How much $ does it really take

[Stanley]

Don't rightly know don't rightly care.

[stash59]

Don't know a dollar amount. Just know it's still way cheaper than seeing a head shrink!!!!!

[rbuckleyjr1]

A few hours of OT for sure

[seazofcheeze]

All of it? Seems that way sometimes. Equipment, licenses, trail cams, batteries, gas, gas, more gas, etc.

[ Post made via Android ]

[tbunao]

Before I was shown the beast, too much $$ on crap
After a year on the beast, more money for gas and tags

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Dewey]

Hunting can be an expensive hobby for sure especially if you want top of the line gear. I rarely spent less than a $1,000 a year on hunting related stuff. Every year I think I have everything I need and then something new catches my eye. Electronics lately has been my biggest expense. (trail cams, bow cam, gps)

Last year with bear hunting costs plus taxidermy fees and other hunting gear I was in for over $3300.

This year hunting and scouting in Iowa has been an added expense. Scouted 6 times there so far. License+gas+motel=$1850 and I haven't even hunted yet. Add in gas spent scouting, glassing, shining locally and license fees add in at least another $500.

Don't even ask about boat expenses and fishing gear.


I look at it this way......some guys spend way more than this sitting on a barstool every year. Spending money on what I love is priceless. As long as your not hurting yourself financially go for it and have fun.

[Stanley]

Before I was shown the beast, too much $$ on crap
After a year on the beast, more money for gas and tags

[ Post made via iPhone ]

Good answer. I think the Beast has saved hunters thousands of dollars in wasted money. I really do believe that.

[JoeRE]

Agree with that Stanley.

On an average year
- Just spent about $90 on tags for Iowa...WI nonresident is $165 so $255 for an average year
- 100 scouting or hunting trips for the year @ 30 miles round trip average @ 40 MPG @ $2.20/gal = $165 on gas. Pays to drive a fuel efficient vehicle.
- Trail cams are my biggest single expense, average buying two cams a year plus batteries, am SD card or two - probably $300/year
- Historically have bought a bow every 5 years or so at about $500 so call it equivalent to $100 a year plus a new string every 2 years bump that up to $150/year. My recurve I bought last winter was less than that. My compound is 5 years old and good for a while longer. Haven't bought a gun or scope in a while and nothing in the near future.
- Had to replace the stock on my muzzleloader because it cracked - $120. Something comes up like that every now and then so I will count it.
- Arrows, arrow building supplies, muzzle loader supplies, game proccessing supplies every several years or so, just a couple items a year on average, doubt its more than $50/year equivalent.
- The last piece of deer hunting clothing I bought was several years ago, won't even bother adding it. Its usually army surplus stuff when I do need something. Just got done patching a bunch of my hunting clothes - I do that with pride.
- Scouting boots and hunting boots - rare if I can get some that last more than 2 full years with the hard miles I put on, $150 a pair, one rubber and one leather pair so ends up being $150/year. My heavy insulated pack boots are a decade old and good for quite a while.
- I consider my camera an essential hunting item. My old one is 5 years old and I am going to have to pick up another one soon. $500 or $100/year
No extra food. I need to eat regardless and rarely eat out either way.

$255+$165+$300+$150+$120+$50+$150+$100= $1,290 which is a bit more than I would have guessed but not really surprising. I tried to be fair and include major expenses that don't happen every year.

Some sneer at people who claim hunting can be economical for meat. It is for me. Last year I got close to 320 lbs of venison for that price and I challenge you to find 95% lean organic free range beef at anywhere near $4/pound. And a lot of my effort and money is spent chasing big bucks. I could get that 300 pounds of meat for the price of tags, less than a dozen hunting trips, meat processing supplies and ammunition if I wasn't choosy about what I shoot. I bet less than $300. Filling the freezer on a budget is still very possible in most parts of the country its just not what most hunters choose to do these days. And that's fine within reason anyway. We are free to pursue our passions.

Lastly, my time spent hunting is absolutely NOT an expense...it is an investment to maintaining my sanity in this crazy world.

Now if I was to add in what I spend for elk hunting gear and tags that would be a lot pricier - I go only every 2 years and spend easily $1500 each trip between gear, dehydrated food, gas, and tags.

There, I wasn't afraid to put numbers to it

[whitetailassasin]

Yearly expenses for me:

Arrows $65-70
Broadheads $30-45
Batteries $10
Gas $200-250
Licenses $350

Things I replace every so often:

String $40-50
Boots $130
Headlamp $50
Clothing $500-600

Things I made big purchases on

Stand $240
Sticks $130
Camera $225
Camera arm $100
Tactacam $200
Bow $699

I also have miscellaneous things from time to time like game cameras, although it's been a couple years since I ran them.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[DaveT1963]

not going to itemize - but with 10 cameras, 2nd kayak, 2 new stands, 2 new 3d targets and 3 new/2 used custom bows and hunting three states and 1 special draw permit - well over 10,000 this year - then there is that new GMC sitting out front...... as far as gas - I figure I use well over 1500 between driving to Ohio and scouting/hunting all year..... most of my drives are 1-4 hours one way.

[cbay]

The last 12 months have been a serious upgrade time for us (tractor, boat, bows & gear). Outside of this it's usually a few hundred a year on hunting. If you factor in everything that goes into owning recreational ground i don't even want to think about it. Didn't even plant anything this year with all the rain, break downs, costs, etc.
I love hunting public land!!! Just hunting the public where i live a few hundred a year will cover it usually.

[Crazinamatese]

My biggest hunting investments to date is my Elite Archery bow. Which cost $600 at an outdoor/boat show. Put a new string and cables on it few years ago which cost me $110. Include the sites, arrows, broad-heads, and other bow accessories in there as well. Then my LW hand climber which was close to $400 from Gander Mountain. In the last year I spent a little bit on some Predator camo stuff. Right now I think I should have everything I need for the next decade or so. Hunting can be expensive. This site kinda educated me on the dreaded pixie dust and spending my well earned money on quality gear and equipment instead.

[Hawthorne]

The last 12 months have been a serious upgrade time for us (tractor, boat, bows & gear). Outside of this it's usually a few hundred a year on hunting. If you factor in everything that goes into owning recreational ground i don't even want to think about it. Didn't even plant anything this year with all the rain, break downs, costs, etc.
I love hunting public land!!! Just hunting the public where i live a few hundred a year will cover it usually.

I didn't think about my property investments. I love hunting public also. One of these years I'm gonna go full public land and just let my family hunt my private. I love owning land but I also like the challenge and opportunity public provides.

[ Post made via iPhone ]

[Twenty Up]

I recently got an App to track my spending, ect.. And within a month I've already far surpassed my $120 per month on "hunting gear"... Nothing too crazy either but it all adds up. Corn, cameras, new arrows, lighted knocks...

Glad I don't drive a big V8 anymore

[Kraftd]

Joe's accounting is probably just about right for me as well, though less overall trips but more miles so probably about the same. I also haven't gun hunted in several years to save the tag cost because I've had the meat I wanted saved already and the wife is usually ready for a little dialing back by the end of November. Even at that if I bought a second tag for WI at $165 and got a single 1.5 year old deer if I just wanted meat at a low estimate of 50 pounds of meat and $165 tag that's only $3.30 a pound. Throw in high end $20 of processing materials and under $4 still.

Eventually I suppose I'll need some new clothes and a bow or gun, but been going strong with what I have for 7 years, and don't forsee much reason that that should change for several more.

This year I estimate I have fed my family about 70% on wild game and fish. Targeting 90% next year. It becomes fairly economical if you approach it that way.

Now none of this includes taxidermy bills...luckily last year just euros I did myself.