Where to retire?

[big w beagles]

The wife wants to move to get away from the cold and snow. Where would be a good place to go that has milder winters, but I could run the beagles and has plenty of public hunting?

[Casey Harner]

Hawaii..

Looks like most of the southern states are getting snow and colder temps each year.

[Mapel Valley Kennels LLC.]

This year was tuff but give me the mountains of my old kentucky home.

[rabbit chaser]

big w, my wife and I have spoke about that numerous times as well. ive got kentucky, arkansas, north florida and a few others on my radar for the winter months but Im coming back north for the summer as I want NO PART of their snakes throughout their summers!!! I got a feeling we'll end up in north florida If i had to guess.

[adirondackjoe]

how about boston?

[jusgrinnin]

I got family in Arkansas, Ga and Nc my plan is to float from one to another till spring then head back to NH.

[tobyyellott]

Louisiana is the place to live

[big w beagles]

What southern states have alot of public hunting? How's the rabbit population in the south? How's the poisonous snakes in the winter?

[Ole Mule]

Snakes hibernate in the winter in South Carolina.

[tobyyellott]

No poison snakes in winter an theres lease to get on all over the place

[Shady Grove Beagles]

I moved to Tennessee 20 years ago when I was still working but have been retired now for the past 2 years.
In regards to the weather; if you really want to get away from the winter weather you need to get [in my opinion] south of Kentucky,Virginia and Missouri as those states still get there share of "winter".
For me the states of the deep south ie Mississippi,Alabama,Georgia,Louisiana and Florida are just too HOT in the summer for me! There's a reason a beagler like Mel Faust packs up his beagles in May and heads to his place in Maine until October.
As far as weather I'd think Tennesee,Arkansas and North Carolina are a good bet for a transplanted northener.As far as rabbit populations go I can't give you a ton of personal info.I have had the opportunity to gun hunt in and trial in Kentucky and I will tell you that whenever I've gone there they have a ton of rabbits.Definetly better population than where I have lived here in Tn. [middle of the state and now in east Tn. ].Kentucky also seems to have a fair amount of public management areas.
Don't get me wrong,Tn. has plenty of cottontails but you need to line up your places and get some permission on private land to enjoy the best of them.Tn. does have a fair amount of public management areas that are good running in the off season but they get pounded pretty hard during the gun season.
I've made several trips down to the Mississippi Delta to hunt swampers and that area has literaly thousands of acreas of public managament areas and we found lots of rabbits and good running there. Their state and federal management areas are run super well and I'd say some of the best I've ever hunted on.Not a place I'd want to live though as it's very economically depressed.
As far as poisonous snakes go... when I first moved here that was a major concern as I imagine it would be for most northern outdoorsman moving south.All I can say is that in 20 years of running beagles several times a week day and nights I've seen exactly one Copperhead while running.That was at an A.R.H.A. trial and the snake lay right in the middle of the path.We all walked around it and the snake didn't move until I poked him with a stick and then he just slithered off into the brush.I've seen two other Copperheads when we were hiking up in the mountains and they were pointed out to me by some other hikers who had seen them sunning in the rocks.Again these snakes didn't do a thing while we walked past them.Yes, there are rattlers in this state but I've never seen one and I spend as much time afield as anyone else I know.So I'd say no big deal and I don't worry about them a bit!
Have never heard of any guys I've hunted with or trialed with that ever had a dog bit.
Now the states south of here is another story as I have heard they have their share of snake issues.
By the way,the average winter temp. in Tn. is 46 degrees.Some winters we get no snow but when we get 5 inches like we did last week the whole place comes to an abrupt halt!LOL.
Good luck where ever you end up.

[PREACHERS KENNEL]

I have lived all over when I was a kidd dad was in the navy.. I lived in ten since I was 14, love it wouldn't dare move...like the mountains...country living is for me . south of ten to hot during summer north to cold lol. been running beagles forever never had one snake bit including running at night ...so far good luck...I know they are there somewhere but have never bothered me or my running partners

[New York Hillbilly]

Weather has been great here in Alaska all winter. A real treat when I see the snow and cold we left back in NY.

[Shady Grove Beagles]

Hey N.Y. Hillbilly
Just curious.Do you have any beagles with you up there in Alaska?
Had a friend who went on a vacation there a few years ago and did some travelling around while there .He said he saw hare everywhere and lots of them. Said they stopped at a roadside pull off to have a little picnic and saw 3-4 hare just in that spot.Said he talked to a few folks he met and they said they'd never heard of any one using beagles to hunt up there.

[big w beagles]

Tennessee sounds like a good place to start looking for a place. Any specific areas or towns to consider? I'm not looking for anyone's hot spots, I shoot very few rabbits if any during the season. Any help would be appreciated.