Has western hunting become a wealthy man's sport?

[gelton]

Simple for me - no. Not if you consider a DIY hunt from start to finish a wealthy mans sport.

This will be my 4th year backpacking in, once solo, and while I have spent more money tuning my gear list than I would like to imagine, it's still way less than I would have ever spent on a guided hunt on private land. It's a progression and I only have a few more items to check off the gear list and when that's done I'm done with gear purchases. This means it's pure profit from then on.

It's an investment that has to be made for the long term if you buy the right "stuff" but once your done it's way more rewarding and satisfying than a guided hunt on private land that the wealthy can afford but perhaps I cant. I would rather be a "poor" do it yourselfer.

 

[Hunthigh1]

Luke Moffat,

You nailed it.

I hunt with a crappy looking mossberg ATR paired with a nikon prostaff
carry a Kelty backpack,
Drive a 1980 Mazda pickup that i work on myself to get to the hill.

But when season comes around I have already earned all the money i need to take 1-2 months off and spend Serious Time afield.

For me its about being able to Hunt all week while the guys with their new diesels drive back to work every sunday to pay for that truck and rifle

I try to purchase one big item a year and slowly improve my hunting gear each year without spending too much.

This year is spotting scope
next year will be a tent to replace my old worn out coleman.

 

[JWP58]

Different strokes for different folks, everybody has a budget, etc.

Some people use a $2500 gun, some a $350 pawn shop special. I assume both work just fine. Some deal shop, some provide deals for the shoppers.

Anything can be a rich man's sport, or a poor man's in the same breath. Take bird hunting. You could be a chukar hunter in NV using a $200 870 express with a backyard bred bird dog and straight up murder birds, or you could hunt ruffed grouse in the UP with a 10k side by side with a 5k pointer and do work. Its all hunting.

Its your money, spend it accordingly.

 

[Tony Trietch]

It's just like life itself, it's all about priorities and choices.

 

[Bighorse]

Ok, then take your poor mans kit and try and hunt Mt. Goats in the Misty Fiords. Or get you Kit and hunt Black Bear on Haida Gwaii. Or load up your kit and get Tahr.

All of a sudden access costs far out weighs gear.

Or try shooting a big Moose OTC in remote central AK. Who's priced a Super cub doing repeated trips lately?

Sitka gear and Lowa boots are small fries compared to logistics when wilderness hunting.

How about a float trip? Who's priced a nice river raft lately and the cost to get dropped at the head of said river?

I don't know any people earning American poverty level wages doing these things.

 

[hodgeman]

It's all about what's important. I like playing around with new gear, I've slowed down recently because my son seems to outgrow everything every 6mos.

Some thoughts enter my head though-
"I've never seen a hearse pull a Uhaul"
"I spent a lot of money on hunting, the rest I wasted"
"Hunt all you can, you'll run out of health before you run out of money"

 

[MuleyFever]

Ok, then take your poor mans kit and try and hunt Mt. Goats in the Misty Fiords. Or get you Kit and hunt Black Bear on Haida Gwaii. Or load up your kit and get Tahr.

All of a sudden access costs far out weighs gear.

Or try shooting a big Moose OTC in remote central AK. Who's priced a Super cub doing repeated trips lately?

Sitka gear and Lowa boots are small fries compared to logistics when wilderness hunting.

How about a float trip? Who's priced a nice river raft lately and the cost to get dropped at the head of said river?

I don't know any people earning American poverty level wages doing these things.

I think "western hunting" as the OP stated and what you are talking about are 2 different things for the most part. Those AK or NWT adventures are for the more well off. If I wanted to do one of those hunts I would have to give up a lot for more than a few years including local hunting. Once I did save that kind of money I would have to reconsider spending it on one hunt when for me and my income level that money could do a lot more for me. It is a matter of priorities but for some people spending that kind of money on a hunt is foolish.

 

[JWP58]

Ok, then take your poor mans kit and try and hunt Mt. Goats in the Misty Fiords. Or get you Kit and hunt Black Bear on Haida Gwaii. Or load up your kit and get Tahr.

All of a sudden access costs far out weighs gear.

Or try shooting a big Moose OTC in remote central AK. Who's priced a Super cub doing repeated trips lately?

Sitka gear and Lowa boots are small fries compared to logistics when wilderness hunting.

How about a float trip? Who's priced a nice river raft lately and the cost to get dropped at the head of said river?

I don't know any people earning American poverty level wages doing these things.

Ya sure, take your "rich man kit" to Africa to hunt elephants....whoops aint so rich anymore is it???

You're comparing grapes to watermelons. I don't know if "western hunting" encompasses AK and the NWT, B.C., etc. Since most folks would have a hard time saving for the travel costs to get there and back.

 

[7mag.]

Reading this thread, it seems like most people are focused on gear. I've found that three subjects are great ways to start arguments; politics, religion, and gear. I look at gear like an opinion. Everybody has an opinion on what gear is the best, or works the best, and people get oddly brand loyal. The cost of gear is what you choose to buy.

For me, the prohibitive cost for hunting the west is non-resident license and tags. It's hard for me to justify to my wife why I need to spend $1000 to drive 3 states away and hunt the same animals I hunt at home. I'm fortunate that I live in a state where I can hunt deer and elk every year. The opportunity and trophy quality isn't as good as some other Western states, but at least I can hunt every year. If I had to travel out of state to hunt, there is no way I could do it every year.

 

[hodgeman]

Not being hard on Bighorse...but there's a lot of AK hunting you can do out of the back of a pickup for the cost of gas. There are some wilderness fly-in type trips that cost a fortune but I've put a lot of meat in the freezer with a half tank of gas and some boot leather.

 

[Bighorse]

But yet major Hunting clothing manufacurers have us all thinking we need their gear because we are all "expedition grade" hunters.
I think most people desire to be subsistence hunters. It seem resonable to assume you can go in and around you immediate surroundings and procure game, right? Low cost and having a direct influence to "your" biosphere. Localvores unite....but stay the heck out of my neighborhood!

If you want to step beyond that.......welcome to wealthy western hunting.

Grab you Yeti coolers, load up the Tundra. Clean the objective from you Nightforce and get your Leica Range finder. Make sure you've grab the Satilite phone because your going remote after some sweet game. Get ready cause there's likely a few other wealthy folk heading that way too.

I don't think it's too far fetched to say there are wealthy sportsmen in competition for game. Game that's too far from the reach of normal blokes.

All due respect to all my hunting brothers and sisters out there getting after it with whatever gear they got. I agree that there are inexpensive ways to hunt and no offence my stance is only in the interest of a good online discussion. Cheers!

 

[Manosteel]

is western hunting more expensive than eastern hunting, or hunting WT's in the backyard or on the farm? Yes it is but it's really as expensive as you make it. I buy good gear upgrade when I want to, but I am older and own a business and "I choose" to spend my money on hunting. I don't golf anymore, which was just as expensive and more so when you take into account green fees North of $100 for a round, you can use cheap gear but it's still the same price for a round. I still play hockey but use second level gear b/c I would rather spend money on hunting gear.

My neighbours to the left each have 15K snowmobiles and Harley bikes which the replace every 2-3 years, my neighbours to the right take trips out of the country 3-4 times a year. Past times cost money (and for me hunting is more than a past time, it's a way of life, how I was raised, yes sounds corny but it's true) so it's about priorities. My brother hunts with a low budget set up but all he does are day trips and a couple of over nighters, he likes to 4x4/atv. He Is less about being immersed in Hunting and more about opportunity hunting.(and he is usually Successful in getting his game every year).

 

[MuleyFever]

We get on these forums and start reading about all the gear others have and it all adds up fast. I think we tend to forget the majority of hunters are the guys that just uses whatever gear they have and make it work. And the reason they do it every year with that older gear is not because it is a pain in the ass but because it is enjoyable just to be hunting. Walmart and the local hardware store sell a lot of hunting clothing for a reason.

 

[AXEL]

Some here mention Canada's NWT, The Queen Charlotte Islands ( REAL BCers do NOT say Haida, whatever) and BC; I have been in, lived in, worked in and come from a pioneer family of all of these places and, frankly, VERY few actual citizens of any of them buy, wear or use most of the costly, trendy, over priced and NOT necessary clothing/gear often discussed on hunting sites.

I have never and will not buy Sitka, Kuiu, Krypto (?) or any other such clothing and not one of my several VERY,VERY experienced buddies, most of whom have worldwide hunting, climbing and wilderness working experience does either. We DO own/use the finest optics and some rather special guns, but much of our gear is just basic and affordable.

I wanted genuine Filson whipcord pants for decades, could not afford them until I hit 60 and just wore $25.00 surplus Swedish Army pants from the early '80s until 2005, when they finally had the bun. I still wear some stuff, old, patched but functional, that I bought in 1982 and will until I can no longer hunt, but, I will always buy Zeiss or Leica optics, carry a Mystery Ranch, Paradox or maybe even a McHale pack and wear Scarpa, Lowa, Meindl. and my old Galibier boots, bought used for $75.00 in mint condition.

So, the comments about the logistical costs of hunting here are only TOO true and the price of sheep and even Elk and RM Goat hunts is becoming just ludicrous, far beyond the reach of most people, we citizens included, it can still be done with planning, budgeting and learning what you NEED, not merely want.

 

[Jason Snyder]

It wasn't all that many years ago that I was backpack hunting with much less than elite gear. I had a Eureka 2 man tent, a no-name 30 degree bag, a Cabela's knockoff thermarest, and a Dana Design Bridger I bought off of Craigslist. My most expensive piece of gear was a pair of Zeiss Classics I bought in 1998 (still have them). I wore cotton BDUs. I had Lowa boots, only because I was able to buy them for work. Did all of this gear suffice? Most of the time yes. There were a few hunts that were much less than comfortable, and one was borderline miserable.

I'm in a different financial place now and can afford to upgrade some stuff. Did I need to? Absolutely not. Am I glad I did? Absolutely yes.

There is no black and white answer for what you should spend your money on, that's up to you. There has been some really sound advice on what to spend money on and where you can scrimp. Scrimp on the wrong thing and you'll regret it. My back hurt for several weeks one year when I packed out a super heavy load on a Badlands 2800 that I bought from Aron Snyder on the Bowsite. The next year I sold it and bought a Mystery Ranch that had been returned to their showroom and they had discounted.

To say one size fits all, and is good for every situation is silly. And no, there is no U-Haul behind the hearse. Enjoy life however you see fit.

 

[SethH]

This past season was my first the western hunt. I have to say that I did buy into some of the hype, I made do with some basic gear and for a few things I spent more money than I thought I would. On some items I believe I just tried to avoid any issue while on my hunt, meaning that I planned on buying or using basic gear and got scared of the horror stories I heard and sprung for the "good stuff". My first hunt was relatively expensive but going forward I'm sure they will be much more reasonable!

 

[1hoda]

Foxworthy says it best- http://youtu.be/qJa8kxPfPoU

 

[justin davis]

I think hunting in general has for a lot. Big money to kill animals. Guides outfitters trespass fees etc.

But it doesn't have to be. I don't make very much money. I manage to hunt quite a bit. It helps me living in Colorado where I have lots of hunting opportunities.

As far as gear. Any gear will work. As long as you don't get sucked into looking at guys with the newest and greatest gear you will be cheap.


<http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=440385&messages=130&forum=5>

 

[metal3006]

This is a great thread! I think the price of gear is less painfull than the price of opportunity. At the end of the hunt you still have your gear, but you may have shelled out several hundred dollars or more for the tag regardless of your success

 

[AMann]

If you chose to make western hunting a LIFESTYLE yes it can get expensive. Can you kill an elk or muley in blue jeans, Walmart jacket and Subaru? Yup. Your bank statements are a clear indicator to what’s important in your life.