What is your household hunting budget?

Joined
Jan 15, 2022
Messages
1,563
I should note that hunting ..... is all I do.

I don't go on fancy vacations, I don't golf, I don't go out to the bar, I don't gamble, I don't drive fancy cars, I don't have a fancy camper, I don't have a fancy side by side, ect, ect, etc .....

So, if that gives me 365 days of excitement for what I pay a year ..... then it is well worth the cost.

Same here. I hunt, period. Nothing else.
 

SloppyJ

WKR
Joined
Feb 24, 2023
Messages
775
It really depends on who's asking.....

If it's my wife, the 4 suppressors are highly skewed for hearing protection of myself and my son. If I'm honest, it's a lot for my son and the rest because we can. But now does that qualify for a hunting expense? Again, I'd argue no. Was that NX8 for hunting or because my vision is poor?

What really turned the tides is when my wife started to enjoy crappie fishing with me. Now the livescope and new trolling motor are investments to spend more quality time together. :)

If I had to guess and I added gear in there, I'd say 10-15% or so with hunting and fishing combined. And with the price of corn this year.... who knows?!
 

Poser

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,033
Location
Durango CO
Really not that much on hunting exclusively, as in the actual act of going hunting and the gear used exclusively for that purpose. I’d wager I spend much more snowboarding. That being said, periphery costs such as maintaining an off-road vehicle, fuel all summer for accessing the backcountry to backpack/scout/fish/peak bag, total gear costs, for everything outdoor hobby related, I’d venture adds up to about 20% most years.
 

Zerk

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 20, 2022
Messages
299
Location
906
Beg for what?
To beg to hunt your animals.

Here $13 for deer. You do have to apply for bear and does. Which are about same price. You can hunt bear every year or other if in bear area.


Midwest there is tradition of hunting. You got deer camps, radio is doing buck report.

I am excited to hunt out west. But I would miss that.

As for money, we laugh at ourselves cause spending few hundred bucks on bait or food plots.
 

Evol

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jul 2, 2018
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263
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PA
Probably around 3-4% including archery. Pretty much my only hobby. I'd be afraid to actually run the numbers.
 

HornPorn

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Oct 7, 2020
Messages
292
As high as $140K, most years it's closer to $5K. Just depends on what's going on and how much money there is in the piggy. Hunting trips + owning land makes money disappear in a hurry
 

Haro450

FNG
Joined
Mar 21, 2017
Messages
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Location
OR
Rough math says 5% max some years. Much less others. I wouldn't mind spending a little more. lol
 
Joined
Mar 27, 2021
Messages
310
Location
SW Wisconsin
I set a limit of 2-3k on western hunts per year and the local deer/fish/ everything else instate is about 190. Gas and dog food for the hounds isn’t very well kept track of but roughly another 1300. Some of that money comes from birthday gifts and such. We make as a family about 140k ish.
 

Hoosker Doo

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
May 23, 2020
Messages
248
Location
Afton, WY
To beg to hunt your animals.

Here $13 for deer. You do have to apply for bear and does. Which are about same price. You can hunt bear every year or other if in bear area.


Midwest there is tradition of hunting. You got deer camps, radio is doing buck report.

I am excited to hunt out west. But I would miss that.

As for money, we laugh at ourselves cause spending few hundred bucks on bait or food plots.
I relate to this. However, I happen to live in a western state and for $250ish dollars my wife and I can each get a deer license, a couple elk licenses, and antelope licenses pretty much every year. Throw in a bear license if you need to hit the hills in the spring for ~$30. It's a little more than $13, but I'm not begging anybody, that's for sure.
Thus being the case, I can't stomach thousands of dollars thrown at out of state hunts in areas I know nothing about with quality hunting close to home. I took a Shiras moose in Wyoming a couple years before they went to once in a lifetime, and I did not get grandfathered in to be able to draw another tag someday, but I can't get myself to apply for Idaho moose even though the border is just a mile from where I shot mine. At over $2000 with application fees and the odds of drawing, I feel I'm just better off saving to do Canada or Alaska someday.
 

Zerk

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 20, 2022
Messages
299
Location
906
This is my first out west and I need to decide future plan. I realize you need to out for some states and need a plan. Other wise when ready to go you got no tag.

Having to buy a fishing $ license just to apply is annoying.

I am sure exciting, and will go again. Maybe when get closer to retirement will try more

Maybe go Canada. It is not the money to hunt, but $115 just to apply is just salty

$13 hunt a buck here, around that for bear. Some areas they give tons of doe tags, some none.
 
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