How do you pay for your gear?

[Tahoe1305]

Buy used on here. Then sell used on here. Do my best to make it a net break even game.

Isn’t perfect but I can get close on most things.

Things I can’t I can typically get good discounts on.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I just run up a bunch of credit cards and file bankruptcy every 7 years.

 

[Predator_SD]

Buy once cry once then just use it for YEARS.

The last flagship bow i bought was in 2009 and it’s still the bow i use today. I have zero desire to replace it. Imagine how much money that will save over a guy who buys a new one every other year with no appreciable gain in his ability to kill animals. Clothing, same thing find what i like, buy what i need then wear it afield until i die or it does. Guns….same my newest is 30ish years old and killed with it this year.

Once you got it all no need to buy another to replace one that you already got. And with today’s inflation man i’m glad i don’t need to buy any new high dollar hunting gear!

 

[Nick4050]

I work one shift a week at a big name sporting goods store just so I can get the employee discount and pro form benefits. It’s allowed me to afford significantly more and nicer gear than if I were paying normal prices.

 

[KenLee]

I work one shift a week at a big name sporting goods store just so I can get the employee discount and pro form benefits. It’s allowed me to afford significantly more and nicer gear than if I were paying normal prices.

I'm sorry, but your name must be changed to "counter guy"

 

[Rotnguns]

I work one shift a week at a big name sporting goods store just so I can get the employee discount and pro form benefits. It’s allowed me to afford significantly more and nicer gear than if I were paying normal prices.

Sounds like a good idea! I've thought off and on about doing the very same thing in retirement, at Scheels, Sportsmans Warehouse, or Cabelas. Decided to go with volunteering as an RSO at our local range instead. But the discount and other benefits are tempting!

 

[Huntndog]

When my wife and I started out in 1986 we had less than nothing. I was making $15,000 plus housing a year and we had $40,000 in student loan debt. I borrowed a guy’s rifle to gun hunt and cut tobacco in my spare time to buy a shotgun.
Now things are very different. No debt, practically every toy imaginable and a very successful business. I buy everything new and top of the line. I admit part of that is because we went so many years just scraping by. I turn 65 in a couple of weeks. Our son has everything he needs or wants and our daughter has zero interest in hunting. We have no grandchildren. One day some young person out there is going to get a bunch of top quality gear given to them……

 

[Gone_fishin29]

Mix of credit and cash. Try to keep a even balance

 

[satchamo]

Bingo. I prefer to keep my wife in the dark that I’ve put our family in temporary dire financial straits to save a few ounces.


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[SC HUNTER]

When my wife and I started out in 1986 we had less than nothing. I was making $15,000 plus housing a year and we had $40,000 in student loan debt. I borrowed a guy’s rifle to gun hunt and cut tobacco in my spare time to buy a shotgun.
Now things are very different. No debt, practically every toy imaginable and a very successful business. I buy everything new and top of the line. I admit part of that is because we went so many years just scraping by. I turn 65 in a couple of weeks. Our son has everything he needs or wants and our daughter has zero interest in hunting. We have no grandchildren. One day some young person out there is going to get a bunch of top quality gear given to them……

Man congratulations! Enjoy it and embrace it!

 

[eaglemountainman]

Debit card or cash. If I don't have room on the account, or cash on hand, I don't buy it.

I also justify yearly out of state hunts and gear purchases by doing renovation work and projects around the homestead myself, instead of paying contractors thousands more. Plus, I do a better job.

 

[KenLee]

When my wife and I started out in 1986 we had less than nothing. I was making $15,000 plus housing a year and we had $40,000 in student loan debt. I borrowed a guy’s rifle to gun hunt and cut tobacco in my spare time to buy a shotgun.
Now things are very different. No debt, practically every toy imaginable and a very successful business. I buy everything new and top of the line. I admit part of that is because we went so many years just scraping by. I turn 65 in a couple of weeks. Our son has everything he needs or wants and our daughter has zero interest in hunting. We have no grandchildren. One day some young person out there is going to get a bunch of top quality gear given to them……

I had one rifle from age 11 to 21. Married at 18. When first wife hunted, she used the rifle and I used my only shotgun.
I probably have 40 rifles and shotguns loaned out now. Will says they get them to keep. Don't wait till you die to give kids guns and gear. Do it now and watch the kids enjoy.

 

[BigredRusch]

The reality is that most gear is not needed to hunt. As a recently married man with two young kids and a single income, I had to develop a priority list for extra money so I could hunt every year multiple times. I tired going into debt and it didn't work out for me.... Here is what I got. Every year I run down the list and use extra money on the next category.

1. Tags/licenses - I can't afford to hunt out of state on our current income, so I focus on opportunities in my home state and make the best of it. Side note: get off the band wagon and stop listening to influencer x, y, or z telling you about the 4 350 bulls he killed last year, it's bad for your mental health and you will never be able to do that and live the life you are living at the same time.
2. Reliable Affordable Vehicle - If you can't afford to put gas in your F350, do you even have a truck? I will take a reliable vehicle that gets decent mileage over a stereotypical outdoor truck. Most hunting requires long drive and fuel economy can impact the bottom line and prevent trips.
3. Weapons - Rifle, bow, muzzleloader. It needs to be accurate and reliable out to realistic ranges. Modifications can be made in the future to extend range and accuracy.
4. Packs - Finding game usually means covering country and carrying your stuff plus packing out meat. A good pack is a onetime investment that can be used for your entire hunting career. Get a good pack a stop trying to upgrade, they are expensive.
5. Boots - Good boots/shoes that fit your hunting style and needs will make the entire experience better and prevent injury. Very few people need $500 Crispi's, that's why this is low on the list. Honestly, Nike Free's are some of the quietest shoes I have used.
6. Optics - Optics are an enhancer not a requirement so they are at the bottom of the list. Everyone wants NL Pures but if you stay home until you can afford NL Pures, you still won't know how to hunt when you get them.

camo clothes, ultralight gear, sleep system, obsessive clothing layers, etc are all fluff and should be avoided until extra money is flowing.

 

[Huntndog]

I had one rifle from age 11 to 21. Married at 18. When first wife hunted, she used the rifle and I used my only shotgun.
I probably have 40 rifles and shotguns loaned out now. Will says they get them to keep. Don't wait till you die to give kids guns and gear. Do it now and watch the kids enjoy.

I do give away anything I am not using. As of right now I am using most of it,but am always on the lookout for kids that are trying to get started.