whitetails, mule deer, and elk.

The area also has plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy like water sports, biking, and hiking.

Traverse City, Michigan

karel/Adobe deer in natural trail north Wisconsin

Traverse City in the northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula has great options for fishers who want to try to land perch on the Great Lakes or trout in one of the area’s four streams.

It’s also a good option for deer hunters who visit the area during hunting season and one of the hundreds of deer camps in the fall.

Bismarck, North Dakota

Chris/Adobe duck hunting on Reelfoot Lake

Bismarck may be cold in the winter, but it has plenty to offer hunters throughout the year.

The Missouri River in Bismarck is packed with fish including walleyes. You can also find plenty of fowl in the fall and winter including ducks, pheasants, grouse, and geese.

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Lake Placid, New York

Rawpixel.com/Adobe Senior friends fishing by lake

Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains has state lands with black bears and whitetail deer for hunters to find.

You can also check out the lake and rainbow trout on Lake Placid if you prefer to get your fishing lures out for hunting.

The city hosted the 1980 Winter Olympics, giving you plenty of winter sports options today when you’re not out in nature looking for game.

Bottom line

romankosolapov/Adobe hunter with shotgun walking through trail

Hunting can be a great way to save money during your retirement if you can catch something to store in your freezer or fridge to cook up later.

But it can also be pricey depending on where you want to move when you retire so it’s a good idea to create a retirement budget. You’ll also want to pursue ways to build your wealth now that can help your retirement budget later.

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