Hunting for food...does it justify the cost?

[dillpickle]

Ok, I know most people probably hunt for the SPORT but...when it comes to the economics of it is it really worth it if you are trying to save money on the grocery bill?

I mean after you pay for amo (and how many shots you MISSED) and the butcher and all the times you spent all day and didnt get ANYTHING (your average hit/miss ratio ) then ad in SOMETHING for your time and compare the cost to store bought meat...

is it worth it?

 

[Denim Deb]

It depends on how much you spend, and how quickly you get something. And, most people that I know butcher their own animal, so there's no cost for that. And for many, a bad day hunting is better than a good day at work. Same goes for fishing.

 

[mandieg4]

Typically, when my DH or I go hunting we either go early in the morning or layer in the afternoon. The few hours we spend hunting are enjoyable so I count them as entertainment hours. Hours that could have otherwise been spent sleeping or watching tv. Ammo isn't that expensive, less than $30 for a box that lasts at least a couple years. We very rarely take a deer in to be processed, we usually cut it up ourselves. The few times that we have taken a deer in it has cost us around $80 for about 60# of meat. We don't buy all the junk that they sell for deer hunting, no doe urine or scent lock camoflauge underwear. We live in Georgia where we are lucky to only have to pay $9 for a hunting license that allows us 2 bucks and 10 antlerless deer. Overall, for us, I think is is extremely economical to hunt.

 

[Wannabefree]

I think it's pretty economical to hunt as well so long as you don't pay for processing. Though I don't hunt right now, I do still get deer meat, for the $55 processing fee, which is still worth it to me. It's organic meat, cheaper than you can get beef in the stores. It doesn't matter the cut of meat either, or size of the deer, it's $55 flat fee, and I have gotten 60+ pounds for that price. So, I guess it depends on how you hunt, when you hunt, whether you process etc. etc.

 

[AmericanHomesteader]

I hunt and i think its worth it, when you put 80 to 100 pounds of deer in the freezer much cheaper then going and buying that much beef. I will be hunting wild hog in Arizona when we move

 

[Bettacreek]

It's a little rough here. The pickings are slim, the licenses more expensive. It's a gamble really.
$20.70 for a buck, spring gobbler, small game and fall turkey tag (Basic license).
$16.70 for an archery stamp

Now it's $22.70 for a fishing license. :/

 

[Denim Deb]

Yep, that's what gets you here, too, is the cost of the licenses. I'm not sure what they are since it's been so long since I've hunted.

 

[Beekissed]

Ok, I know most people probably hunt for the SPORT but...when it comes to the economics of it is it really worth it if you are trying to save money on the grocery bill? Most definitely.

I mean after you pay for amo (and how many shots you MISSED)We bowhunt, so the ammo is reusable and even during target practice you recycle the ammo over and over. Then you have to insure you are so proficient at your craft that you rarely miss...it's not something you can just try once or twice and give up. Takes more time than money and the first season of successful hunting pays for your equipment and then you hunt for free or the cost of replacement arrows, which is negligible... and the butcher
And we butcher our own and that takes sharp knives(we already had them), hack saws and some rope(again, already had them) and all the times you spent all day and didnt get ANYTHING (your average hit/miss ratio )That can happen if you raise your own beef, your own garden, your own anything...sometimes things happen and you lose your time and money spent...but there's always next weekend instead of waiting a whole year to do another food project on which you have lost time and money then ad in SOMETHING for your time and compare the cost to store bought meat...

is it worth it?

Considering my family have gotten so proficient at the hunting and the processing over the years that we've recouped our initial investments in equipment and time a thousand times over, it is more than just worth it...it has been invaluable! Just like any other way to produce your own food....it takes time, practice, an initial outlay of money and sometimes it takes time before that investment pays off....but if you are patient, don't give up and actually learn your craft along the way then you have a good investment.

 

[dillpickle]

This all sound great. But how much time do you usually spend in the woods before you get one deer?

All I am saying is if you spend 40 hours hunting and catch one deer at 5.00/hour thats 200.00 for one deer.

At this point you'd be better off getting a second job and buying the meat yourself (if this is the case)

other than that it seems like you guys have really figured out to cut corners on butchering and amo. Pretty impressive.

Still wondering about hit/miss ratio

 

[Bettacreek]

This all sound great. But how much time do you usually spend in the woods before you get one deer?

All I am saying is if you spend 40 hours hunting and catch one deer at 5.00/hour thats 200.00 for one deer.

At this point you'd be better off getting a second job and buying the meat yourself (if this is the case)

other than that it seems like you guys have really figured out to cut corners on butchering and amo. Pretty impressive.

Still wondering about hit/miss ratio

Well... You're not taking into account that this is "free range, organic meat". Take a look at bison prices, you'll rethink it being cheaper to get a second job to pay for that quality of meat.