[TheJoker]

Hello ... I've got a great job prospect in a small town a little north of Wadena, MN.

What are the CCW laws? Are there any good ranges? Shooting clubs?

What's life in Minnesota like? Are folks friendly?

I'm sure there's not too much difference between rural Indiana and rural Minnesota...'cept for a couple extra months of winter. Am I going to be able to get around okay in my rear wheel drive car?

Help me decide if relocating is an option!!! Thanks!!!

[BPierce]

Is it Sabeka? I live on a lake just NW of Detroit Lakes.

I think you will like MN. Folks around here are really self reliant and tolerant. In fact you may find them a bit cold but that is a misconception. "Minnesota nice", is real. They are just rather unemotional but I have never lived anywhere that people would go so far out of their way to help.

Fishing and hunting are a way of life here. The area you are talking about is good deer hunting and I think you can shoot 1 buck and 4 does in that area. We have had a bit of a problem with fishing in recent years. Largemouth bass have gone into a sort of boom and they keep tearing up your tackle. Getting to be quite a pest when you are trying to catch a mess of bluegills. Nearly every lake has a public access.

Most ranges are owned by local conservation clubs and are open to members only but it's inexpensive and easy to join one. I have my own range and the neighbors use it. Not much need to carry a weapon for protection but it's easy to get a state permit if you want.

As far as snow is concerned, I have a RW drive van and my wife has a FW drive sedan. We live on a township road and get by but a 4WD vehicle would be nice. Keep in mind that government services are not a real big thing and if you live on a road that the school bus doesn't travel, it might be a while till you see a plow.

Let me know if you need more info. or want to see some pictures.

[TheJoker]

Yes, it is Sabeka. Thanks for the info.

[lefty o]

the one thing you need to know about MN, we only have 2 seasons- winter, and road construction, and sometimes the latter runs into the winter. i offer a slight correction to what has been said, MN nice is real, but you have to get out of the twin cities area too see it.

[big boomer]

to get a CCW you have to take a class costs 100-150 dollars and then pay for the Lic. another 100.00 and its good for 3 or 5 years I forget which at which point you pay again. Hunting is fairly good if you can find a place to do it and there are ranges to shoot. We have one by Hutchinson called Gopher campfire. If you move up here get in touch so we can meet and I will show you the gun shops.

[killer]

Two wheel vehicles are fine up here. It's the idiots that don't know how to drive in winter that are the prob.

Wadena is in what most refer to as "central" Minnesota known for fishing/hunting. Lot's of lakes and heavily wooded. The mosquito's seem to be heavier I think when I'm there compared to north east MN where I have a cabin. You can see the cabin with the link in my signature below.

You'll find shooting clubs all over the State just goggle up "Gun Clubs Minnesota."

The State Department Natural Resources (DNR) is generally user friendly towards us, unfortunately, the goof balls that run the State are always looking to restrict guns in one way or another.

Minnesota has always voted "blue" but thats because the vast majority of the people live around St Paul/Mpls, and the higher the buildings the more liberal the thinking surrounding the tall buildings. You'll run into these types on the weekends as they escape the "Twin Cites" but they generally don't stray too far from 'Starbucks' and stay on the paved hiking/biking trails the State has built everywhere.

Some of the area I hunt one can get quite lost. You can head in the wrong direction and NOT hit a road of any type for 10 miles.

[Heavy shooter]

Quote:       Originally Posted by TheJoker

Hello ... I've got a great job prospect in a small town a little north of Wadena, MN. What are the CCW laws? Are there any good ranges? Shooting clubs? What's life in Minnesota like? Are folks friendly? I'm sure there's not too much difference between rural Indiana and rural Minnesota...'cept for a couple extra months of winter. Am I going to be able to get around okay in my rear wheel drive car? Help me decide if relocating is an option!!! Thanks!!!

I used to live in Wadena. That area is great. If you hunt deer there is probably no better of an area in the state than between Wadena and Park Rapids (Sebeka is right in the middle). You would be minutes from 2 huge state forests, 30 Minutes from Itasca state park, 1hr 20 minutes from Leech lake. Go about 30 minutes west and you can be at Ottertail Lake (top five walleye lake in the state). It's really a sportmans paradise there.

Wadena has a shooting range. Knob hill sportsman club. You would need to become a member, But it's a decent 200' yard rifle range. It's a non-supervised type of range. There really isn't as much need for a range up there because everyone has land or access to land.


2WD is fine. The people are very friendly especially in that area. It really isn't a whole lot different than most of Indiana that I've seen except much colder. We like it, It keeps the rif raf out.

[Heavy shooter]

Quote:       Originally Posted by killer

Some of the area I hunt one can get quite lost. You can head in the wrong direction and NOT hit a road of any type for 10 miles.

I hunt up by Bemidji. It's like that there too. I used to hunt in Huntersville State Forest and you could go miles there too.


Try going north of Thief River Falls sometime. You could wander into Canada up there.