Big Spending Hunters


Doc

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Anybody catch the article on the dollars that hunters are spending these days? It was an AP article in the business page of our local newspaper, and it showed up in the latest issue of New York Outdoor News.

Apparently we are part of a $21 billion industry, nationally. Man, that a lot of cash! Hunter spending has jumped 11% in the last decade with current spending estimated at $1638.00 yearly per hunter (estimate from the National Shooting Sports Foundation).

Now, I don't know about all you other Donald Trumps out there but thankfully my last year's expenditures didn't even come any where near that number. I'm not sure but that number may include lease fees, travel costs and shooting preserve fees as well as equipment purchases.

Am I really getting to be that much of a tightwad? Do you guys spend $1638 per year on hunting related purchases and activities?

Is this really becoming a rich man's sport?

Doc

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

[ QUOTE ]

Am I really getting to be that much of a tightwad? Do you guys spend $1638 per year on hunting related purchases and activities?

Is this really becoming a rich man's sport?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not even close to that spending limit... the wife would be hunting me..... wink.gif

and YES I think it's becoming a rich mans sport, if you don't have land of your own to hunt on..... wink.gif

I've always had to be one of those hunters to make due with what I have, because it may be a long time before I get what I really need..... frown.gif

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

it could be that much for me..I spent 600$ on air fair to go hunting in marylnad from florida three times. my out of state lic. cost me $175 new arrows and some clothes, grunt tube, broadheads, doghouse blind i bought for my dad, bobble head buck, hss vest, tinks 69, ...holy cow i did spend alot this year...

well it was fun, and i would do it again in a heart beat

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

well doc i dont come close to ever spending that amount of money at all and i ve been hunting only 8 years, but still. i get the outdoor news but havent read that issue yet. is that including atv's, taxidermy and such? i mean i bought an atv and use it for more than just hunting, and also my taxidermist bill is going to be $870 for the two bucks i shot. always enjoy your posts doc...keep'em comin

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

I think I may have spent more than that last year.I bought a new bow,went to South Dakota for a five day pheasant hunt,paid for 3 deer to be processed.I outfitted my bow with new sight,rest,quiver,and had to pick up more arrows.Luckily I spaced everything out so I didn't pay for everything at once.

If I didn't hunt out of state or buy a new bow,it wouldn't have been no where near that much.

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

I purchased 2 bows this year, one a crossbow and one a compound. Got a great deal on both of them. All the money rapped up in the crossbow, somewhere around $125, compound would of cost around $400 but i bought it from a friend I hunt with who never really used it. basically brand new. Paid $50. New target=$20. shells for all the guns=$100 or so. ect.=$100. I have put about $100 in that compound since I got it.

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

I would say a lot of that is due to out-of-state hunting and not just equipment. A new top-of-the-line bow rig with accessories or a new high quality semi-auto shotgun will add up pretty quickly though.

I would be disowned if I ever spent that much every year to hunt. I started breaking down what I spend now to my fiancee and she couldn't believe that it cost that much to just be able to hunt (i.e. license, permits, stamps) and not counting the equipment needed or clothing, etc.

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

I bought a new muzzle loader, scope, rings, sabots, powder, riffle ammo, tags, lease land, food plots, deer processing, Binos, Arrows, $36,000 on a new truck to haul my deer and probably a lot more stuff I can't remember but if I ask my wife she will probably let me know what I forgot about.LOL WOW how can anyone afford to hunt? blush.gif

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

Don't worry Doc, I made up for you in 2005. A pair of new MLs, 3 high end scopes, 3 very good scopes, barrels, sporting clays, preserve hunt, and other shooting paraphernalia. I was probably double the average. My scope purchases alone were over the average. This is not including gas to and from hunting, or the range.

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

I made my contribution, with a hunting trip to Montana ($7K total) and a couple of goose hunting trips to MD. Add in all the normal shooting and hunting supplies and gas back and forth to the range and I got a number of you covered. Next year it's your turn :-)

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

Normally I don't spend any more than about $200 a year on tags, ammo, and little stuff. But this year I bought a $500 Hoyt, a $75 7mm Mauser Rifle, and all the little stuff that goes with them. That will more than do for a long time. I am simple, but the opportunity was there and I took it.

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

So, over here on realtree it sounds like we're mostly a bunch of cheap-skates. I posted this same message over on AT, and you should have seen the response over there. Nearly everyone exceeded that amount, in some cases, by a whole bunch.

Actually, anyone who travels across the country to do some kind of special hunt probably would have no problem beating that figure, but most don't do that every year.

I guess I'm really pretty cheap-to-keep....lol.

Doc

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Re: Big Spending Hunters

[ QUOTE ]

Hunter spending has jumped 11% in the last decade with current spending estimated at $1638.00 yearly per hunter (estimate from the National Shooting Sports Foundation).

[/ QUOTE ]

The reason Hunter's spending went up is due to costs increases, everything to Gasoline, Lease Fees, Cost of Licenses, and hunting related equipment. The number of Hunters is actually dropping each year on average. Did I spend $1,638.00 on this years hunting? NO WAY! I spent around $250. laugh.gif

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