Cost of hunting ?

Spin off of a thread being debated in the public hunting section & also as pappy say's: What once twas the price of poormans food stamps is becoming a Richmans sport.

How much ya'll spend on hunten ?

Over the years, guns, archery, crossbow, stands, leases, food plots, $48.00 WMA permit, gas per trip, texidermists, & other odds & ends.

50+ years of hunting here, most spent in a year, little over a grand. Twas last lease, 200 acres, just us, family of 4, equaled $250.00 per gun, 3 deer taken off lease, & several hogs taken at WMA. Guns, stands were already payed for. The other years, less than $500.00 if was on a lease.

Leases kept going up, & thar be truth ta statement: gotta pay ta play.

First lease, got on it for hog hunts. Bank sold it, ones on lease i knew found opening in different county, same price, it showed 4 deer county. After payment & new hunting regs came out, seen it 1 buck, 2-3 day for chance 1 doe. Talking gun hunt, did archery season also. reason for openings on lease, less deer. Smith Co. were lived, buck only, NO doe tags, told not enough deer. Got D- in grammer, wont that imbalance heard ? So when hogs started following creek, turned ta hog hunting, the other wild game, for en & chillen let deer #ers grow. Years later 4 deer county. 4 deer leases = higher prices.

Some of ya are old enough ta remember when hunting leases started. MN never had leasing, so it was new ta me. some probley thinking carpet bagger, me being a yankee.

Ya dont haveta post what ya spend, yet being honest with ones self, all have seen price of hunting leases going up.

Do we really want to go there? Remember, your wife might read your post!

she can read it, what makes you think thar b a problem.

I could easily feed my family Kobe Beef every night of the week for what I see many spend each year on a few backstraps. Did not used to be this way. We never had digital range finders or wind meters. We stepped off the yardage and put sticks in the ground or tied ribbons. I could watch the ribbons for wind info. The latest camo pattern was plaid. We used five gallon bucket feeders with holes and a stick. We used rifles passed down to us. Never lost a deer. Hunted on 200 acres shared by the masses. Always got my deer. Back then, only people who couldn't afford a bullet used bows. The moneychangers have bamboozled folks into believing they have to spend money on every fool thing imaginable. We never worried about scent blockers. We were hunting big, dumb rodents that we figured we could outsmart pretty easily. Seems we were right. By the way, scent block science isn't science at all and doesn't hold a drop of water, but it flies off the shelves. Ask the Columbians if you can "block" scent from an animal with really great olfactory senses. You get out of the shower and immediately start shedding epithelials. By the way, you can wear a pink tuxedo in the stand...the deer don't care! Just sayin!

More than I would like to.

I’ve spent plenty and don’t mind doing it. I’m hunting someone else’s land, after all. However, I’m tired of doing it, and I’m turning my focus to chasing critters out west, where I still spend plenty, but I feel that I get more for my money.

Agree with sneaky.

helped several with making thar land taxes for chance ta take a deer for en & chillen. No problems with land owners, even offered ta help with fences.
Taxes were the first thing came outa my paycheck. People shared leases with, were pretty much same low-income, do some camping, fellow ship, & legal twas legal.
One hunter shot yearling, they not as tough as 5,6,7yr ol bucks. He got teased, your season is done. He came back with: ya an i can sleep in late.
Next year a yearling stepped out, thinking got 2 months, let it walk. He never seen another buck. No one was seeing bucks, this was lease that went 4 deer ta 1buck, 2-3 day for a doe. Was doing the execative hunt, sitting in a box stand, waiting.
deer do pattern hunters, seen it on first lease. So went back ta way usdta hunt.
Last two days, seen two different bucks. fair tis fair, they bet me.
Thanks ta all who share their opinions. Tis discussion part of form.

I really do not want to know how much we spend on the outdoor recreation.

Let's see, just my Matador GDE hunt this November (whether I get one or not).......

$3 app fee, 130 for permit, 315 for license, 8 nights hotel at $100 per night, 8 days driving for gas in 2500 miles about $600, food for the trip for another $400, one bullet for $2....

About $2250 for the chance to get chiggers, snakebite, lost and stuck in the mud with 4 flat tires, a..n..d.. maybe see a deer!

I could care less what others spend or what I spend.

LOL, not gonna go there, we bought property years ago to hunt on and not have to lease.....not inexpensive....

Hunting is what you put in to it. A man can hunt every weekend on public for the cost of a license a man can hunt once a year in Africa for 50k.

I don't lease, so I have a lot less expense in that area than most Texans. I put in for a lot of TPWD permits each year, hunt secluded spots on public land locally, and am building points in several Western states in a system that lets me take one big DIY trip a year. I've got quite a bit of money wrapped up in gear, but annually, I really don't spend all that much money for quite a bit of hunting (though my wife might disagree). Hunting doesn't have to be all that expensive, as long as you do the "big ticket" trips outside of Texas.

Also, ducknbass, I've been to Africa. You should look into it, it is a whole lot less expensive than you think it is, and it is an experience that will change your life. I've hunted from Alaska to Sonora and the Gila to the Chesapeake, but nothing is like Africa. Obviously, I don't know your situation, but most Texas hunters could skip a year on the lease and pinch pennies a little and be able to afford a trip to Africa. IMO, it is well worth that.

About 10 years ago I read in the FTW Star Telegram that hunters bring 12 million a year to Llano County alone.

If you can't work and spend money on what you enjoy what is the use of it all?

When I was a kid, Fredericksburg would put sacks with "Welcome hunters" on the parking meters over opening weekend and maybe the following week. Fbg. has changed a lot since then and the meters are gone. I do think leases were more attainable for a guy that was interested back then.

1 box of Hornady Superformance 25-06, $35. $35 / 20 bullets = $1.75 per bullet. 5 tags, 5 bullets = $8.75.

Thats what I tell my wife........ I dont discuss the rest!!!!!!!!!!!!

In today’s times, I don’t think hunting for an average person is any more expensive than most other hobbies. What gets people is writing that big sum at once instead of metering it out over the course of a year.

People say leases are too high but will drop a few grand on season tickets to a baseball or basketball team.


There is cost associated with it, no way around it. An OTC elk tag is gonna run a non res $675, and that’s before you drive there. Deer tag is $300 something a bear about the same.

Feed, feeders, stands, etc all cost money. If a person chooses not to use them, it’s their choice.


People spend there discretionary income in many different ways, some people collect sports memorabilia, some go to concerts,traveling to destinations, gambling in Vegas, Louisiana, etc.

Different strokes for different folks.

Between tree & six fiddy, give or take a few hunnert. Could be dollas or tousands.
Moe or less pending on ifin you wanna kill big antlers or jus a regalure ol deer.

I gotz no problems with yanky's, is is them folks that don't unnerstand that the hi lited werdz or squiggly lines unner the werdz thayz tipe are mispelled & allz they gots do do is tap on them so day gets fixed automagically.

realy did get D- in spelling. Helt back in 1st grade, got bullied alot, so dont bothers me none if one questions me gramner, used humor, as pappy say's: i gotta be me, no one else wants the job. dis be hunten forum, people get too hing up on grammer. Tis sure mist can understand what ya typed.
Were grew up, hunten twas a means ta put on d or in freezer for later. Ya can call me crazy just dont call me lazy.
tis a thinken why so many low-income workers like Pres. Trump tired of living pay check ta pay check. At foundry had many nick names, yankee, even called damn yankee, easy money shovel 10hours a day, last day 16-24, dey looked at me aplication, & handed me an idiot stick & put me down in d hole.
They always talked how bad times are, we dont make money on clean up. Yet ya figure it in with d price. Did get 2dolla raise & new tidel, set-up. More cleaning up, if ya ever worked on sand system. Others called me. caveman - hog hunts at night flash light off pistal on me hip.
Ya, gots nothen genst helpen land owners with taxes, helped a few, payed taxes on me hard earned money. dont know why people gets so touchy cause dont wanna pay big bucks for few stakes on me low-income salary. Helped out with d hog :confused2 problem with my guns, bullets, & time.
Thars d proof.

I agree, Don.

Once I discovered traveling to other states, and then other countries and hunting there, my expenses increased dramatically. To pay for this, I worked more overtime, and then started a business on the side to make more money. Now I'm self employed doing remodels for clients, and making more money to afford to do what I want. Hunting has been the motivation to make more money for me to be able to go places that I would have never even thought of before I got the bug to hunt different places. My friends that I used to go to the mountains and hunt every year are still doing that exact same thing with the same people. They enjoy it, but I found it to be kind of boring, so I quite going with them decades ago. Now we rarely even talk about hunting with them because our goals are so different.

I spent about $282 on tags this year.

If you count equipment, I estimate that I have spent around $6,745 in the last few years. That's on stuff that I actually use, I've probably spent more than that on stuff that I didn't like or it didn't work. Equipment doesn't need to be replaced every year, so I'm not sure it counts.

I don't count things like gas and food. I drive around and eat anyway.

I spend more than I ever imagined I would, between dove, ducks and deer it’s well over a thousand more than I thought it would be. Lease cost, Deer feeders, food plots for ducks and deer, ammo etc. Don’t get the wife started on 4 wheeler, implements, and all the time away.

Truth be told...I spend all I can afford every year.

Worth every penny too

This year I've bought 2 new rifles and scopes for each, a tripod stand and countless bags of corn

YOLO!

Hmmm, sorta like asking, how much do you spend on you recreation...guess it depends on your disposable income and your recreational opportunities...answer, it varies from year to year...

Y'all ever add up makeup, haircuts & color, dermatology products, shoes, wine, etc some spend. Hunting is nothing. I make almost 4x what I made when I got out of school and lease fee is the same as 10 years ago. I still mow my own lawn, well my boy does now.

as pappy once said:
Would rather be hunting or fishing than working, but a wise person realizes by working can afford ta hunt or fish.

As low-income worker always heard from others, how hard times are.
One of me first posts twas of when we went ta a (credit adviser), showed em our bills & such. Then was asked any ither expenses ? Wich said, $200.00 hunting lease.
Twas told, thats BAD investment. So YA agree with your statement.
We did the family tent camping, ever since little ones in diapers. Lease was family outing, with chance ta put on d 24-7-365 food stamps averaged less than dollar a day. So we got up & left. Our kids didnt know just how poor we was. Doing more with less. Even helped out land owners with taxes, & hog problems, Twas a Blessing when WMA opened up just down d road, $40.00 permit back then, cheaper dan $200.00. Still helped land owners, put out d word, afordable hunts, an can be some of d best do it yourself hog hunts, surrounding areas, tis privet, 24-7-365 hunting pressure.
d hogs not a problem big bucks in hog hunten. 3 types of hunters. Low-income hear, & when tis cheaper at d store, just go back ta campen & enjoy d wildlife. Tis thinken high prices stops lots from hunting. Cost of living goes up, twas lucky ta get an hour raise, always hear, times is tough.

I try not to think about it. Just tell the wife about all the her time she will have when I am gone.

parents have 16 acres. so aside from purchasing the license, we are lucky and don't have to pay except for fuel and food. Cons are that it is fairly small obviously (luckily our neighbors are really nice), you are stuck with whatever bag limits, restrictions, and changes that occur in the area. But the pros are that it is your place (my parent's place in this situation), and you come and go whenever you like. Any improvements are permanent. Aside from harvesting animals off your own land is the lack of pressure. We are about an hour away from the place. I don't feel immense pressure to have to clear out my schedule to make room for a weekend at the lease. If something pops up I don't feel cheated because I missed a weekend of hunting I already paid for (again knowing full well it is my parent's place). I have shot 1 deer and a few hogs from our place in about 15 years. Success rate isn't high, there are AR restrictions and 1 buck only save for a couple weekends. But it is awesome because the enjoyment of being out there is awesome.



If my parents didn't have access to this, I would probably do WMA, but not nearly as often. Gone are the days (for the most part) of getting a decent lease for under 1k

Firearms and ammo used for hunting - $10,000
Licences and tags (38 years worth) - $4,000
Deer Camp (purchased 10 years ago) - $160,000
Moose, Bear and Fishing Camp (purchased 2 years ago) - $350,000
Nicely equipped Zodiac - $12,000
Side by Side - $12,000
Snowmobile - $12,000
Fuel (total guess for last 38 years) - $25,000
Bait (rough guess for last 38 years) - $15,000
Other misc gear (blinds, clothes, calls, snowshoes, etc) - $10,000

Grand total of $610,000. In that time I have put about 12,000 lbs of finished meat in the freezer for an average cost of about $51/pound. Figure if i stop spending now I only have to hunt for another 260 years to make it cost effective.

Edit - forgot my archery gear, the two canoes, the kayak and taxi costs - better make it 300 years.

New gun and scope-1100.00
Canvas wall tent-600.00
Elk tag-607.00
Spending time with my wife, son, and friends in hunting camp-Priceless

In those top purchases you've added to your net worth. So there is that.

I've yet to find an inexpensive hobby.

Golf clubs are expensive and a round of golf is expensive yet I still enjoy that, more so now that my son is showing interest.

I used to go to off road parks, that's expensive too because I have an extra vehicle for it. When something breaks off road, and something always breaks, that's expensive.

Wife and I enjoy all-inclusive beach vacations, those aren't cheap!

I work to live, don't live to work.

What about taxidermy?

That hits the home improvement budget line item..

That depends entirely on what the objective of your hunt is....

If you just want to kill turkeys with minimal effort, while in usually decent but not motel 6 accomadations with often great homecooked food.... than an outfitter is the way to go.

If you want to go on an adventure, and earn a bird the old fashion way... then Motel 6 and 7 days of hunting new public ground gives you more memories and ultimately more satisfaction. I guess you could call this "The Barta Way".

Just depends really... hunting is all what you make of it.... personally... when you look at the big figure... I'm not traveling anywhere to hunt public land that isn't way out west... where pretty much everything is public. I'd rather eat homecooked meals and benefit from the knowledge of an outfitter on a piece of land than fight the retards that turkey hunt most public land in my part of the world.

Every summer I try to prepare and purchase more hunting equipment. I just started hunting 5 or 6 years ago but hunting is so damn expensive for everything. just this year alone I bought a pair of binoculars $225, new hunting jacket $225, new hunting backpack $300, garmin handheld gps $250, 2 pair of hunting boots $300 and another $200 on camping supplies for my trip. This doesnt include the $90 I spent on drawn hunts plus the $80 for a winning slot.

Lets not forget the $1200 gun with $800 riflescope and $400 worth of bullets, ground blind $65, primos tripod $120, bino X $450, etc etc from years past

it is like it never ends!! LOL

question:


where do you hunt that warrants a $200 jacket and $300 backpacks?


Do you do a lot of mountain hunting?

I needed a day pack that was also capable of hauling out 100 lbs of meat for my mulie hunt in west texas this year. hence the Eberlestcok Team ELK backpack. I actually think I bought it on sale for like $260 plus tax

I cant buy clothes off the rack. I am as large as a real bigfoot so shoes (size 17) jackets size (3-4XL) arent easy to come by and you dont get to pick out what you want. If you do find something you want and it is in your size and if it is actually in stock then you buy it right then regardless of price. But most are just not in stock. Basically I just dont have much of a selection or much on choices.

makes sense.


I was just wonderning as those are mountain gear prices not sit in a blind prices