Taking Equity out of Home OP spoke to me - now, me too!

Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
877
Why even hunt at all? Hunting at any level doesn't make fiscal sense.

I don’t know, show me another source of meat that I can get for the cost of a resident deer tag($25), 1 tank of gas($80) and 1 bullet($2)

If I figure I get 50 lbs off of a deer then it costs me about $2.14/lb for meat, show me where I can buy beef for that cost.

Elk hunting is even more economical.


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Scottf270

WKR
Joined
Sep 26, 2017
Messages
637
Location
Missouri
Two scenarios, which one is right?

1. Guy works hard, lives conservatively. No new trucks or soccer mom vehicles. Lives in a 1,000 sq ft house. No fancy clothes, vacations or constantly eating out. Brown bags his lunch, no Starbucks. Doesn't smoke or drink. Pays cash or does without. Takes care of kids but no traveling team sports etc. Net worth as empty nester is 1.5 million, no debt.

2. Guy works hard, lives a life of consumption. Always has a car payment. Lives in a $500.000 McMansion. Takes multiple vacations, wife and kids wear $150.00 jeans and shoes. Eats out several times a week both with family and for lunch. Has a $6.00 coffee everyday, smokes or drinks. Runs all over incurring debt with traveling sports for kids. Still owes on nearly everything and is one illness or job lapse from financial ruin.

If one of these two wants to finance $200,000.00 for his dream hunts, which one is more fiscally able or deserving to do so?

It's all about choices fellas. Bottom line is, you do you, I'll do me. No hard feelings either way.
 

2531usmc

WKR
Joined
Apr 5, 2021
Messages
485
I absolutely love hunting but I have a near paid for house and a car with 12 payments left on it and that’s it.

There is absolutely no way I would go back in debt to hunt. There is absolutely no animal in the world worth what some people pay for them.

My family comes before any hobbies and I will never put them in debt for my selfish wants to fulfill a hobby.


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I absolutely love hunting but I have a near paid for house and a car with 12 payments left on it and that’s it.

There is absolutely no way I would go back in debt to hunt. There is absolutely no animal in the world worth what some people pay for them.

My family comes before any hobbies and I will never put them in debt for my selfish wants to fulfill a hobby.


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Memories with dad are great but instead of leaving the kids memories, might it be better to leave them a lifetime gift? Instead of a bear hunt, maybe start and fund a retirement account for the kids or grandkids?

Young people today are finding it impossible to buy a house. Maybe instead of buying a hunt, give each kid $25k for a down payment. That’s a lifetime gift and I’m sure, in time, they will appreciate it more than a hunt.
 

schmalzy

WKR
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
1,581
I don’t know, show me another source of meat that I can get for the cost of a resident deer tag($25), 1 tank of gas($80) and 1 bullet($2)

If I figure I get 50 lbs off of a deer then it costs me about $2.14/lb for meat, show me where I can buy beef for that cost.

Elk hunting is even more economical.


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I get your sentiment, but I really don’t think this math pencils out. Need to capitalize some other expenses in there; rifle, binos, pack etc.


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Joined
Jul 17, 2013
Messages
687
I don’t know, show me another source of meat that I can get for the cost of a resident deer tag($25), 1 tank of gas($80) and 1 bullet($2)

If I figure I get 50 lbs off of a deer then it costs me about $2.14/lb for meat, show me where I can buy beef for that cost.

Elk hunting is even more economical.


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I haven’t seen numbers that cherry picked since the last time I convinced my wife to go sheep hunting 😂😂😂.

if you truly believe that it is what it costs you to hunt then you are more delusional than any of us.
 

schmalzy

WKR
Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Messages
1,581
Memories with dad are great but instead of leaving the kids memories, might it be better to leave them a lifetime gift? Instead of a bear hunt, maybe start and fund a retirement account for the kids or grandkids?

Young people today are finding it impossible to buy a house. Maybe instead of buying a hunt, give each kid $25k for a down payment. That’s a lifetime gift and I’m sure, in time, they will appreciate it more than a hunt.

I think every family different, but I’d take the hunt/adventure with someone I loved over 25k.

I sincerely mean the first part; Every family and situation different. 25k can be a huge lifeline to some, and others it’s not as life changing. My thought is you can earn more money but you damn sure can’t get that person back.

The hunt or animal is just the symbol of the adventure. The highs and lows and suffering and laughter is the gold.

Not trying to be overly dramatic; OP I am rooting for you and your family.


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cbeard64

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Joined
Sep 8, 2016
Messages
387
Location
Corsicana, Texas
My educated guess just based being on this earth 60 years is that, on the whole, guys that go on expensive adventure hunts are almost certainly way more financially stable, responsible, and savvy than the general population.

The auto lots are filled with cars and trucks that cost 60-90K and the boat places are filled with 60-100k boats. Folks living paycheck to paycheck are buying by the thousands every day. Nobody seems to get up in arms about that.
 

IDVortex

WKR
Joined
Jan 16, 2024
Messages
1,284
Location
CDA Idaho
My educated guess just based being on this earth 60 years is that, on the whole, guys that go on expensive adventure hunts are almost certainly way more financially stable, responsible, and savvy than the general population.

The auto lots are filled with cars and trucks that cost 60-90K and the boat places are filled with 60-100k boats. Folks living paycheck to paycheck are buying by the thousands every day. Nobody seems to get up in arms about that.
Because that's the American dream and folks tend to look over the fact of the American dream is nothing but debt. And emptiness.
 

IDVortex

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Jan 16, 2024
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CDA Idaho
I don’t know, show me another source of meat that I can get for the cost of a resident deer tag($25), 1 tank of gas($80) and 1 bullet($2)

If I figure I get 50 lbs off of a deer then it costs me about $2.14/lb for meat, show me where I can buy beef for that cost.

Elk hunting is even more economical.


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First of all, I don't hunt because it's 'cheap meat' I don't live in fantasy world.

Secondly, the amount of money I spend in a year for hunting, which includes scouting and shooting is easily more than id like to say.

Now, am I getting better quailty meat? He'll yes, that's one reason I do it. But I mainly do it because it's the only thing that challenges me in my life atm, and it's my only hobby I have. I do it to keep myself sane.

Let's say with math I do some math work.

Spring bear if I get one, a say with 65# of meat?

Fuel $256
Food (for the hunt only) 50
License/tag (license was divided into 3rds due to me elk and deer hunting this fall hopefully) 15.75
Ammo (1 to confirm zero, and 1 to kill with no follow up) 5.80

Roughly $5.03 a pound.

Now that's not taking into gear, like my new backpacking tent, my new oack, upgraded stoves, etc. Looking at the whole equation of a hunt, hunting isn't cheap, unless you're going to your back yard and shooting a deer in a afternoon and calling it good.

Oh yeah, what about time off from work, if it's not PTO, or a weekend, you're loosing money there.

If I looked at hunting like I do business finances, I wouldn't do it.
 
Joined
May 17, 2015
Messages
877
First of all, I don't hunt because it's 'cheap meat' I don't live in fantasy world.

Secondly, the amount of money I spend in a year for hunting, which includes scouting and shooting is easily more than id like to say.

Now, am I getting better quailty meat? He'll yes, that's one reason I do it. But I mainly do it because it's the only thing that challenges me in my life atm, and it's my only hobby I have. I do it to keep myself sane.

Let's say with math I do some math work.

Spring bear if I get one, a say with 65# of meat?

Fuel $256
Food (for the hunt only) 50
License/tag (license was divided into 3rds due to me elk and deer hunting this fall hopefully) 15.75
Ammo (1 to confirm zero, and 1 to kill with no follow up) 5.80

Roughly $5.03 a pound.

Now that's not taking into gear, like my new backpacking tent, my new oack, upgraded stoves, etc. Looking at the whole equation of a hunt, hunting isn't cheap, unless you're going to your back yard and shooting a deer in a afternoon and calling it good.

Oh yeah, what about time off from work, if it's not PTO, or a weekend, you're loosing money there.

If I looked at hunting like I do business finances, I wouldn't do it.

I like to eat even when I’m not hunting, so I don’t factor that into the equation.

I also like to camp/backpack, shoot and look at wildlife, not necessarily all at the same time, when I’m not hunting so I dont really factor guns/ammo/gear into the equation

I know I’m kinda cherry picking, and would I enjoy all those other activities if I didn’t also hunt? No telling because I have always been and always will be a hunter.


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IDVortex

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Joined
Jan 16, 2024
Messages
1,284
Location
CDA Idaho
I like to eat even when I’m not hunting, so I don’t factor that into the equation.

I also like to camp/backpack, shoot and look at wildlife, not necessarily all at the same time, when I’m not hunting so I dont really factor guns/ammo/gear into the equation

I know I’m kinda cherry picking, and would I enjoy all those other activities if I didn’t also hunt? No telling because I have always been and always will be a hunter.


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You should get into goverment, and work with the finaces/budgets. You'd be good at it.
 
Joined
Mar 1, 2017
Messages
2,058
Location
Eagle River, AK
Memories with dad are great but instead of leaving the kids memories, might it be better to leave them a lifetime gift? Instead of a bear hunt, maybe start and fund a retirement account for the kids or grandkids?

Young people today are finding it impossible to buy a house. Maybe instead of buying a hunt, give each kid $25k for a down payment
I think this song by Disturbed means a lot for memories! (If you are a rock fan they have a great live version with a tribute to a lot passed on rockers)


Here is the live version- some may like it better-


Everyone should be a Disturbed fan for their cover of the iconic Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel!
 
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CorbLand

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Joined
Mar 16, 2016
Messages
7,799
Memories with dad are great but instead of leaving the kids memories, might it be better to leave them a lifetime gift? Instead of a bear hunt, maybe start and fund a retirement account for the kids or grandkids?

Young people today are finding it impossible to buy a house. Maybe instead of buying a hunt, give each kid $25k for a down payment. That’s a lifetime gift and I’m sure, in time, they will appreciate it more than a hunt.
I don’t know man. I am a huge advocate for helping set your family up financially for life but that can be done through life insurance and other means that take over when you are gone.

My dad died in his sleep when I was 4. Yesterday marked 28 years. I would pay 25K just to be able to ask him if he was proud of me.

My cousins husband went snowmobiling last March and came home two days later in a helicopter after his sled landed on him and killed him. He had four kids. I would bet they would take a 5 minute conversation over 25K.

Make sure your family is taken care of but take the time and spend the money to create memories. It can and does all change in the blink of an eye.
 

Scottf270

WKR
Joined
Sep 26, 2017
Messages
637
Location
Missouri
Also don't forget each person has a responsibility to take care of themselves. Helping future generations is a noble thought but part of the reason people are so stupid, lazy and weak now days is because they were pampered and given to much.

Hard work, pain, and suffering builds appreciation and character. Most don't value things they have no stake in. My kids are raised and doing very well. I told them if there is something left when we are gone, fine. If not, tough. Their mother and I earned it and it's ours to spend as we see fit.
 

MntHunter

FNG
Joined
Jan 18, 2024
Messages
38
Memories with dad are great but instead of leaving the kids memories, might it be better to leave them a lifetime gift? Instead of a bear hunt, maybe start and fund a retirement account for the kids or grandkids?

Young people today are finding it impossible to buy a house. Maybe instead of buying a hunt, give each kid $25k for a down payment. That’s a lifetime gift and I’m sure, in time, they will appreciate it more than a hunt.

If my kid said they would rather me leave them money than to make a memory with me. I would make the only line in my will was that all my money is lit on fire.

Young people can do it...I bought my first house with 5% down, paid a higher interest rate than what most people have now...just depends on how bad you want something.
 
Joined
Nov 7, 2012
Messages
8,049
Location
S. UTAH
Memories with dad are great but instead of leaving the kids memories, might it be better to leave them a lifetime gift? Instead of a bear hunt, maybe start and fund a retirement account for the kids or grandkids?

Young people today are finding it impossible to buy a house. Maybe instead of buying a hunt, give each kid $25k for a down payment. That’s a lifetime gift and I’m sure, in time, they will appreciate it more than a hunt.
If someone offered me 25k and said I could keep it or spend it on a trip with my dad it wouldn't take me a nanosecond to decide that I'm taking my pops hunting.
 

30338

WKR
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Messages
1,985
If someone gave my son $25,000 and told him he could use it on a house down payment or spend it on a hunt with me, I'd be pissed as hell if we went hunting. But since he was 3 we've been hunting together and he has a wall full of great animals on DIY hunts here in CO. My daughter is the same.

I just don't need to spend this kind of money for animals. But we're all different and we all can still at this point do largely what we want. So whatever floats your boat.

For all the young guys on here, go to honestmath.com, free financial retirement calculator. Start planning early, retire early, hunt as much as you can along the way. No right answer for anyone but I like my answer for me a lot.
 

ADKHTR

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 23, 2021
Messages
225
My plan is simple… since I own a small seasonal business, and my son will be of age at exactly the right time, in lieu of early retirement, god willing and my health is still good, I will work a few extra years, if I so choose then, and book as many hunts a year as the cash flow will allow each season, from working those extra years… essentially I will only still be working to fund hunts to spend more time with my son, and do the things I always wanted to do with my father.. but never happened. This isn’t something I just dreamed up, I’ve had this plan in place for the last couple years, and I promise you it will happen.
 
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