How do you guys go on these cool hunts?

[Chris in TN]

Amen brother!

But on the other hand....some of us don't care in the least about the accomplishment aspect and just want to have a good time and get to enjoy the experience of being up close(ish) to the animal(s). So I'd prefer guided. But even then, the guided hunt that I enjoyed the most in terms of animal interaction, was not so great in terms of the guide, the camp, and the other hunters. I loved the area and loved that I was able to shoot an elk at just over 200 yards (my two later elk were ~twice that distance). Some people relish the beat-everyone-else-to-this-critter aspect of hunting. Some of us like the 'get-away-from-everyone-else' aspect.

People value different things. OP has to figure that part out on his own. There's no right or wrong answer, either.

 

[robby denning]

Having a solid family is a better legacy than any wall full of trophies. But stay after it, get a side hustle, elevate your skills, and be patient. I am in the ministry and had to wait until I was in my 50s to get to do some Western hunting and taught myself to make knives for “hunt money.” Don’t stress that sometimes hunting goals are long-term with no instant gratification.

right here^

and some random thoughts

Family first or your head will never be right. Take care of that lady and you'll be surprised how much freedom you'll earn. My wife wants me to go hunting as much as possible because she sees the work I put in to make sure we're all taken care of. I'd much rather come home to that than an lonely old house with no family. Honestly I'd probably hunt less because I'd be trying to fill that void with (insert not good things usually)

Start with where you're at, learn to hunt well locally so when you spread out, you can take advantage of your skill set. Then you can figure out how many days you're really good for a fall. Don't think hunting a hundred days is necessary or even enjoyable. My sweet spot's about 25-30 a fall. The years I go longer are doable, but it's a grind. You'll figure out what's best for you but not by being like others.

Some guys can hunt 150 days, but that doesn't mean you'll want to.

Have a long-term plan

Don't go in debt for hunting.

Have a hunting savings account.

Your closest western states (if that's what you mean by adverture) are NM and even W. Texas muley if you can find access and even Co, so put your effort there. If you're not after big animals, there's plenty of opps out there to get tags most years, as you build some funds to travel more as you get older. Saving hundreds of miles of travel saves $, days, and mental energy.

If possible, a friend to share expenses with.

and what @Tod osier said in his posts and @cnelk and @Jstumbaugh

you can do most things you set your mind and will to.

but don't screw up a family to do it. It won't be worth it staring out the window alone at christmas.

 

[bnewt3]

Being in NC, Ive fully accepted that any destination hunt will be once in a lifetime for me. Id like to do a moose hunt(probably using the same M70 my great-grandfather used on his moose hunts 60ish years ago) sometime and im buying antelope and elk points in WY, and those 3 hunts will likely be it for me......maybe ill be able to do a few antelope hunts as they are far more accessible.

I love being out west, ive been a few times and theres just something about it thats good for my soul. We have done a couple of family vacations out there that seem to fill me up. Maybe they could do the same for you......scratch enough of that itch possibly without being selfish.

IDK if you have gone before but turkey hunting is INCREDIBLY exciting and is also very accessible both near you and far away.

 

[Weldor]

Don't sweat it, just start liking into what you would like to hunt. Then save and plan. I started going to Texas about 16 years ago, just for whitetail. Then Fallow, Axis , Red sheep etc.I just started looking around and calling and emailing guides and outfitters. We usually spend less than $2000 for a week driving and hunting there. Hunting prices have gone up no doubt. We started in Colorado OTC tags back in 90's then Wyoming mule deer same time period. So our adventures are not high end but they work for us. My biggest hunt was Red stag, It was under $4500 about 7 years ago. All I'm saying is it doable with limited funds.

 

[Tradchef]

I wouldn't worry about these guys that do this multiple times a year. A client of mine travels all over the globe and kills some beautiful animals I will never get a chance to hunt but I still love the stories and seeing the mounts. I moved west when I finished culinary school and had spent time in the cities in NYC, DC, Philly, Boston, Denver and Kansas City. My career while it's a lot of fun and a lot of work and zero time and not much money I stuck with it. 16 to 18 hours a day 6 to 7 days a week and no vacations. No benefits, no raises, no PTO time nothing. Just work and learn and get screamed at and repeat. I paid off my school debt, got married and then we started moving around. The states I lived in were never based on career it was based on what can I hunt that I don't want to pay for an out of state tag. Not the smartest but I made my career around hunting and not hunting around my career. Lots of seasons with mostly a couple 3 hour hunts a season so I had to be in areas that had high density. Killed piles of animals not caring about score or size. Just practiced a ton and killed what I could to fill the freezers. I loved it but I stressed over it every season. I've cooked for some of the most wealthy people on the planet and love the finer aspect of cuisine so I stayed high end. I ran some amazing kitchens with some incredibly talented people over the years. Made more money but it was still nothing like most of the guys talk about with time and money on here. I made it work. Got divorced from moving and working too much. No kids, nothing. Now I own my own business that is working for rich people doing high end cuisine based out of Montana. Money is solid and I actually have time. I based the business around wild, foraged elegance. I hunt locally for big game, live in a semi off grid shack in rural Montana on 20 acres, homestead and work. I can hunt, forage and backpack more than I ever dreamed and it's truly amazing. Do I go on any hunts or trips.....not really. If I want to fish or hunt Idaho with friends I do it. If I want to hunt upland on a DIY trip I will. I found some javelina DIY hunts in Texas for a few hundred bucks and primitive camping for a trespass fee. That to me sounds like a great time. Most likely $2500.00 total. Super doable for anyone. It's not glamorous but it's a great time and fun to cut your teeth on. Do what you can and make your own dreams out of it. The people showing off their high dollar hunts and trophies are cool but thats not what I want out of it. I get to experience that world daily but once I walk out their door Im back in my old 2011 pick up with 400,000 miles parked next to their lambo and I'm ok with that. Even with not much money when I was younger and working a stupid amount all of these years I just set realistic goals for hunting and went for it. I have killed a lot of animals and most aren't what guys consider trophies. But I do it with my stick bow most years and make up with a rifle and have a blast. I kill elk and deer every year and I honestly couldn't be happier with it. I do want to draw a sheep tag before I get too old though in Montana. That would be the icing on the cake. But for out of state stuff I'll stick to hogs, Javi's, bow fishing and upland. Save some money, burn some gas and just eat well. What more do you need!!

 

[FranklinBluth]

Not sure how old you are but...it was definitely an age thing for me. Spent my 20's and most of my 30's with my head down working like crazy, having kids, paying off student loans/mortgages. I missed hunting trips out west with my dad and my best friend at the time due to work. Never left eastern MN or western WI for hunting.

I can tell you I never got to experience any decent waterfowl hunting those years and I would have been jealous of your AR duck hunts for sure. There's nothing wrong with enjoying where you're at and building a solid life foundation. As others have suggested, some of these hunts are more attainable than you may think. Spend a full day off researching costs - you may be surprised how close you are to affording a "cool hunt".

 

[Jon Boy]

Expand on this. I'm listening.

I know where I’m at it’s so dang easy to make money it’s not even funny. And all the while everyone is complaining how expensive it is to live.

There’s people in Bozeman making $500-1000 a day picking up dog shit. Seriously.

General labor here starts at $25/hour. There are people willing to pay that for you to come do yard work. Do that for (8) 10 hour days, or 4 weekends, and you’re almost to a western hunt.


Put all of you and your wife’s expenses on a cash back credit card and PAY IT off every month. And then put all of your savings in a high interest savings account like ally or Wealthfront and BOOM you have your first Colorado elk hunt paid for.

You’re 4 weekends and a couple phone calls away from your first one.

Im sure in Arkansas it’s not as easy or doesn’t pay as well, but I have a hard time believing if a guy with half a brain and a strong back can’t find 4 weekends worth of work paying $20-25 bucks an hour.

 

[wapitibob]

I'll tell you the same thing I told my kids; go to work for the Feds, the state, the county, or the city.

 

[robby denning]

OP, I thought of one more thing where I made a lot of money but didn't realize it: Vehicles.

I drove old trucks. (but reliable because I fixed everything myself, or paid friends who had better skills than me).

Looking back, the $2-5K a year I was spending to hunt out of state was paid for in the savings compared to an expensive truck with a mortgage.

and now with some money in my life, I still drive older trucks (2015 now) because you can still save so much.

just something to look at.

 

[Beendare]

I agree with the sentiment voiced by many in this thread;

Appreciate what you already have.

That is a mindset that is worth working at.
There are 2 keys to improving your lot in life; 1) Educate yourself to have a career, a trade or a business that makes good money.....and 2) learn how to manage and budget your savings so that your money is working for you.

Both of those^ subjects have been discussed here a bunch if you search.

 

[SuperDUECE22]

Man, it ain’t rocket science. Everybody wants to go on badass hunts, but nobody wants to quit doing the dumb $hit that keeps ’em broke. Family comes first that’s non‑negotiable. After that, it’s discipline. You either want it or you don’t.Most guys aren’t broke,they’re just bleeding money on stupid stuff.
Cable TV? Kill it.
Streaming everything? Why? Cancel it
Eating out all the time? Limit yourself to once a month or something
Fancy phone and some $150 plan? Drop it.
Booze, chew, pop, energy drinks? Don't need it
Golf membership? GONE.
Driving vehicles you don’t own? Sell ’em and get something paid for.
Camper/Boat Payments? Get rid of em or downsize to somthing you can own outright
Cellular Game Cam Plans? GONE
Get rid of the wasteful spending and all of sudden you’ve got cash you didn’t even know you had.
Then go get a side hustle. There’s a million ways to make extra money these days: nights, weekends, whatever. Stack that on top of cutting the waste and those “dream hunts” stop being dreams real quick.
It ain’t complicated. It’s just saying no to crap that doesn’t matter so you can say yes to the stuff that actually does.

 

[Yaremkiv]

Your problem is you can't afford it, thats all. Here's where I stand: (as if anyone asked). I dont think I will ever buy a hunt. If I don't solve the logistics of finding the game myself, the logistics of getting to it myself, if I don't have the skills and physical ability to reach my quarry, properly dispatch it and get it back home and process it myself; I'm not interested. Most might disagree of course and I know I'm missing out on some wild adventures had I bought a guided hunt but I enjoy the training, research, gear accumulation, scouting etc. to get it done 100% solo. Thats the game I enjoy. Besides, my wishlist of rifle builds, gear, optics, airplanes, ATVs and snowmachines, cabins etc. would have to be fulfilled before I spend a penny on a guided hunt.

 

[robby denning]

Today I learned that a 2015 is an older truck

Lol!

It's relative. My friend just bought a truck that went N. of a $100K!!

 

[CorbLand]

Didnt read all the posts but there are a lot of factors that add into people being able to do things you don’t understand how.

1. Age/time in life plays a role. Early part of your life is spent building. Once things are built, things open up. When every spare penny you have is going towards savings, you don’t have extra. Once your savings is built, all that extra becomes available to use. Eventually, the interest off your emergency fund can help pay for extras.

2. Anyone that is over about 40 right now got a massive leg up on anyone in there 20s to early 30s. They had the opportunity to purchase houses at record lows in 2008-2010 and then another great opportunity to refinance 10-12 years later at record low rates. That opened up a lot of extra money for people to be able to utilize.

3. Different people are willing to do different things. I know people making north of 250k a year, that hunt a lot. Yet a few of them have to put their application costs on a credit card because they cant float the costs. Some people spend every penny they have and have no savings. If you’re willing to live that lifestyle, you can do a lot more.

4. Life circumstances also play a big role. I know a guy that does a lot of hunting. Like a lot a lot. He never has held a steady job, just does what it takes to get by. Never could figure out how. Come to find out, his dad is a multimillionaire and he is set to inherit a lot of wealth. The guy doesn’t have to worry about saving for retirement, or any other large unexpected expense. Really opens up the world when, if you follow standard advice, you have access to 15% more of your income because you don’t have to use it for other things.

OP, you just have to find what you want and make it happen but also realize that different points in life and different circumstances play a big role. My wife and I waited to have kids. I got to do a couple out of state hunts in my late 20s because we had dual income and low expenses. Now that we have a kid, we are down to one income and extra expenses. No more out of state hunts for me until that balances itself back out.

 

[CorbLand]

Lol!

It's relative. My friend just bought a truck that went N. of a $100K!!

My uncles daily driver is a top model Raptor R. That’s only a 140K plus.

I really made some wrong choices in life somewhere.

 

[bighornbor]

I spent +50 days hunting OTC sheep, elk and deer this past fall, the trade off is I live in a city-folk run province and my bank account is on the knife’s edge of being red. On my birthdays I don’t wish for hunting days I wish for my truck to not break down and financial stability in my future !

 

[WCB]

I bought a NZ Chamois hunt at for 2 at an SCI auction for less than 1/2 the cost of a 1x1 hunt. All in if I didnt add on a Tahr and a couple of Arapawa rams. For my wife (GF at the time) and I all cost included to each hunt/shoot a Chamois and all travel expenses it would have been around $5000. Hell of a hunt for 2 people and a helicopter drop off mountain hunt.

Since I didn't know when or if I would make it back I bit the bullet and added a bull Tahr (free range foot hunt). And for fun a couple Arapawa rams (high fence of course). Total cost minus Taxidermy was around $12-$14K if I remember right.

At the time we made maybe $80K combined income no kids. Worth absolutely every penny and I don't miss a dime of that money.

With that said you can have some great adventure hunts right in the U.S. for a couple grand including travel.

 

[fatlander]

Yeah the vehicle thing is a common thread.

Of the three guys I hunt out west with every year, we all have one thing in common; not a single one of us has a vehicle that’s financed.

It’s pretty easy to afford a 2500 dollar hunt when you don’t have 500-1500+ a month going out to car notes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Dos Perros]

Did your parents teach you how to do this?

I was in college driving 6 hours one way routinely to fish in the Ozarks, sleeping in my car, eating tuna and ramen. Once I got a real job I took my vacation time to do dirtbag fishing trips. Got a dog, then another, applied myself at work and got a promotions here and there, and started going to more exotic places like Montana and Texas to hunt. Didn't do my first out of state big game hunt until I was 33 I think, but have been doing that consistently for 10 years. Starting to add international fishing trips.

Between my wife and I we save something like 23% of our income (that includes employer contributions) for retirement, live frugally. We both drive '08 vehicles as an example. Lucky to have bought a house that will do back in 2013, with a low interest rate.

I think my answer to your question is it takes time. Make smart decisions. Make good investments (and what I mean there is...buy stuff that will last, take care of it, don't chase flashy stuff). Know that people around you with new cars and nice houses are leveraged to their teeth, have parents supporting them, etc. You can't compare yourself to them.

When it's all said an done an out of state elk or deer hunt probably costs about $2000 (including tag) to execute on the cheap. Any of us can come up with that most years if you really wanted to. Just depends how bad you want it.

 

[180ls1]

Keep investing in your earning potential/career. Be ruthless about it.

If immigrants come here and make six or multiple six figures you can also.