Gone, gone are the days when a drive from 101A/101 to Rt 3 was only slowed down by out of staters turning out of the antique stores by the driving range before the bottling plant. When you could go several miles (gasp!) without a Dunkin. When sighting the big green glass tower over the hotel let you know you had emerged from the wilderness with your moccassins from the World's Largest Moccasin shop as trophies and once again were ready to face the world.
(What, no, I am not familiar with the evolving pain of that drive over the years, why do you ask? ;) )

There's an Aldi just a few miles down the same road (Right across from Whole Foods at Exit 7)

Check the NH Farm Bureau list www.nhfarmbureau.org/agriculture/meat_listing/ and see who's near you. I know people that have used Barrett Hill Farm and were happy, I can't speak to the others listed.

What attributes would make a "best" for you? Equipment? People? Classes? There are options like Hampshire Hills which has a basic weight room, equipment room, tennis courts, pools, classes, etc so if best = lots of options then probably that.

This will vary tremendously based on your income level and what you're looking for in a place in FL, so what's worked for some may not work for you.

Several folks I know who have done it opted to rent their primary home out for 6 months (Nov-Apr), and either had a fixed place down south or every year hunted down a different place to rent for 6 month.

However, and oddly enough this seems to be the more affordable route... Someone else I know bought an old liveaboard-sized boat for cheap (at auction it was cheaper than a car) did some minor repairs and now lives on it at a Florida marina when there and leaves it locked up when not. Many of these "liveaboard"-focused marinas are between $10-18/month/per-boat-foot which often includes electricity, cable, wifi, amenities, waste pumpouts, etc. Downside is insurance costs can be a killer depending on the boat and location. But hey, waterfront for cheap!

1 - Don't go hiking unprepared for weather changes and terrain. That's a way higher risk to your survival than wildlife.

2 - Stay on well-marked popular trails and the risk of any encounters is minimal.

3 - Have fun.