Who's recently gotten into the outdoors and dropped $$

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

Just out of curiousity, no tech here.

Who's recently, say the past 5 years, started from scratch and dropped some decent coin from the get go?

This all started from an argument I had earlier this morning with a friend who told me, and i quote, "I'd love to start hunting but I don't have $5000 to get started"

 

[long hunter]

that would be cheap with top line equipment, the boss lady says she figured deer at about 1000.00 a lb.

 

[bsnedeker]

People are just spoiled with all the gear and tech options we have today. Sure, you could EASILY drop 5K to get started, but you could also get out in the woods for a very small investment. You need enough gear to survive overnight in whatever conditions you are going to be hunting in, and you need a weapon. Everything else is just gravy.

 

[Dirtbag]

People are just spoiled with all the gear and tech options we have today. Sure, you could EASILY drop 5K to get started, but you could also get out in the woods for a very small investment. You need enough gear to survive overnight in whatever conditions you are going to be hunting in, and you need a weapon. Everything else is just gravy.

+1 I know this is rokslide, but in the grand scheme of things we don't need all the high tech stuff that we buy and in many cases we'd be better off without it.

 

[william schmaltz]

That's an excuse. Depends where you live and what you're doing. Where I'm from in ND, the barrier or entry for rifle deer hunting is extremely low. $400 gun, $30 vest/hat, $20 tag, and a $40 knife. Most people already have everything else you need. And of the things I listed everyone that already hunts has more than one of and would be happy to share.

The other end of the spectrum is mountain hunting. I didn't have a damn thing when I moved to AK and started mtn/extended transporter hunting trips. I bought a $80 crappy freighter pack and that's about it. Used all my crappy midwest gear (which was mostly not hunting specific). After the first couple pack outs I would get to the pickup soaking wet, cold, hurt feet, and rubbed out hips so I slowly upgraded with low/mid end gear piece by piece. To this day the majority of people on this site would likely laugh at my rifles or the extremely basic gear I take on a 10 day fly out hunt. I have no clue what most people are talking about when they post up their gear lists in the caribou/moose/sheep forums. I get it we are on a gear website and that's great, but people just get wrapped around the axles.

The way your friend is making excuses for getting into hunting can be used at all levels after starting to hunt. People won't book a hunt to AK because they have been brain washed to think they need a fortune worth of technical gear. Just do it.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

I'm quite literally amazed at how effective the Outdoor Marketing Machine has become in the last several years.

 

[5MilesBack]

"I'd love to start hunting but I don't have $5000 to get started"

Tell him he doesn't have to do a guided hunt to start with.

 

[Ross]

You don’t need a bank roll to go hunt…..my first rifle bought at pawn shop all clothing wool much bought at army surplus first boots pops used in the army…all second hand stuff to start…..for $1500 bucks you can get started pretty easy and upgrade from there…..I am much happier in today’s gear for sure but you don’t need to drop 5k to get started….

 

[jnawalaniec]

Started with $150 Bow and probably $100 worth of clothes and got a used pack for $100.

 

[Maverick1]

I'm a couple of decades ahead.....

 

[GSPHUNTER]

No body says you have to buy top of the line gear but, just buy what you can afford for now and later on when the funds are better, get better. As for camping gear, have your hunting fishing friends pitch in by each one buy a certain item and someone else buy something else that you will all use on your trips. For me that worded real good. I have four guys I hunt with on a regular basis, we all get our own personal gear and go from there. I stlll have a lot of gear I bought many years ago, all it takes is a little care. If I had to replace everything I currently have, I would hate to think what it would cost now days. Buy the best you can afford. soon or later no matter how good it is it will need to be replaced t some point.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

I'm quite literally amazed at how effective the Outdoor Marketing Machine has become in the last several years.

For real dude

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

You don’t need a bank roll to go hunt…..my first rifle bought at pawn shop all clothing wool much bought at army surplus first boots pops used in the army…all second hand stuff to start…..for $1500 bucks you can get started pretty easy and upgrade from there…..I am much happier in today’s gear for sure but you don’t need to drop 5k to get started….

Same here. 30-06 from a pawn shop, wool clothing from thrift stores, old backframe (used on the bull in avatar 7 miles in) and some "high dollar" boots from Cabelas that were like $140

That wool clothing is worth it's weight in gold and it',s usuallly super cheap in the corner of thrift shops

 

[FLATHEAD]

Boots, Knife, Rifle/Ammo, Good to go.

 

[Gobbler36]

Id say descent tent, good boots, good pack, lots of deals on good shooting rifles. 1500-2k should get you going pretty well

 

[Jimmy]

I spent probably 1000 getting started with weapon and gear. Then I spend about $200-300 a year upgrading gear. I still run a $200 pack from cabelas, thing has packed out a dozen deer and works good enough. My biggest expense every year is gas to get where I'm hunting.

 

[Idaho4x4Bronco]

It's a good reminder to stick your roots

 

[AZ8]

If one doesn’t get caught up in the hype, expenses can be managed and kept under control. Add slowly and methodically, and it can be managed. It’s taken me years to build up my hunting gear.

Im still shooting my 2009 Bear Truth 2 bow!

With that said, later in life and because I could, I did drop 5K on 2 binos! Lol

 

[Longleaf]

I’m going to guess that I spend far more than $5000 a year on outdoor activities.

Shit I’ve already planned about $10k this year on just an elk hunt and fishing tournament ha

 

[elkguide]

Come on guys.

You all know that if you aren't spending..... you aren't hunting!