How do you guys go on these cool hunts?

[ez_willie]

Apologies if it’s been asked already, but you don’t need a new pair of binoculars or some gas station snacks by chance do you?

 

[Fullfan]

Look up every major city law enforcement agency and pay scales. Get in shape. Apply and get accepted. Go through the academy. Get tazed, maced, and spend 8 months listening to some idiot yell in your ear. Graduate Academy. Go work evening or night shift for 3 years. Get spit on by homeless people and clean human shit off your boots every few weeks. Join a specialized unit. Work 65 hours a week. Always on call. Get promoted. Review a couple 1000 child porn images every day and kick in doors at 5a instead of going to kids basketball game. Get promoted again and do it all over again but make sure you have all your guys wives numbers so you can call them at 2a when they get shot or rear ended by a drunk. Promote again.

Save 20% of everything you make and empower your spouse to do the same. Stay fit. Join a good church.

By your late 30s go hunt anywhere you want. Chase tarpon in Belize. Hunt Grizzly in Alaska. Go to Colorado every elk season.

I think that might work.

LOL this is why I could spend 3-4 weeks chasing Sept bulls, and a month chasing spring gobblers.

Exactly is what I did when I returned home from the first Persian Gulf War.

SO, glad I lived to see my retirement.

 

[ColoradoV]

Wow 12 pages of advise...

Actually what gets me the most free Land Owner tags is irrigation.. One of my many jobs is to work with water/ranchers and my kids will volunteer to clean ditches, set tarps, and ck gate levels.. Gotten me more tags lately than if I had a 15k yearly budget.. The main landowner tag I like I get because well I got a knack for finding a certain type of deer.... Many ways to skin a cat if you are again willing to put in the time and work.

After reading a page or 2 = my girls wonder why and actually bitch that they never get "paid" to work at our restaurant or when they clean our air b n b's = as 100% of what they make goes into their Roth IRA... Both started before they were 10... Or another way of putting it is to start a generational plan for your kids today if you have not already...

Now if the damn silver mines would just pan out .......

 

[270-300]

Well for me it was moving close to where I want to hunt. I live in wyoming. I live in a place i can make a decent income and am still 35 minutes from a world class elk hunt, and 2 hours from a wilderness area hunt few ever get to experience. As a resident i can buy elk tags over the counter, and easily draw resident tags for rugged wilderness areas no one wants to hike in and out of. With a million acres of national forest within an hour drive of my house, i dont have to worry about buying hunting land.

As far as budget, I bought a quality but modest house when prices were low in 2020. I drive old vehicles with no rust that are in excellent condition. Only loan I have is the house. I dont waste money on expensive hunting gear. I hunt with vintage rifles that i buy at bargain prices when lots come up at estate sales. Typically small shops will buy the whole 4 dozen or so lot, and sit on them for 3 years because they arent hot items. I come along after a couple years and they are willing to take about anything for a rifle or two to get it to move. Through this methods and trading, the most ive paid for a long gun to date is $300. My collection includes a mint recent model Browning Citori grade 2 and several pre 1980 bolt action rifles with beautiful walnut stocks. There are deals to be had if you know how to trade, typically trading across interests is best because you will be able to get smoking deals from those guys who thought they were going to be the next duck dynasty when they dropped 5k on a shotgun and then it sat in the closet for a decade after they missed every bird 3 trap nights in a row. Trade them something that appeals to the next hobby they have moved onto. Having vintage stuff thats uncommon can be worth more than gold to the right guy whos in the market.

Optics are always best bought used from the guys who hit the september sale and hunted once and need to pay off the cabelas credit card before the interest kicks in. Ive never paid over 60% of retail for any optics.

Packs and blinds can be found by the dozens used for almost giveaway prices.

Find some old paint peeling decoys and they will almost give them away. A weekend with a spray can and they will be serviceable.

Instead of hunting leases scope out rugged public land. Most public land hunters wont touch anything that requires walking up a steep hill.

Get an old inexpensive hunting truck. The worse fuel mileage the cheaper it is and the better the insurance cost.

Sleep in your truck or a tent. Bring a skillet and a propane stove and cook inexpensive food.

Hunt animals that help your food budget. In 3 hunts last year i shot 250 lbs of red meat. I process myself. Havent bought beef since august. That enables me to reinvest some money into hunting gear bargains and save money.

Save money. Put it into funds that dont lose principle such as cds. I put this years tax return into a cd. The interest in one year at 4% will pay for a 4 day weekend hunt.

Heres a moose I saw on a sunday morning hike 35 minutes from my house last month.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Well for me it was moving close to where I want to hunt. I live in wyoming. I live in a place i can make a decent income and am still 35 minutes from a world class elk hunt, and 2 hours from a wilderness area hunt few ever get to experience. As a resident i can buy elk tags over the counter, and easily draw resident tags for rugged wilderness areas no one wants to hike in and out of. With a million acres of national forest within an hour drive of my house, i dont have to worry about buying hunting land.

As far as budget, I bought a quality but modest house when prices were low in 2020. I drive old vehicles with no rust that are in excellent condition. Only loan I have is the house. I dont waste money on expensive hunting gear. I hunt with vintage rifles that i buy at bargain prices when lots come up at estate sales. Typically small shops will buy the whole 4 dozen or so lot, and sit on them for 3 years because they arent hot items. I come along after a couple years and they are willing to take about anything for a rifle or two to get it to move. Through this methods and trading, the most ive paid for a long gun to date is $300. My collection includes a mint recent model Browning Citori grade 2 and several pre 1980 bolt action rifles with beautiful walnut stocks. There are deals to be had if you know how to trade, typically trading across interests is best because you will be able to get smoking deals from those guys who thought they were going to be the next duck dynasty when they dropped 5k on a shotgun and then it sat in the closet for a decade after they missed every bird 3 trap nights in a row. Trade them something that appeals to the next hobby they have moved onto. Having vintage stuff thats uncommon can be worth more than gold to the right guy whos in the market.

Optics are always best bought used from the guys who hit the september sale and hunted once and need to pay off the cabelas credit card before the interest kicks in. Ive never paid over 60% of retail for any optics.

Packs and blinds can be found by the dozens used for almost giveaway prices.

Find some old paint peeling decoys and they will almost give them away. A weekend with a spray can and they will be serviceable.

Instead of hunting leases scope out rugged public land. Most public land hunters wont touch anything that requires walking up a steep hill.

Get an old inexpensive hunting truck. The worse fuel mileage the cheaper it is and the better the insurance cost.

Sleep in your truck or a tent. Bring a skillet and a propane stove and cook inexpensive food.

Hunt animals that help your food budget. In 3 hunts last year i shot 250 lbs of red meat. I process myself. Havent bought beef since august. That enables me to reinvest some money into hunting gear bargains and save money.

Save money. Put it into funds that dont lose principle such as cds. I put this years tax return into a cd. The interest in one year at 4% will pay for a 4 day weekend hunt.

Heres a moose I saw on a sunday morning hike 35 minutes from my house last month.

I’m most interested in how you paid 300 bucks for a mint grade citori?!

 

[270-300]

I’m most interested in how you paid 300 bucks for a mint grade citori?!

Ill pm you.

 

[rodney482]

That sounds awful

you should see my trophy room.... priorities

 

[Tsank]

I need some help and I don’t know who better to ask than the guys doing it so here goes. How do you guys achieve the time freedom and the financial freedom to go on these cool hunts. I’m in Arkansas working at a factory I have no kids but I have a wife and a mortgage and I pretty much only get to hunt what’s local to me like whitetail and ducks. I’m looking for adventure.

I would

It's called a K-shaped economy. The rich are doing better than ever, everyone else is hungrier than ever. Don't try to measure yourself against people that get paid to hunt exotic places for a living, or those who don't have to worry about making ends meet.

Hunt your own hunt and make sure you family is loved.

Could not have said it any better

 

[AntelopeEater]

For what its worth, I've been fortunate enough to go on some guided hunts...but now I've got some experience and have successfully harvested a mule deer buck and antelope on my own with cheap public land hunts, I now prefer hunting on my own or with friends instead of paying a guide.

It is not just that I save a lot of money DIY, I find it more satisfying and I also don't give a rip about exactly how long the horns are, etc. as long as the animal is legal.

The experience of the hunt, and getting to share meat I harvested myself with friends and family is what I really enjoy.

It helps that I live in Nevada with a lot of public land and the ability to draw resident tags though.

But also, California has some OTC bear tags and good upland game hunting, and the trout fishing in the Eastern Sierras is truly world-class, so if I don't draw any good tags in NV this year I'm probably just going to do a road trip to the Eastern Sierra with a bear tag, rifle, and fishing rod to do some camping, fishing, hiking and maybe even get my first unguided bear.

That whole trip, even including the non resident bear tag and gas could be done for about one grand, which isn't too bad for an epic fishing/hunting adventure.

 

[270-300]

you should see my trophy room.... priorities

The op is asking about the difference between priorities and financial opportunities.

 

[Marbles]

To add, I don't spend much on taxidermy. I will have hides tanned (bear and goat). I clean my own skulls. That is it. No trophy room for me. The point is going hunting for me and on a budget taxidermy is an obvious thing to cut out.

 

[270-300]

You’ll find that deep down most guys who go on a lot of GUIDED hunts are either very selfish or very wealthy.

Sometimes both.

I used to wonder how several people on a few forums were able to go on so many hunts. It was like every time I turned around it was a grizzly hunt or a dall sheep hunt or Africa or New Mexico elk.

Then, one day I discovered that they were dentists and doctors.

True story.

Manage your expectations friend. Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s cause you can’t afford it and your wife will likely leave you if you try. OOS hunting trips are super expensive.

Theres a little guy i shoot winter archery leagues with here. Every year he goes to new zealand and shoots some deer that dont look a whole lot different than the deer here, and the terrain looks pretty similar. Onetime he said he spent 25k on one of these hunts. Well one night in the middle of him explaining to me how ill never be able to shoot anything at 300 yard with 270 winchester unless i switch to small primed brass, followed by some nonsense about how large primers are inconsistent, his wife walked in. She started showing him pictures of some microscopic stackable laundry machines she saw online used and asked him which closet in their rented apartment would be big enough to shove these into so she can stop going to the laundry mat after work. That was the point i realized these people sacrifice quality of life to drive new leased vehicles and take over priced hunts.

Theres also a lot of them who write hunting trips off as the marketing budget of companies they are affiliated with.

 

[270-300]

Figure out how to make more money or move out west and become a resident. You’re just getting started, and If you weren’t born into money, it’s gonna take a while. Don’t get complacent, and always be looking at how to move foreward.
Also realize the grass isn’t always greener. Most western states have strict limits, short seasons, and long miserable winters. I know AR has a long deer season with multiple tags, turkeys, hogs, waterfowl, lots of small game, great fishing, and it’s all as accessible as going to Wal Mart and buying a license.

You got that right. I used to bow hunt in an eastern state where anyone could buy 4 deer tags for $20 over the counter, then go back for more. Where i live some units only draw 100 mule deer tags per year, some units i have never drawn a tag in and some i can draw most years. The quality of the hunt is unbeatable here for me though.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Guy I know picked up a Kodiak Island brown bear hunt for just over $3k and his travel. Buddy had won it at auction and had something come up last minute and couldn't go. The mount cost significantly more than the hunt did....lol. That said, he does really well in real estate and can pretty much afford to go on any hunt he wants.

As far as me, I go the cheap route. Self guided, camp. I can do Elk in CO for less than $2k and that includes the tag.

I have spoken elsewhere on this forum about the challenges I've faced trying to build a group to do self-guided DIY hunts in the west and how doing it solo just isn't a realistic option for me.

So, my options are building a group to go which is proving fruitless, finding a group to jump in on which is also proving a challenge or going guided which is close to out of reach for a blue collar dude.

Finding that these aren't scams or sketchy does open some avenues that are more realistic than entering tag/hunt giveaway raffles and hoping.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Gotta learn that thing called self control my man.

I am sure some are legit and some aren’t. Honestly, guided hunts are so far out of the realm of my ability, I couldn’t tell you a thing about them. Just know a few guys that have gotten in on some cancellations for good prices.

When I say I got a good deal on a duck/fishing boat, I am not talking I got a 40K boat for 20K. It was a 4K boat for 2.2K. I ain’t working with much.

We're talking about the same kinds of numbers, my man. We had a big financial setback a few years ago where we had to live on my "hunting fund" for a couple months while I recuperated from an injury, so the 6kish I had set aside for a hunt rapidly shrunk, and we've been scrambling to replace it ever since. I've probably made a few rash purchasing decisions along the way, too which doesn't always help.

I'm finally back to a point where I can think about small hunts and do some cool stuff more locally or save all my pennies and never do a hunt until I'm too old to do the hunts I want to do.