Decisions of a 23 year old/2019 Hunts

[Selway]

Move to Alaska and marry a chubby girl that can cook.

Work is highly overrated, worry about that when you get out there. I have friends that are poor and can hunt out of their back door, and friends who are rich but have to get on a plane to go hunt. It's not even close how much happier the poor ones are.

 

[Redside]

Do it, you won't regret it. When I was your age, my wife and I moved from South Dakota to SW MT. Quit our professional jobs to be ski instructors. That got our foot in the door. By the next season we had full time professional jobs again, loving every minute and taking advantage of everything the west has to offer. Surprisingly you can make money out here too, not just in NY. I do agree that I wouldn't turn your passion into a job though. Maybe use it to get you out here if you have too.

 

[Beendare]

Start now finding a good job in an area you would like to live. You are more employable while employed.

Construction companies are dying for good help. My Bro in laws outfit was paying $6,000 as a finders fee for a foreman that would stay 4 months on that Apple campus project. Good jobs are out there.

Guiding seems glamorous on first glance but in reality its a lot of time invested for low pay. Personally, I started to lose my love of hunting when I was guiding....hard to cherry pick your clients.

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[87TT]

Go! Money isn't everything. I am a great believer in being debt free. And am. I am 66 years old. I have had a couple of careers and the only thing I regret is the time I didn't hunt and fish more. Whether you work for an outfitter or not go and find the place that feels like home. You may have to work a little harder to pay off your debt but so be it. If you go, maybe you can find the right girl that will love the same things as you and love being in the same place as you. If you wait, you will probably end up with responsibilities and not be able to "travel" out west as much. My last career change was to do something I loved. I was 42 at the time and it was a good move but I could have been better off if I had done it years earlier. My worst year was the one I didn't buy a hunting license because my wife at the time made me feel bad because money was tight.

 

[ndbwhunter]

I think you've heard exactly what you wanted to hear, so lets just sum it all up. Definitely leave before you start growing roots. Girlfriends are easy to leave, but things get tough when a kid is involved. Skip the guiding and find employment in your field. Depending on the area you choose, the cost of living could be significantly less than NY, so taking a slight pay cut might not be that big of a deal.

 

[cnelk]

Yesterday I talked to a guy that got a job offer doing what you do, here on the Front Range.
They offered him a $10k signing bonus, just to switch companies, doing the same job.
He took that offer to his current boss and they automatically matched that $10k with a yearly bonus.

Ive mentioned this before.
My son is 22. He's an maintenance electrician at a Colorado ski resort. He works 4 days a week.
He hunts, fishes, mtn bikes, snowboards and travels the other days.

On Monday he hiked up to 13k and snowboarded down.

Why am I telling this??

The world is yours man - go grab its tail

 

[MuleyFever]

I will add one more thing. I moved west with my girlfriend. We didn’t have jobs but had enough to support us for 6 mo with no jobs. If you have skills and a good work ethic you will be fine. It only took us a couple weeks to find employment. With a few years we were earning 2 times the average income for the area. You have the education and with some hard work will make it wherever you decide to go.

 

[DenverCountryBoy]

You have a career that is currently in demand all over. If I was in your shoes, I would get a job in a state that offers a lifetime license. Work there for a year, get the lifetime license, move to another state and repeat. You will end up with better draw odds, cheaper tags, and a network of personal and professional connections. Your debt will get paid off and you will get to experience a lot of different places before deciding where you want to set roots.

Arizona, Idaho, Texas, Kansas... Not sure about which other states offer lifetime licenses.

 

[Cml5895]

Move to Alaska and marry a chubby girl that can cook.

That is ideal situation.

 

[Cml5895]

Surprisingly you can make money out here too, not just in NY.

From my experience visiting MT, CO and WY, there is plenty of work to be had. It is just finding an opening that is the right fit in the right area.

 

[Ratbeetle]

I graduated with a Bachelor's in Sustainable Construction Management back in May 2018. I have been paying it off pretty aggressively but still have about 6 years left if I maintain this rate.

Life is too short to be unhappy. Personally, I would seriously think about moving but maybe hold off on the guiding thing while you're still saddled with that debt.

I decided to move to CO out of the blue about 5 yrs ago. Aside from maybe joing the military when I was younger, it has hands down been the best decision I have made for my family.

 

[slick]

Just go. You won’t regret it.

 

[MikeG]

I've never regretted doing anything, only regret things I didn't. Put yourself in a situation that has a good chance to make you happy, the rest comes pretty easily.

 

[Thunder head]

Forget the guiding. Start looking for a job now!!!
If you can get the right job. You can keep your financial situation stable and move to a dream location.

Be aware cost of living can be a lot higher in other places. You have to factor that in.

Your financial future.
Sit down and decide how you want to handle it.
As ive gotten a lot older iv noticed something. A lot of people die or get sick before they get to enjoy their retirement.

So ive decided to do a 50 / 50. I'm saving some for retirement. I'm also checking things of my bucket list as I go. If I cant afford to travel after I retire. It wont matter. Ill have already been most places I want to go.

 

[Achigan1]

Go. Think hard about the guiding business.
Put yourself in the place you love, work hard and enjoy every minute outside you can.
The older you get the harder it is to make that kind of move!

 

[Tonto]

Do it. There are plenty of jobs you can work the other 9 months of the year. Worst case scenario, next year you decide to take a desk job somewhere.

 

[SWOHTR]

The only good thing about the east coast/New England is that there are people willing to live here, which means there are fewer people that don’t want to live “out west.”

I have a slightly different situation with the Navy: I was afforded the opportunity to do 3 years at the NROTC Unit in Moscow, ID as an instructor. Best decision I ever made! Not a day goes by where I don’t reminisce on the good times I had there. Started a family, got a masters, wife got a law degree, learned how to fly fish, hunting, everything.

I think about it every day. I can’t wait to go back. The state captured my soul/heart.

Leave the east. Don’t stop driving until you get to Denver.

 

[Wolverine]

Money isn't everything but being dept free sure frees up the decision making. I would move west but I would be debt free before diving into the guiding thing. Pay every cent on your debt and clear it up....now. Sell anything you can and work an extra job for a year and get it done. Time on the mountain is so much more enjoyable when there are no bills you have to rush back to work to pay for.

 

[TCUHunter34]

I say go, now! Newly married and 26 years old. I may be stuck where I am for quite a while even though my work is in Denver. All I've wanted was to move West somewhere. If you keep putting it off, something will always come up that will hold you back and potentially keep you where you are for good. You'll wish everyday that you had made the move.

Guiding would be great, but making good money and hunting in your new home state sounds even better to me!

 

[missjordan]

If it was me this would be the way I’d approach what i know about your situation and decision at hand.

Go out west, what do you really have to lose being on the east coast? But I’d be mindful of your debt at hand. While job security and a career might not matter for a few years, you’ll really want it down the road. Rather than go into the guiding field, I’d set myself up to pay the largest portions of your debts off in the most reasonable amount of time practical. Mainly the thing i would be looking for is a career that has good benefits and a retirement fund and hunt with what time i have available and not worry about guiding people around for someone else.

I’m not much older than you at 27, but graduated college 4 years ago and got a degree with no debt because i chose an in state school that was affordable and worked my way thru. Ive been with the same company for 9 years starting out part time. I just settled into working my way up the ladder and only the last couple years am finally seeing the “really good” compounding benefits like longer paid vacation time off based on the fact I’ve been there awhile. Settle into a career you love not a job, live within your means, and just go for it. You’ll be glad you did in the long run.


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