Would my lifestyle transplant to Utah?

[Thumbcocker]

Mrs. Thumbcocker and I are really smitten with southern Utah. We were wondering if our lifestyle would transplant there. We own over 60 acres of land. We have a garden, fruit trees and all the firewood we need on the land. We also each get free landowner deer and Turkey tags. We have no problem getter g 2 or 3 deer a year. Just walk out the back door and get into our stand. (1/4 mile or so walk).

The question is: How feasible is a similar lifestyle in Utah? Firewood looks a more scarce in lots of places. Also is it feasible for a couple of folks in their 60's to hunt enough red meat to get by? I handgun hunt exclusively so that would be a factor. Don't care about horns just meat. Also how about garden and fruit trees? Input would be appreciated.

[gon2shoot]

Different country, different life. I was born and raised in the 4 corners area, lots of open country, not much water.

[ascast]

I drill some oil wells there years ago. No water. no plants, no fruit trees, no garden, no criters that eat that stuff. It is breath taking beautifully but harsh. Walk around for day or week to try it out. There are several homesteader groups on the net. I will be seeing a nephew this wkend. He lives in that part of the world a is a big hunter. I'll get back to you.

[am44mag]

Mrs. Thumbcocker and I are really smitten with southern Utah. We were wondering if our lifestyle would transplant there. We own over 60 acres of land. We have a garden, fruit trees and all the firewood we need on the land. We also each get free landowner deer and Turkey tags. We have no problem getter g 2 or 3 deer a year. Just walk out the back door and get into our stand. (1/4 mile or so walk).

The question is: How feasible is a similar lifestyle in Utah? Firewood looks a more scarce in lots of places. Also is it feasible for a couple of folks in their 60's to hunt enough red meat to get by? I handgun hunt exclusively so that would be a factor. Don't care about horns just meat. Also how about garden and fruit trees? Input would be appreciated.

With the sole exception of your land being in the People's Republic of Illinois, it sounds like absolute paradise on earth.

Look around and see what's available in Southern Utah. See if you can find out about how good the hunting is in the area. Preferably from locals. A garden might be possible on the land, but fruit trees might be asking a bit too much depending on the land and it's access to water. I haven't been to Utah (yet), but if it's anything like Arizona then I can tell you that firewood is not going to be plentiful unless you want to burn sagebrush and dried up cactus. Oh, and the dry heat is going to feel like sandpaper when the wind is really blowing. I believe you get used to it. Beats swimming in high humidity heat though. As an East Texan, I can tell you that for sure.

If you move there, some parts of your lifestyle are going to have to change. That can be a good thing sometimes though. Sit down with your wife and look over the pros and cons. You might decide you will like those changes or that they're worth the benefits of living in Utah.

[ShooterAZ]

Utah is not all Salt Cedar & Sagebrush! There are some nice valleys with plenty of water, fruit trees and grass. The problem is...most, if not all those spots have already been spoken for. If you have some dough, you may be able to pursued someone to sell you some good land. :popcorn:

[Sweetpea]

Ralph, you guys have already looked around cedar city a bit, that would be a good area. It is a little warmer down here by st George, but livable.

In between is Leeds, and there is wonderful soil there, I have several sets of in laws that live there, and their gardens are amazing.

Gardens and fruit trees are definitely doable here, as well as nut trees.

As far as hunting, buck tags for any legal weapon come every 2-3 years, but there are doe tags, cow elk tags, and you can buy bull elk tags over the counter.

Acreage can be hard to come by, but I have heard of a ten acre ranch property nearby, with 5 buildings on it, for about $600k.

I think you and Janet would love it here, but I'm sure it would be a big step.

But here, it is free to go in the hills and shoot your 44 as far as you wish.

Brandon

[trebor44]

Mrs. Thumbcocker and I are really smitten with southern Utah. We were wondering if our lifestyle would transplant there. We own over 60 acres of land. We have a garden, fruit trees and all the firewood we need on the land. We also each get free landowner deer and Turkey tags. We have no problem getter g 2 or 3 deer a year. Just walk out the back door and get into our stand. (1/4 mile or so walk).

The question is: How feasible is a similar lifestyle in Utah? Firewood looks a more scarce in lots of places. Also is it feasible for a couple of folks in their 60's to hunt enough red meat to get by? I handgun hunt exclusively so that would be a factor. Don't care about horns just meat. Also how about garden and fruit trees? Input would be appreciated.

It depends, do a lot more research before you leap. Traveling through an area is not the same as living there. Some things to think about are 'water rights', travel distance to medical, the local dominant religion, taxes, shopping (food and supplies), weather and related events - year round, not just the tourist season, transportation (air, train etc.) and of course the price of real estate. Otherwise it is your choice.
I lived, traveled and have friends in Utah, but prefer my current location despite all the new emigrants, the absurd development, loss of game and quiet places and the need to pack water for local day hikes!

[flyingmonkey35]

I live in northern utah but spent 9 years in saint George.

Land. Apple pear and nut trees do well.

Look for furit )/ nut farms in the area and ask them for tips

Forget fire wood you won't need it. But if you still want it it can be found. Get a permit for dead timberline and you can break a truck.

Stay away from Colorado city / hilldale.

Kanab is awesome smallish town.

Saint George is booming. But hotter then hell in the summer.

Gun laws are as relaxed as you can get.
Open carry
Ccw us cheap and easy to get.
No limit on how many guns you can buy or own.
Some gas stations still sell ammo.

Pro
Friendly people everywhere
You can feel safe every where.
Very pretty views.

Cons
Taxes in Utah Suck. We tax milk for petes sake.
The dominant religion can be a bit pushy.
Roads can be ****ty And salty in the winter.
Alcohol is run by state liquor stores.
Beer is .3% unless you buy it at the liquor store.


Hunting is different story.

Must buy anew permit every year.

Get a combo fishing / game.

We have a lottery on all med to large game.

You are not gaurnteed to draw out.
Deer
5 - 15 bucks gets you In if you don't get a tag. You get a point. Up till 5 points the you Auto get one. That's the rifel hunt.

Bow / black powder / etc. Are easier to get.

Water foul is in season only. Just need your permit.

Elk / moose/ ram etc.. take longer to draw out. Rules are different.

Buffalo is a once in a lifetime draw. And only 4 are awarded a year.

But hey we gave it.

Dangerous game.

Couger, mountain lion and bear are also possible.

Coyte you get paid 25 bucks for each head.



Joke
Whats the difference between Utah beer and making live in a canoe.

Not much there both fudging near water.



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[MT Gianni]

Most are shocked at the high prices of western land. There are as of now plenty of benefits. Only you can make that determination. The best way is to move there 4-6 months and rent to make sure it is what you want to do.

[KenH]

Beer is .3% unless you buy it at the liquor store.

Is that really 0.3% beer? OR 3% beer? 0.3% is non-alcoholic...... well, almost anyway. For sure wouldn't be any getting drunk on 0.3% beer - stomach wouldn't hold that much!

[Thumbcocker]

Actually houses seem quite reasonable. With access to public land for hunting etc. one could compromise on acreage. Land in Illinois that will grow crops is around $7000 an acre in some places.

[Sweetpea]

Is that really 0.3% beer? OR 3% beer? 0.3% is non-alcoholic...... well, almost anyway. For sure wouldn't be any getting drunk on 0.3% beer - stomach wouldn't hold that much!

3.2%, for now. Next year the legislature is going to look at changing that, as less and less states are requiring it, so the brewers are deciding that it just isn't worth making it anymore.

Yes, the liquor stores are state run, and they have declared that they will be unable to handle the volume of selling ALL beer in the state.

[bob208]

one thing I have heard from some guys that have bought land west of the Mississippi is make shore you have the water rights in the deed.

[MUSTANG]

one thing I have heard from some guys that have bought land west of the Mississippi is make shore you have the water rights in the deed.

Sound advise. We looked at "Weekend" places in Utah a couple decades ago so we could get out of the LAsVegas Basin desert on weekends in the summer. Accessing water is very difficult. Most water rights have been assigned in Utah; this includes Culinary Water Rights (House Use). On the various properties we looked at from Panguich Utah down to the Saint George Utah area we could NOT get water rights and would have had to have a Cistern/Storage Tank and buy water that was trucked in.

If you can find a small farm/ranch that has water with it; that would be your best bet in Utah.

[pjames32]

I live in NW New Mexico and spend some time in SE Utah. Water is key in our area and water rights are precious. If you want land with water it will be expensive, but you will need it for gardens/fruit trees. Utah is heavily LDS and they are farmers so there is irrigated ground. I don't hunt there so I have no knowledge of freezer hunting. That can be difficult in New Mexico. Beautiful country and if you stay above 5000' elevation the weather is great year round.

[trebor44]

Sound advise. We looked at "Weekend" places in Utah a couple decades ago so we could get out of the LAsVegas Basin desert on weekends in the summer. Accessing water is very difficult. Most water rights have been assigned in Utah; this includes Culinary Water Rights (House Use). On the various properties we looked at from Panguich Utah down to the Saint George Utah area we could NOT get water rights and would have had to have a Cistern/Storage Tank and buy water that was trucked in.

If you can find a small farm/ranch that has water with it; that would be your best bet in Utah.

Before you leap, check this out: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiaqK7isO_dAhUUCjQIHUBdCBcQFjAAegQIChAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ksl.com%2F%3Fnid%3D148%26sid %3D4001252&usg=AOvVaw3K5olHp8LwjO2Sr4zTSTKd

And there is lots more if you google 'water rights west' or utah, colorado etc. for water rights. The current status of water rights has and is being contested in the courts. Fun reading is "Cadillac Desert". Enchantment is in the eye of the beholder and as such is filtered by their perceptions!

[KenH]

WOW!! illegal to catch rainwater! I guess I won't be moving to Utah

[Thumbcocker]

Home is looking better all the time.

[Sweetpea]

WOW!! illegal to catch rainwater! I guess I won't be moving to Utah

That changed about 5 years ago.

[jmort]

Home is looking better all the time.

Why not come south to the Ozarks???
Maxium freedom
Low cost of living and inexpensive real estate
Similar to where you live now, with better weather

[Char-Gar]

Utah is the Mormon hive. They will be your best friend, as long as they think you might join their tribe. When it becomes clear you won't, then you will be lonly there. They are a clannish bunch.

[Firebricker]

I have no idea about being there year round. But I used to go there a couple months at a time for work. And I think it really is a wonderful area. Fly into SLC and take a trip to Price ,Utah take a drive around check out Sunnyside. Local people are nice there I believe they will give you an idea of things are.

[rockshooter]

I lived in Sunnyside as a kid- company-owned coal mining town. I lived in Utah for 32 years- would never go back.
Loren

[Idaho45guy]

Why not come south to the Ozarks???
Maxium freedom
Low cost of living and inexpensive real estate
Similar to where you live now, with better weather
My ex father and mother-in-law moved to Buena Vista Arkansas a few years ago and love it.

I love the ecosystems up here in the northwest, but it is expensive.

[flyingmonkey35]

Is that really 0.3% beer? OR 3% beer? 0.3% is non-alcoholic...... well, almost anyway. For sure wouldn't be any getting drunk on 0.3% beer - stomach wouldn't hold that much!3%

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[Wag]

I was born and raised in the Mormon cult and even as Mormons, we didn't like Utah because Utah Mormons seem to think they are better than other Mormons. Kinda funny, actually. (I've since booted the cult to the curb and my life is infinitely improved!) If you go to Salt Lake City and live there, the ratio is about 50/50. If you get outside SLC, such as the area you're talking about, the ratio is closer to 85% to 95% Mormon and that can make it pretty tricky to get used the culture and norms. St. George might be another exception more similar to SLC because it's very close to Las Vegas.

But Southern Utah is beautiful. I grew up in the Northeastern AZ, close to the Four Corners area and I love it up there. Where we lived was about 7,000 feet up but because it was so dry, we didn't get a lot of snow in the winter. It could get just below 0F, though, so cold weather was sometimes an issue. Given the opportunity, I would seriously consider moving back there or to other points near Moab, St. George, Lake Powell, etc.

Most of the rest of what's posted above really matters. Make sure if you buy land that you get grandfathered water rights, otherwise, you'll be severely limited on how much irrigation you can do, even if you drill your own well. Also, if you get those water rights, it will increase the demand on the property if you do decide to sell it later on. The same is almost as true with mineral rights. Make sure you get grandfathered mineral rights but it a lot less important and you may not need to be too hung up on it.

Part of the reason the land out west is so expensive is because a majority of the land is not available to private ownership. Much of it is owned by tribal and federal governments and they aren't giving it up. Much of the privately available land is owned by railroads who have had it for a hundred years or more when the federal government was giving it away to them in order to incentivize them into laying track out west. That's changing a bit as the RR's are more inclined to sell now in order to remain solvent.

All good advice in the posts above. It's a radical change for you so be ready to be very flexible. I'd suggest finding a place out there to rent during the summer for at least a month and see what you think. Figure out what you think is the most appealing based on your on line searches and then test drive it for long enough to matter.

Best of luck to you and let us know how it goes!

--Wag--

[MT Gianni]

one thing I have heard from some guys that have bought land west of the Mississippi is make shore you have the water rights in the deed.

That would quadruple the price and eliminate 98% of the properties. In most western states an individual water well is legal for home use. It is illegal to use that for large scale irrigation and for stock water on a large scale.

[Idaho45guy]

I was born and raised in the Mormon cult and even as Mormons, we didn't like Utah because Utah Mormons seem to think they are better than other Mormons. Kinda funny, actually. (I've since booted the cult to the curb and my life is infinitely improved!) If you go to Salt Lake City and live there, the ratio is about 50/50. If you get outside SLC, such as the area you're talking about, the ratio is closer to 85% to 95% Mormon and that can make it pretty tricky to get used the culture and norms. St. George might be another exception more similar to SLC because it's very close to Las Vegas.



Hopefully your experience didn't sour you on true Christianity...

My dad grew up as a Lutheran on a farm outside of Rupert, ID. Solid Mormon country. He has some pretty heartbreaking tales of discrimination and prejudice against him and his family by Mormons. Trying to live as a true Christian and a "gentile" in Mormon country can be rough. It's a pretty unforgiving cult to be a victim of.

[nun2kute]

That was a really interesting thread to read through, kinda re-enforced my Love for all you guy's. Didn't know there was so many that felt like I do. The country here is very Beautiful, top to bottom. It's the people that make it ... not so ? The only thing I know about southern Utah is they named Hurricane appropriately, and St. George IS hotter than hell in the summer. Northern end is pretty much gone unless you got lots and lots of money.

[JoeJames]

Why not come south to the Ozarks???
Maxium freedom
Low cost of living and inexpensive real estate
Similar to where you live now, with better weatherAnd warmer, and plenty of water. 53" so far this year.

[flyingmonkey35]

Please don't turn this into a Mormon bashing post.

That being said Its not a cult. The difference between a cult and a relgion Is the amount of members.

They now have more active members then the Catholic Church. Yes Active is the key word.

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[Minerat]

Please don't turn this into a Mormon bashing post.

That being said Its not a cult. T.....

Start bashing a religion will get this shut down or posts deleted. Please keep it on topic for the OP's sake. Thank you.

[trebor44]

Please don't turn this into a Mormon bashing post.

That being said Its not a cult. The difference between a cult and a relgion Is the amount of members.

They now have more active members then the Catholic Church. Yes Active is the key word.

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Understanding the the who, when and how of religions is something that has fascinated me for over six decades. They all have positive and negative aspects to their basic tenets. The members are the ones who put those tenets into practice or discrimination. Here is one of many interesting distribution maps: https://brilliantmaps.com/religion-world-map/ makes for interesting research. BUT one has to live within a society to see if it tolerable to your lifestyle. Try it before you buy it!