Bang for your buck

Now we all know that wild game meat in general is not as cheap as running down to your local heb (heck, I got some pork and chicken for .99 /lb there a couple weeks back). Since your reading this, I assume that most of y’all like me enjoy wild game and the satisfaction of putting it on the table.

So, if travel expense is not an issue, what do you guys reckon to be the best value meat per pound on a hunt in the US?

I’ve been hunting public land here for the last year and have seen only a couple deer (of course not during deer season), a couple of hogs (across roads so I couldn’t shoot em), I’ve not seen a single rabbit or squirrel. So I want to plan a hunt somewhere and looking to stuff the freezer with the most meat per dollar. Just curious what y’alls thoughts are.

Right now is a good time for that, check with the outfitters here on the forum and see who's running some cull/meat hunts. Check out some axis doe hunts, red deer hine hunts or cow elk. Even a buffalo cow hunt might be to your liking. Then there's always hogs!

Snipe

Yeah dollar for dollar hard to beat a doe shoot on a high fence.

Probably whitetails taken on family land - provided you kill a lot and do your own processing.

Anything much outside of that is not going to work out cost-wise if you really consider all the costs (gas, time, processing, equipment, lease/land costs, etc.).

Alomost no one really just hunts for the meat.

Answer has to be hogs. I bet you can find a weekend hunt under $300 with a 'take all you want' deal, maybe even for less than that. Five or six 150lb'ers will put 200+ lbs in your freezer pretty easily.

Was a BLESSING when WMA opened up just down the road. Did the leasing thing when first moved ta NOT trying ta change things. Its what most were doing, just bout everything is leased. Tip me hat ta those shared lease with.
Were i was born & raised hunting was different. As pappy say's :
The price of a poormans food stamps was best bang for your buck.
Time spent with gamily & friends with common goal ta put on the & in the freezer.
Seen the games being played. Rich mans sport. Work too damn hard for my money.
Best Bang for your buck is: Hunt the grosery stores for best deals.
Family, True Friends, that have land, & friendly neighbor, 2nd Best option. Public land, WMA for those who not scared ta put in time & effort. WMA was closer than any lease was on, so gas was cheaper. Finding the hogs was easy part, work begain, getting em out. Used back pack, no gutting. Spent money on the food plots, corn, minneral blocks, & let the not enough deer heard grow. It finaly went ta 4 deer county.
Yet still took my bow in hand & made a stand on WMA helpen with the hog problem, the other wild game.
Plenty of meat in freezer & for en.
Just my low-income workers dont have ta be told how bad times are, they live it.
Pappy

Hogs is the basic answer to OP question. if you do some research and homework you should be able to find a farmer/rancher to let you hunt them at no costs or minimal. There are lots of outfitters offering hog hunts with varying range of what is included lodging, meals, rifles with thermal scopes, limit on # of hogs etc.

I'd look into a meat hunt for a Bison or an Eland.

Bang for your buck probably a red deer hind or elk cow, axis does, maybe a bison cow but their prices have really come.up.

Elk hunt probably the best bet

$686 for a bull elk tag in Colorado . I think cow elk tags are around $300-$400

I shot a bull last year got 260 lbs of meat.

If you had a good spot with a $48 permit you could hunt the National forests and get two deer plus hogs....but success rates are pretty low typically