Rising cost of hunting:

[Guy Miner]

Here in my home state of Washington, it's not real bad for residents. The basic "over-the-counter" tags for mule deer, black bear, cougar & elk weren't too expensive, and I'm all set for that.

Today I added all the "special permits" I'm applying for. Yikes! That set me back a couple of hundred bucks! But okay, it's for chances at better than average deer & elk hunts, and also for those "once-in-a-lifetime" tags like moose, bighorn sheep & mountain goat.

Then, feeling like I ought to get it done, I applied for my non-resident Wyoming deer & antelope tags. Gulp! There went nearly $1400, just for the tags!

Okay, now I feel really motivated to send out some invoices today, and get some money rolling IN, instead of just going OUT!

Am thinking this might be one of my last Wyoming hunts. It's been good to me every few years for nearly 20 years, but am thinking that it might be time to keep most of my hunting here in Washington. I'm doing more and more bird hunting locally, and it's good.

Also, it's cheaper to be a "trout bum" and travel with my fly rods here in Washington, as well as in Oregon, Idaho, & Montana, all of which are in easy striking distance.

Okay. Thanks for listening. My stab at "whining" over the cost of tags this morning.

 

[DrMike]

For the most part, I have had to give up hunting outside of my jurisdiction. I have hunted Alberta a couple of times and may do so this fall (hunter-host situation). However, I realise that the cost of tags for those coming into BC to hunt can be prohibitive. If the one intending to hunt is not a Canadian resident, it will involve hiring a guide (except for very close relatives). To say that guided hunts have steep costs associated with them is doing violence to the English tongue. The cost precludes many people from ever hunting in this area. The costs must be having an impact on others, since we are seeing more people from the Lower Mainland than ever before coming up here to hunt. I suspect that they may have hunted other jurisdictions in the past, but find the cost prohibitive today. I recognise your pain, Guy.

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

Hey Guy!

Sorry it's been a while since I posted anything.

I understand where you're coming from. I wish I lived in a state that had a lot more accessible public hunting grounds. As it is in Texas, most of all rhe prime hunting areas here have been bought a long time ago. There are ranches galore, and they have "deer leases", which go for a minimum of $5000, and that's not hunting during prime time, either. Then you have to buy a deer tag, a conservation stamp, and then if you get anything, pay for a butcher.

Now I understand, when I lived in Wyoming, why so many Texans came up to hunt. They saved money by doing an out of state deer hunt, and marvelled at the amount of public hunting areas we had.

After living in Texas, and seeing firsthand what the "hunting" is like here, I will do the same here in the near future.

It's pitiful the prices are going up in Wyoming, though. I feel you!

I just wish Texas was a lot like Wyoming in a lot of respects when it comes to public hunting. It leaves a lot to be desired here, for someone who has seen the other side of things first.

Man! I wish I were back in Wyoming![emoji20]

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[truck driver]

The main reason for selling the 338Win is the cost of tags out west and I doubt if I ever get a chance to go back and don't need the big boomer here on the east coast. The 35 Whelen AI is all the gun I need. Should I want a long range gun I have the 7mm Rem.

 

[salmonchaser]

For 25 years I came home to Oregon to hunt while living near Seattle. By 1995 it was getting expensive enough I started saving my deer points, never missed an elk hunt though. A nonresident hunting deer and elk in Oregon is going to drop about a grand. It was about 300 when I became a non resident. I was hunting deer in Washington. By 2000 I had to give up Montana. My ex started adding up the green fees and put her foot down. I hunted my BIL ranch along the Yellowstone. It was pretty much an elk shoot, not so much a hunt.
This year we've applied for Colorado elk, we'll see how that goes. But yes it's getting much more expensive.


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[1100 Remington Man]

I know what your saying and being from Iowa and the only Big Game we have is Whitetail Deer. So I pay the cost to go West. I will most likely do it for another 10 years. Then I will go back full time to Pheasant & Waterfowl.
It is getting ridiculous the cost of Nonresident licenses.

 

[rodell]

I'm thinking seriously of ending my annual trip to MT for deer/elk. It's $1055 now, plus antelope if I draw. I may have to find out where Mr. Miner has some hunting grounds because WA access has been an issue for me, which is why I started going to MT.

For the cost of an outfitted hunt in MT for a few days I can go to Africa for ten days, too.

 

[salmonchaser]

I figured out I could have made four trips to Africa for what I paid in non resident fees to Oregon and Montana. Kinda perspective I don't like to think about too much.


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[FOTIS]

It is getting to be a rich man's sport.

 

[Anonymous]

Just for the other side of the coin.... my tags and license are dirt cheap, hunting, fishing and trapping- OTC for everything except bison and muskox, plenty of seafood on the menu too...$94+ $10 for a King Salmon stamp and $10 for a duck stamp. Add $20 if you want to dip net reds. It's a bargain.

It's everything else about living here that costs a fortune!

 

[lefty315]

Yep, I think Montana is only going to happen every few years anymore. There are still hunting trips I'd like to take my daughters on but that doubles or even triples the price of tags. Pretty hard to swallow 2 grand for 3 deer tags.

 

[Darkhorse]

Since I retired my disposable income has dwindled considerably. So much so that I doubt I'll ever make the trip west again. I would have liked to take one more elk. I'm giving serious consideration to letting that .300 Win. resting in the gun safe go to someone who will use it.
The public land we have here is overcrowded and dangerous. The hunting is mostly poor also. To lease a decent piece of land now requires a crowd of hunters to chip in. To get in a good lease is well over a grand, much over.
I'm lucking in that I hunt on private family land. A couple of nephews can hunt it also but never do so I got the place to myself.
When this place gets divided up things will change greatly and not to my better. I don't get around good enough to learn new property so maybe that will be time to give it up.

 

[Elkman]

I very much agree, but as hunting is my principle recreation, its not as bad as it seems for me. I don't gamble, go to sporting events, own fast cars, fish, golf or bowl, like many others do, I just hunt. Most of my hunting is as a non resident, but what is really biting me is the cost of fuel, as well as the tags. For instance my tag in Wyoming this year will cost about $350. Add that on to $600 in fuel and the cost goes up. As I am pretty successful, the value of the meat, and the fact that this is my only vice, it does get a little better. If one were to calculate a value of $5.00 per pound of elk, you are mitigating the expense by nearly the cost of the hunt and trip. Of course that doesn't account for the rifle (in my case, the were amortized out long ago) or the camper and truck. As I live in a rural area, I would always have a truck and 4 wheeler. The camper has been used as a construction headquarters, as well as hotel for over 100 days in the last few years. With me its priorities and planning. I save my extra cash through the year, just for hunting, do not spend it on toys, and focus on the hunting, expenses up front. It's not such a big shock that way. I will be on the fire line this summer, and part of that is committed to a new roof, but the rest will go into hunting. With me its focusing on my priority. Hopefully all here can get out this fall, as well.

 

[c. schutte]

In Texas it is a rich man's sport. Almost all land is private so you either have to buy, lease or get invited. I'm not sure what a lease costs on really productive land anymore. I've been on places where the members spend 50K or better..................

I can day lease of course and expect to hunt a place that is crowded and way over hunted. What little public land there is has always been crowded with so many hunters that you literally take your life in your hands. Not for me.

Funny how folks are talking about Texans going to Wyoming..............it's where this one is headed this Fall! :lol:

 

[sask boy]

The costs just keeps rising and rising, if it was not for the generosity of Mike and Gerhard I would never have been able to hunt twice in BC, even at that I had to save to take those trips.
I am fortunate that here in Saskatchewan our resident tags are very reasonable but it does have considerable costs in gas when my truck gets 20mpg and it is 4 hours away to hunt regular season elk and moose. If it was not for being able to stay with cousin up north I would not be able to afford the $100.00 per night motel cost as well.
I am really struggling with why I have so many rifles/loading equipment that just sits in my safes and Man cave.
Even our range pass has gone up from $50.00 per year to now almost $200.00 in the last 5 or 6 years. I was able to go most week day morning and there would be 1 or 2 other guys there and now it is almost always full.
I am not going to quit those as long as I can contribute to the hunt

Blessings,
Dan

 

[69gto]

We have lots of tags and access in Oregon but drawing quality tag is the hard part and at my age I need an outfitter if it is rough country. So I don't mind paying out of state fees for the chance to draw really great tags. After joining Zero guide fee program my hunts are paid for if I draw any tag in AZ. and UT. and he will be adding NV. and New Mexico next year.

 

[HTDUCK]

The cost of leases in Texas is why I drive 400 miles one way to hunt in Missouri.
Add to what we pay for the lease the cost of non resident tags for small game, archery and rifle deer, turkey tags spring and fall and we even have to have a fur harvesters license to shoot coyotes. It's still less expensive than hunting in TX.

The real reason I quit hunting here is the cost of leases.
Had a place 15 years ago that we had leased for three or four years.
Put in a few food plots, let the young bucks walk and finally dad killed a 140 inch whitetail.
Next year the landowner informed us " them deer's getting bigger and the price is goin' up. It's a trophy lease now boys " then told us he wanted double the money.....

 

[HAWKEYESATX]

The cost of leases in Texas is why I drive 400 miles one way to hunt in Missouri.
Add to what we pay for the lease the cost of non resident tags for small game, archery and rifle deer, turkey tags spring and fall and we even have to have a fur harvesters license to shoot coyotes. It's still less expensive than hunting in TX.

The real reason I quit hunting here is the cost of leases.
Had a place 15 years ago that we had leased for three or four years.
Put in a few food plots, let the young bucks walk and finally dad killed a 140 inch whitetail.
Next year the landowner informed us " them deer's getting bigger and the price is goin' up. It's a trophy lease now boys " then told us he wanted double the money.....

Yup, that sounds about right here in Texas. Man it sucks!

I want to be in Wyoming!!!

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[PJGunner]

Well due to drawing a tag in my home state literally takes an act of God for a decent area and a death wish for deer hunts in southern part due to illegals and drug runners I choose to do an elk hunt in New Mexico and call it good. Just a relatively inexpensive truck cull hunt that suit my old age and bad knees. Average cost for the hunt based on the 7 hunts taken has run $3,000 which includes gas both ways, motels, meals the hunt/guide and license and tags plus tip for the guide. Most of those hunts ended on the morning of the first day. Only two went the full three days and the one this last December was a real thriller. Didn't even see a shootable elk (cow) until about five minutes before the end of legal shooting light running dead away about as fast as she could go. I hit her right at the base of the skull and she went down so fast the guide lost sight of her.
I'm figuring my next hunt will hit me about $500 and change more seeing as gas prices are going up with no end in sight.. No matter,it's the only hunt I get to do anymore so the money be damned.

Paul B.

 

[Thebear_78]

Hogeman is right! I’ll trade you your tag bill for my fuel bill! Remember sometimes here in Alaska I’m 2-3 days just getting to where I’m hunting. Don’t get me started on planes and boat costs! I could probably do s guided hunt somewhere else for what it can cost.

Several years back I took 3 weeks off and took my dad hunting/fishing for a long trip. My fuel bill alone was over 2k, and that was when gas was half the price it is now


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