low-income hunter just trying ta put on d & in d freezer , Thar b three types of hunters... i pay for my foodstamps ...

I don't look down one anyone. I have found that those that maybe don't have think it is someone else fault that they don't have or can't have. I am now retired and have all and everything I need. I am not bragging. I worked my rear off from age 19 until age 65. If I needed something and could not afford it I worked either part time or found another job that paid more. Later when I started doing better I put all the extra into savings or bought and sold to make a little extra. And like I said before in real dollars hunting is not any more expensive than it was in years past.

no clue of what ya said in your last post, Don. got D- in grammer.... U just don't get it do ya,... still playing the richmans games

colt 45 You are a lot smarter than you want folks to think. Don't act like you aren't.

Hit the nail on the head donk.

so its my fault huh ? low-income worker, who used hunten & fishen ta put on the WOW.... All about the big Buck$....

Well if you are making minimum wage at 60 then yes, it could be hard... Burger joints pay twice that. What % of your income should pay for hunting? Mine is $138 a month year round hunting. Just buy some corn. You wouldn't have to buy a single piece of meat for a family if you wanted to. You are paying for horns on a package hunt that they put money into.

I had a doe at 7 yards on public land. I chose to buy a hanging stand and cheap camera so if you add those in I paid about 275. Bow was purchased in past years and was 350. Practice target was 50. I give the stand and bow 5 years so that amortizes to 125 /yr. (Not counting lost opportunity cost). Figure arrows, target and super combo license and I'm at about 380/year not counting mileage.

Now, If we're talking private lease, we would need to figure the inflation on per acre lease from say 1990 to now. Then also figure the return per acre on a lease from that same time period.

We would also need to determine the public area per hunter from that same time period to now. I would bet the per acre public hunting opportunity has increased.

Medical costs rise every year, but year on year testing and prescription costs actually fall. It's the new innovation and changing protocols that drive the higher costs. You could argue the same about fishing. I can buy a 60k bass boat or a 16 ft john boat and a 15 hp motor. That new john boat actually costs less in today's dollars than it did in 1990.

ya'll seen that thar thtead in If money was no object...
Public Hunting even the middle class hunters can afford it...
cool discusion...

I think it depends on where you live. Texas big game hunting seems to be costly, but at least Texas has been loyal to it's citizens by defended it's lands from the BLM and their thugs.

If you make it a priority, a working stiff can still afford to buy his own place to hunt in Texas. And you can do what you want with it.

There is also Corps of Engineers lakes, at least Lake Lavon, for waterfowl near the metroplex. Realistically, you're not gonna have to deal with a lotta public hunters. Most people are not willing to waller in the mud for a mile or two to have their own spot i bet. I am unsure if there are other Corps of Engineers lakes in Texas, but where there are you can usually hunt right?

Public hunting opportunities, however, not so great. When I was a little boy in Mesquite, Texas, I mostly just hunted rabbits and small game with a crosman pellet gun wherever I wanted. Probably city land, the police didn't care that much is for sure.

The last few times I hunted in Texas, I took the youngest boy rabbit hunting near Fort Hood. Only rabbit and dove hunting were permitted on the property. Not that it matters, I probably saw at least 20 hunters that day. Guys out there trying to decoy doves and etc.

Since when did you need decoys to get some doves?

This is a great thread with excellent perspectives. Mine is in line with both sides. Depending on the type of hunt you want, cost is relative whereas value for the pure pleasure of hunting, enjoying God's gifts and getting close to someone special- f not nature in general is beyond any cost.
What price can be placed on a great memory, life lesson or experience?

Now that I've waxed philosophical, the pragmatic side always seems to influence our decisions- and it should predominantly, anyway.

I Love to Hunt- Big Game in the backcountry away from the crowd. Since the advent of the internet and hunting shows where so called experts(of which there are very few) show how easy and affordable it is to DIY. LOL....ok. Big Game Hunting is expensive no matter how you slice it whether it is DIY or someone pays a guide for an experience.

The price of fuel, food , camping gear, proper hunting clothes, gear & ammunition - and time in research- if you're smart in your approach is considerable. That;s Fact, not hyperbole'
Add the price of a guide depending on the level of experience, and type of game one wishes to hunt, and the hunt becomes even more expensive.

Some bird hunting of which I am not a fan is still relatively cheap. Duck hunting which seems to have become an elitest sport is an expense all it's own.

Hunting squirrels , varmints, shooting crows or grackles is relatively inexpensive if you have access to land or pay the cost of a Type ll license for public land or paper land here in Texas. Yet none of those type of hunts interest me. Coon hunting is another low cost way to hunt - if you have access to land. Being a city dweller and living in Texas where 90% of land is private can be a limiting factor. Fortunately my family has property where I can hunt deer, occasionally hogs, dove, ducks and varmints when they're on the property. Others do not possess that luxury though.

in my line of thinking for the type of hunting I prefer, hunting has definitely become more expensive. The cost and quality of experience bears heavily on what personal preference is, and where one lives. All of these things are mitigating factors in the expense of a "hunt".

agh, grasshopper...
The more money ya have the more freedom ya have...

each has good views.
tis think from experience, younger generation first starting out in life...

I moved back to Texas in February. I really didn't see how you could do much past dove hunting without pouring money into it. It seems normal for guys to spend as much on a deer lease as one might spend on car payments over the course of a year, or more. Much more.

After I graduated CDL school and started working again, I realized just how close we are to the national forests. Is it that big a deal to drive 3-4 hours from the city? If it is then get you a job driving a truck so you can live where you want, and move to East Texas! People make that drive to places they are already paying big money for.

But close vicinity to the Metro Mess? Corps of engineer lakes and a few good WMA's. Richland creek and Gus Engeling for starters. I have seen more roadkill hogs in Navarro County than everywhere else I drive combined, so those two WMA's would be great. And richland creek is a springtime hunt!

Out fishing for crappie and sandbass this spring, I found some real nice places to hunt pigs in land controlled by the Army Corps of Engineers. At a no permit lake, Lake Bardwell. No specifics, sorry. You gotta put in your time off the beaten path!

National forests Crocket, Angelina, the Big Thicket. Pretty good drive but probably worth it. First come first serve to get your permit to hunt those forests FOR FREE.

I am only just starting to learn about the drawn hunts. They don't all cost money to apply for. If I am lucky I will get to hunt pigs at Nannie Stringfellow WMA with my girls for free. Last I checked it was dove and rabbit only so it could be a real good hunt.

Tons of opportunities to hunt for the price of licensing, rifle, and bullet. Even in Texas. Also there is Fort Hood. I never hunted Fort Hood, but here is a picture of me with my deer. Public land in North Carolina. Fort Bragg to be specific. I got a orange sweatshirt from walmart, orange hat on special $2, a $180 rifle that I already had anyway, and used ammo less than $15 a box. Permits and hunting licenses to hunt and fish N.C. and fort bragg altogether were less than $100. That was N.C. but still. That and a few trips to the range to build my confidence.

I think the guy that does his homework can do pretty good for the price of the clothes on your back, a single shot, hunting license, and box of shells. Even in Texas with all it's private lands.