I am simply unable to comprehend why you would want to move, I really am. I cannot imagine moving from where I am because the non typical whitetails don't seem to score as high as in the Midwest.
We all most definitely work in different ways.
I know what you mean but it kind of goes back to my original post. I don't really have a "home" in the sense that you likely know "home" because I have moved my whole life..even as a kid. The same goes for my wife.
Keep in mind I am in the military and I also moved a lot as a kid. I became a Washington resident during my career. I am still a Washington resident and hunt there but I am currently stationed in Germany. During my 37 years I have lived in Washington 11 of those (but hunted Washington for 18). The rest of my life (even as a kid) I have bounced between Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee, Kansas, Nevada, Korea, and now Germany. My wife has only lived 4.5 years in Washington and that is the longest she has ever lived anywhere in her 31 years.
The above being said... we are looking for a place to call home. That is where the opportunities for our kids come into play. Des Moines, IA has a thriving economy that is great for young adults. In addition, if my kids want jobs in Major Metro's Chicago, Minneapolis and Kansas City are not too far away. On the other hand... where we live in WA has a very weak economy that lacks in diversity of industry.
So all the above considered when we get down to the hunting....I'm a whitetail nut. Since I was a kid at the age of 10 years old I have digested everything whitetail. Hunting whitetail is a very consuming passion of mine (and now for my wife too). Of course, as a result of that I have dreamed of living and hunting in places like Iowa since I was a kid (and yes Saskatchewan /Alberta, Canada would even be a dream place to live for us... the low hunting pressure... higher percentage of top end deer, etc.). A 230+ deer is not even realistic to expect in IA or anywhere in the whitetail world (I think there is only a little over 40 that big or bigger from Iowa in the entire B&C record book). However, I like the possibilities. I think there are far more 200+ to be found in Iowa than where I am from...and probably more 180-200.
Iowa, Kansas, Saskatchewan, Alberta... those are the places that people like me who are crazy about hunting big whitetail often move to (or dream about moving to).... Look at the Wensel brothers. They uprooted from Montana where they had roots for 30 years and moved to Iowa... I read an article that "bigger whitetail and little to no winter kill" were big factors in their decision to move. People who know me are shocked that I have not already moved to Iowa or some other big whitetail location because whitetail are my thing.
I actually more or less stumbled upon what Washington has to offer due to my military career... and it has been great. The outdoor recreation opportunities have been amazing. However, just because I move to Iowa doesn't mean I can't go back and hunt WA. Access will never be a problem because I only hunt public land. I have a great network of friends in WA that will support my hunting efforts. I am familiar with the terrain and know where and how to find mature bucks relatively quickly.... and... worst case scenario... If I go to Iowa and find that it's not "the field of dreams" then I can always move back to Washington..... However, if I choose to never move to Iowa and give it a shot, learn the area, etc... Then I will always be wondering what it would be like to live in a (and arguably "the") whitetail state... If it's a bust or not all its cracked up to be its just an extra move in my life.
I can tell you that Canada would be high up on our list.. Living in Saskatchewan or Alberta would be a dream.. We love all of Western Canada. However, I'm not sure that the career transition would be easy for my wife and I....With me coming out of the military with a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Masters of Science in Operations Management (but no direct civilian equivalent to my military job as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) Specialist)... and my wife being a Registered Nurse with a Master in Business Administration (she would probably be more marketable but I'm not sure how a US healthcare business professional would integrate there since your policies, etc. are a lot different than ours)... she could eventually become a Hospital COO/CEO in the US but I am not sure if she could ever achieve that in Canada.
All this being said... If I had roots and a "home" in Saskatchewan like you do then I probably wouldn't dream of moving anywhere else either... but in the case of my wife and I... we don't have roots in any location... we don't have a home.
Trying to lower some of that Iowa hunting pressure before I get there. I will just follow in the footsteps of Horace Greeley and say "Go West, young man" .... Honestly if a guy would be happy with spending his days hunting 200 and under whitetail without much potential for killing a 210+ (which I know most of us are never likely to do in our lifetime any way) then I would say you really can't beat WA. However, I want that greater potential for a monster non-typical.... More than any of that... We are looking for a place that has great whitetail hunting combined with a great place to raise our kids... Iowa seems to be a great place in both of those areas.. Eastern Washington/Inland Northwest just doesn't have the same kind of diverse opportunity for young adults. Washington is often ranked amongst the worst states for young adults (though western WA does have some decent/diverse opportunity)... and Boise, ID is a thriving city.
