Retiring in B.C.

[DeerBelly]

I have a few years to go here in Mb. but if all goes well I would like to retire in B.C. I'm thinking of Osoyoos or Kelowna but I've only driven thru there so not quite sure yet.I am an avid hunter and would like to live where I could hunt deer and other big game.Currently I do alot of upland hunting with pointing dogs in Mb.,Sask.,and N.D.but my dogs will be gone when I retire and don't plan on replacing them.I would like to hear from anyone living in the valley what the hunting is like and what type of planning is required to hunt there.I own a quad that I would like to hang onto in hopes of using it .I also enjoy ice fishing and warm weather fishing but no longer own a boat.Any info would be greatly appreciated.Thanks.

[hunterofthedeer]

I personally dont think you can go wrong anywhere in BC, but Kelowna and Osoyoos are nice and hot in the summer. The Prince George area is also really nice. A house on the outskirts of PG would be a good retirement area. There is plkenty of game to hunt and tons of lakes to fish in both summer and winter.

[bighornbob]

Great hunting in and around Kelowna (15 Minute drive). That being said housing costs are pretty high (average price of around $400,000).

BHB

[rocksteady]

MY OWN OPINION.....Avoid the Okanogan

Too big of towns, too much traffic, too much crime, too high of house prices, too much too much

The lesser known areas, West and East Kootenays, Cariboo are more laid back and offer good hunting and fishing, as well as lower house prices....

Okay, let the volley of responses from those in the OK Valley begin at me:wink:

[KB90]

Kelowna is a pretty busy place, most of the okanagan towns are really busy in the summer. If you really like it there I would choose a smaller town.

I'd be looking into the Kootneys if I were you.

[BiG Boar]

There are so many great areas to hunt in BC. Probably the best area for a huge variety of species is Prince George. However the winters are fairly mild in the OK. Just keep housing costs in mind. If it were me I would look at Cache Creek area.

[cariboobill]

Hello:

I retired 9 years ago and did many things before deciding on where I wanted to "retire" too.

Make a good list of the things you want in your new home and area. Then weight each item on the list in a priority manner. That is: if hunting is more important than a Drugstore in town, then the Hunting would get a higher weight than the Drugstore. Fishing etc. would be subject to the same rating system. Also get your wife involved in the process from the start. It can be an "objective" decision if you do it with thought.

Then I would start to look at my budget for housing, which will narrow the search again.

After that there are many places in BC, but this list will help you narrow it down. Spend the summer camping and exploring the areas listed to further narrow the search down.

The biggest problem I see with folks who retire to a new place, they make the decision where to fast. Spend time at the place during the seasons before buying. This should be your last big purchase so do not rush it. Around here some folks leave as they "did not realize the winters were so cold or long".

Hope this helps.

CB:-D

[tomahawk]

Hello:

I retired 9 years ago and did many things before deciding on where I wanted to "retire" too.

Make a good list of the things you want in your new home and area. Then weight each item on the list in a priority manner. That is: if hunting is more important than a Drugstore in town, then the Hunting would get a higher weight than the Drugstore. Fishing etc. would be subject to the same rating system. Also get your wife involved in the process from the start. It can be an "objective" decision if you do it with thought.

Then I would start to look at my budget for housing, which will narrow the search again.

After that there are many places in BC, but this list will help you narrow it down. Spend the summer camping and exploring the areas listed to further narrow the search down.

The biggest problem I see with folks who retire to a new place, they make the decision where to fast. Spend time at the place during the seasons before buying. This should be your last big purchase so do not rush it. Around here some folks leave as they "did not realize the winters were so cold or long".

Hope this helps.

CB:-D

Great advice, I am retired and this is similar to what I did when deciding where to live. Quality of life, medical care, food stores, cost of day to day living, weather and outdoor opportunities were all considered. Deerbelly, no single person can tell you where is best to live, it depends what you want in life!!

[GoatGuy]

MY OWN OPINION.....Avoid the Okanogan

Too big of towns, too much traffic, too much crime, too high of house prices, too much too much

The lesser known areas, West and East Kootenays, Cariboo are more laid back and offer good hunting and fishing, as well as lower house prices....

Okay, let the volley of responses from those in the OK Valley begin at me:wink:


Could definitely see moving out to the ek in the future. The ok is getting a bit too big. Having said that there are a few places in the koots and ek in particular that I wouldn't go. Cranbrook's at the top of the no go zone, same with anything that near castlegar, trail and fruitvale.

[saddlemaker]

I will put plug in for the Nicola Valley. 45 min to Kamloops 1 hourto kelowna. Great hunting and fishing.. Great place to live and work..

Google Merritt BC Shoveled snow for the first time this morning..can't beat that. and we don't get the winter cloud cover that the Okanagan gets

[Chuck]

Don't come to the Kootenays.......all the retirees here are trying to get to the island...that is, if they can sell out for a decent profit.

[rocksteady]

Could definitely see moving out to the ek in the future. The ok is getting a bit too big. Having said that there are a few places in the koots and ek in particular that I wouldn't go. Cranbrook's at the top of the no go zone, same with anything that near castlegar, trail and fruitvale.

WOW....You almost had me convinced that you were gonna move back to Crazybrook.....Til I kept reading:cry:.......Oh well, at least you are not down on the whole EK, just the hub:-D

[britman101]

Medical care is something a person takes for granted. However, if you move to Kelowna or Osoyoos, and have a family member that needs to see a doctor on a regular basis good luck. The only doctor you will be able to see are the ones in the walkin clinics. I would focus on areas outside the Okanagan Valley as your dollar would go further. Also, take into account with all the new taxes and other utility cost increases living in B.C. will become more expensive unfortunately over the next few years. Alberta might be a place to consider especially those small communities close the B.C. border as your dollar would go further.

[GoatGuy]

WOW....You almost had me convinced that you were gonna move back to Crazybrook.....Til I kept reading:cry:.......Oh well, at least you are not down on the whole EK, just the hub:-D

Serious when I said we could end up out there.

There are some great people in the ek and some of them live in crazybrook. Unfortunately most of the wingnuts (pretty much all of them) also live there. It's like a bait pile for wingnuts.

[rocksteady]

Serious when I said we could end up out there.

There are some great people in the ek and some of them live in crazybrook. Unfortunately most of the wingnuts (pretty much all of them) also live there. It's like a bait pile for wingnuts.

I hope you are not including me in the wingnut pile....Yet .....:wink::wink:

[sawmill]

Kimberley is great,15 minutes to the big stores in Cranny but without all the B.S.Quieter,cheaper to buy and way better water.Closer to good hunting too.

[Ronforca]

I retired in Oliver just north of Osoyoos.About 5000 people with a hospital.Very little snow in the desert and fairly mild winters.Close to the border if you like cross border shopping.Slow pace of life with many retired people.Housing costs not too bad.
Lots of Deer with Moose and Elk close by.Expect problems with Deer in your flowers as we are overrun with Mulies right in town.I checked P.G and places North but hate the cold,long winters.This is the place for hunting and the lakes are full of Bass.White tails are in the area also with a few turkeys.

[beni]

Kamloops
Clearwater
100 Mile


World class fishing on Highway 24 not too far from those 3. And A+ Hunting in and around the 3 places i've listed. Housing is cheap in Clearwater and 100 Mile area.

Big mulies, nice WT's. Waterfowl (More so in the 100 mile area), Great Moose hunting.

1 drawback... no ELK =(

[GoatGuy]

I hope you are not including me in the wingnut pile....Yet .....:wink::wink:

no, not yet at least. You would have a long way to go.

[DeerBelly]

Thanks for the great tips everyone!I really would like to get away from the long super cold winters here and the terrible insects that stop you from enjoying the outdoors when it finally does warm up.Black flies and mosquitoes ruin it for me.