I was stationed at Fort Drum, NY from 2016-2020. The north country was a completely new beast for a small town southerner like myself. I’ve never seen snow, I’ve never felt freezing temperatures, and I’ve also never seen a trapline before. (Or snow incase you missed it the first time). My first winter was brutal. I froze. Near frostbite, near hypothermia, near death. I was inexperienced and unprepared for what I had coming to me. The Army kinda gives you a crash course on how to dress, but I thought it was hogwash. I soon found out after I learned how to dress properly, that the north country had a lot to offer and wasn’t just a whiteout wasteland. I was used to 60-70lb blue catfish, not walleye, salmon, bullhead and ohhhh the bullfrogs!! Snowmobiles everywhere. Ice fishing for perch and eyes. My shanty was up before the sun, cooking eggs and sausage. Once my time in the Army started to wind down I realized that it also meant I would have to leave the place that at first I dreaded, but then deeply have a love for. I think about going back every single day. My wife is completely against it, and we have a 3 year old and a 2 year old. I wouldn’t have a job right off, I wouldn’t have stability other than my disability. “I don’t like the cold” she says.. I said, “ I guess I shouldn’t bring up going to Alaska huh”. I get the usual eye roll, knowing no matter what I say its just not happening. It’s not so bad here, I mean I was raised here. Before the Army I never actually left the state besides maybe once or twice just to go to Raleigh. I’ve been an outdoorsman my entire life. I’m not going to get all sappy on you guys, but it wasn’t because I was raised up that way. I lived in a very abusive household, so getting in the woods was the only thing that gave me peace. And as I grew older, heck, even now I don’t have to defend myself daily anymore, yet the woods are the only place I can find peace, mentally and physically besides the trap shed, and even then I’m thinking, “okay, if I just spend $200 she won’t know”. Lol. I’m not sure if I’m posting this to get feedback, or if I’m posting this simply because I just needed to get this out. I hope that someone understands and maybe can offer me some kind words. Thank you for listening.

Maybe you need a new wife .....lol

The woods are medicine for the mind

Your wife may not get that yet , but hopefully will

It gets harder to move the older your kids are

Keep pushing Alaska and maybe she will compromise


Good luck man !

Happy wife, happy life. There's a lot of places between South Carolina and the Canadian border. Good luck.

Yes, you're crazy to go north. But I feel about southern swamps the way you feel about snow and ice. LOL

I live not far from where you were stationed at Fort Drum.

Then you know about dexter and how trolling those spoons fills your belly with the good stuff. Or how the bullhead run in Indian River is as easy as one two 40. Lol.

I have two “stress relievers” in my life. The gym and the woods.

I go to the gym basically when no one is there, just me and the weights. My earbuds are in with whatever music suits me that day and I workout until my towel I take in with me is drenched in sweat. I joke if I pass anyone coming in, to go easy on the weights, as they have surrendered.

The woods (extremely lucky, blessed, etc that I have 2500ac to come and go on as I please) are my solitude. Whether I’m checking cameras, scouting for deer or predator sign, or even sometimes just going to sit and listen is where whatever didn’t leave my body at the gym, get released there.

Luckily I have a wife that understands this. She understands my need for a challenge even if it involves an out of state trip. She jokes on why I carry a bow/gun when all I do is video or take pics. She even understands trapping and is somewhat used to the smells that come with it and dead critters on the trailer after I empty out the truck. But, she understands, and that’s all that matters.

Its never too late to live out a dream. For us ours were 5 and 6. Never looked back! That was 50 years ago this year.

Kindest words I have is to "Go West Young Man"

And have no regrets.

Some will understand

Well Matt i am glad you got to experience life in the north country ..... I was born and raised here and love all the things u mention especially breakfast on the ice ! Some people just don't understand .... Good luck convincing the wife ....

Walleye and perch are my main fish.We also have a Bullhead tournament on Black lake every end of April,(or as soon as the ice goes out).I think our record so far for 30 guys fishing,,for 2 nights(6 hours each night for a total of 12 hours of fishing) Is 3,800 Bullhead. Yup,,not a misprint.Thats Three Thousand Eight Hundred fish.Our hands are bloody messes of hamburger after taking that many Bullhead off your hooks.Just smacked a cooler full of Yellow Perch a couple days ago.I kept nothing under 10".A lot of 12 and 13 inchers.I fished Dexter a lot,,and also shot eleventy billion ducks there over the years.

Eel bay was where we catcheded the perches and northern. You ever been half drunk and seen 3 flags fly up at one time? Oh. Me either.... lol. I think we caught 70 in one night on the Indian river. That was the most I’ve ever seen be caught in person. I’ve came home with a little under 200 perch though between me and some buddies. Handers, not 4 inchers.

Ice fish Eel Bay a lot.Very shallow Bay.When the Perch are on,,we can realy smack them there.Peek down the hole and you can watch them go after your bait.My grandkids love chasing them tip-up flags.LOL,,I just watch them and keep jigging my perch.

I don't live to far from fort drum, if you don't like the weather, wait a minute it'll change.

Precisely. They would surround our tip up baits, so we would pull one up and go to jigging. One after the next.

Aint that the truth.

My wife is begging to go back to Alaska or Idaho.

I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska, but I feel like that’s just too much. Upstate NY is actually really nice in the summer.

My older son and his wife went to Alaska for their honeymoon.They Both love to hunt and fish.When they got back,,I said you probly want to move there now .He said,,NOPE.We had a fantastic time(they cought tons of salmon and Halibut),,but we realy have it made right here in Upstate NY as far as the variety of hunting,fishing and trapping we have.He loves brook trout fishing and whitetail deer hunting.No Whitetails in Alaska.

The western Adirondacks in 2013 looked just like how I remembered it when I graduated from Wanakena in 1971. Good people, good hunting, fishing, and trapping. I know exactly why you like it so much.

That being said Western NC or SW Virginia is a place both you and your wife may like. I enjoyed that area for over twenty years until I decided to move to a place I'd never been before.