Just curious which states are the most firearms and business friendly?? I’ve been a lifelong shooting enthusiast and self employed most of my life. I currently work in the oil and gas industry in Canada, but much has changed here. I don’t think a wholesale relocation is possible or advisable, but starting to wonder about options.
What are the best states to live in for hunting and shooting sports?
- Thread starter jtoews80
- Start date
- Nov 4, 2004
- 24,500
- 6,937
MI is friendly with hunting, even non residents. Black Bear, Elk and Turkey seasons are based on drawing a tag. WT deer, waterfowl, upland birds, turkey (certain areas and dates) and small game are all OTC. There is also a lot of state and federal land available to hunt. Access to private property is usually difficult but not impossible to get access to. MI also has some excellent fishing for a variety of species. There are many rivers, streams, inland lakes and the great lakes that offer many opportunities.
JD338
JD338
KinleyWater
Handloader
- Jun 15, 2019
- 1,056
- 1,382
I'd like to help, but I'm not really sure exactly what you are looking for.
For your firearms question, I think you will get plenty of opinions here, and I would give them due diligence. I don't know if I can answer your question, but I can point you at some resources -
Firearms friendly - https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/ I am not a fan of the NRA, but this is a solid resource. I also think it's important to remember that legal protections are not the same thing as gun friendly. Additionally, you will often find a wide range of difference between different areas in the same state. This is most often when you move from small communities into larger cities, but not always.
Business friendly - This is way outside my scope of knowledge, but I can tell you that if you are looking to stay in oil and gas, you can look at:
Texas
Alaska
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wyoming
Utah
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Maybe others I don't know about...
I would also suggest looking at taxes in different states. This is a good place to start: https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2024/ It's a really big site with a lot of dense information, but it's worth a look.
For your firearms question, I think you will get plenty of opinions here, and I would give them due diligence. I don't know if I can answer your question, but I can point you at some resources -
Firearms friendly - https://www.nraila.org/gun-laws/ I am not a fan of the NRA, but this is a solid resource. I also think it's important to remember that legal protections are not the same thing as gun friendly. Additionally, you will often find a wide range of difference between different areas in the same state. This is most often when you move from small communities into larger cities, but not always.
Business friendly - This is way outside my scope of knowledge, but I can tell you that if you are looking to stay in oil and gas, you can look at:
Texas
Alaska
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wyoming
Utah
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Maybe others I don't know about...
I would also suggest looking at taxes in different states. This is a good place to start: https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/state/state-income-tax-rates-2024/ It's a really big site with a lot of dense information, but it's worth a look.
filmjunkie4ever
Handloader
- May 4, 2011
- 1,717
- 640
Oregon has a great variety of game to hunt, if you can draw a blessed tag. Housing is super high here. 30 of our 36 counties vote Red yet we are a Blue state.
Barf.
Barf.
xphunter
Handloader
- Sep 15, 2005
- 1,156
- 2,034
Blatant Prejudice Here... Wonderful Wyoming 
mjcmichigan
Handloader
- Dec 26, 2016
- 2,358
- 258
I can add to that. Michigan has a decent number of sporting clays courses, and shooting clubs. Ours in Midland has indoor and outdoor ranges(pistol and rifle)
25,50,100,200,300 and 600 yards, steel progressive distance steel targets(pistol)
Skeet, archery and axe… for $80 a year.. hard to beat. I think skeet is $3 per 25 …
Elk is a difficult draw, and bear requires patience… dogs or bait allowed.
