Turnkey cost poll for successful DIY elk hunters - All about the Benjamin's?

[One-shot]

Your $12/lb is way high. Ground is under $5 and that will be a large amount of meat after processing. Top sirloin steak is under $10/lb. Prices will vary by area I guess but $12 average is too high.

Yeah, but you’re talking low-end beef prices - yuk. Elk is the highest protein and leanest read meat for the $, not to mention 100% organic. So for comparison, you should price out grass fed, organically grown beef that has been minimally processed or handled, not mainstream contaminated slaughter-house, grain fed, American meat that even the EU won’t buy.

 

[gonhunting247]

You don't need expensive gear to be successful. It is a luxury you purchase along the way. I killed just as many or more bulls with my old 30.06 and military surplus store gear. I will say it makes it a lot nicer at times. but again not a necessity.
So I guess you can make it as cheap or as expensive as you want outside of the tags, gas and food etc. I killed 5 branch bulls in 5 years in my home state before I ever had the nice gear I have today.
A guy can purchase things along the way a little at a time and use them for 20 plus years while you are getting the most important thing of all in my opinion; Time in the field and experience. I still use some of the same gear I used in the 80's and 90's while other items are super modern high performance gear.

 

[5MilesBack]

6 months ago I figured it would cost me $3,500 tops...all in.

You could easily do that.

Not counting vehicles, I come in well under $5k for my archery hunts even counting the initial expense of my 14x16 wall tent and everything else I use.

But once you accumulate the gear you need, your only expense each year should be tags and fuel.

 

[MuleyFever]

Yeah, but you’re talking low-end beef prices - yuk. Elk is the highest protein and leanest read meat for the $, not to mention 100% organic. So for comparison, you should price out grass fed, organically grown beef that has been minimally processed or handled, not mainstream contaminated slaughter-house, grain fed, American meat that even the EU won’t buy.

Im talking the steaks marked grade a prime on the shelf at the grocery store today that everyone is buying. One can only say they saved $12/lb if that is what they were going to pay had they not had gotten the alternative elk/deer. Over all those years you mentioned the price was probably much less in the past.

 

[SoloWilderness]

I've been hunting elk for 25+ years and in that time, after the initial few years of tag soup (which I hunted with a hand me down bow/ rifle, army surplus and already owned backpacking gear), I meet your criteria for success. Gear is bought on sale, and worn until it falls apart, or is passed on. Gear only buys comfort, which aids in success, but doesn't define it. Hunt with what you have, as cheaply as possible, until you get the hang of it, which is a few years learning curve if you are starting from scratch. I personally would count more the cost of the tag, fuel, food, processing, scouting time, and range time, then the year over year cost. I don't spend much on a yearly basis outside those anymore, unless I want something new and shiny, or I'm trying to cut ozs. from my pack. So ultimately, gear doesn't make the hunt, and shouldn't really be looked at as the primary cost, as it's durable, and doesn't need to be re-purchased every year. Look at your yearly consumables as the real cost, which for a DIY resident, typically comes in at $1000-$1500 a year, maybe another $1000 if I pay for taxidermy, or process multiple animals. Cut meat at home and that cost probably goes down $500/ animal.

This year that yielded 75 lbs of processed bear meat, and 200 lbs of processed elk (and most of my processed is breakfast sausage, chorizo, etc, so not the cheapest options...)

Don't get caught up in all the gear optimization $$ when you are just getting started, I think you will find, a majority of the successful hunters here would count the time spent hunting with $300 binos, $100 boots and a $500 bow as more valuable then the high dollar stuff we bought later.

 

[5MilesBack]

Im talking the steaks marked grade a prime on the shelf at the grocery store today that everyone is buying.

Costco had "prime" ribeye steaks for $19.99/lb yesterday, and "choice" ribeyes for $14.99/lb. As much as I love ribeyes, that's too much to pay IMO. And the meat that Costco gets that's marked "prime", is pretty obviously not always really "prime". But you're never going to get "prime" or even "choice" steaks off an elk........they're too lean without any marbling.

 

[dtrkyman]

I guess if you only Elk huntied you can count gear, but all of my gear get used for hunting lot's of things so I don't include that in hunt cost.

Never count food cuz I eat all year hunting or not...haha

So tags and gas is typically the expense on a hunt.

 

[Dwight2180]

It doesn't matter if you spend $500 or $50k if you don't educate yourself on knowlege of your quarry, terrain, woodsmanship, and tactics....all the gear in the world won't make you consistently successful at big game killing.

 

[squirrel]

I went on my first elk hunt with a tag $30
bow$137
sleeping bag $80
tent $20
clothing and food... NOT hunting clothing, and NOT backpacker food, just clothing and food, the kind you wear and eat.
Backpack -free for selling more crap than any other scout in my troop but probably worth $20 if bought.

Mostly I REALLY wanted to hunt elk, and did so for 35 days until I got one.

 

[camelcluch]

The cost to play is kind of an open book. You can go crazy trying to prepare and spend an unlimited amount. You can do without some stuff and do Colorado for less than $2500 (includes tag) easy. That cost gets less with a partner or two. I think Montana, Idaho and Wyoming would be close to the same. Maybe New Mexico too.

 

[Brendan]

100% possible to go hunt and kill an elk for $5K all in, tags, gear, and travel included (Rifle and archery), probably $3-$4K including travel from east coast. And then the average cost goes down yearly if you amortize gear purchases over multiple years.

Most of the extra expenses are "want" not "need" and are marginal gains, trying out new stuff, etc.

 

[UpNorth89]

The last few years our group has done cow hunts for $1000-$1200 each. That includes fuel, house rental, tags, groceries and miscellaneous stuff. Not including rifles or bows I'd say we all maybe have $1,000-$1500 each in gear. Some stuff we use hunting around home already. This is also traveling roughly 1000 miles from home each way. You definitely don't need to have a lot of money invested.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[williaada]

if you have the weapon of choice gun/bow. You can get by on using used equipment, and slowly upgrade as you go. My first time was under 3k it included the following:
-gps onX chip- $300 now obsolete
-boots $300
-pack $450
- game bags $30
-tag 700
-food and lodging gas split between 4 guys $2600

I just did a cow elk hunt this winter by myself and it was under 1k.

 

[Jb917]

The first year we started going was 2013. We have been 9 out of the last 10 years. In that time I have upgraded gear and packs. Tags, food, and gas have all increased as well.
For our first year I used the bow, rangefinder, pack, and tent that I already had. So it really only cost me
Tag-$450
Gas from Ky to CO- $400
Food-$150
I always do all my own butchering.

If I had to purchase everything new now for my upgraded gear.
Tag-$700
Gas-$650
Food-$150
Frame pack-$700
Range finder-$250
Tent-$150
Sleeping bag-$100
Boots-$250
Bow and accessories-$1400
Calls-$100
Binoculars-$300

So if you are a hunter you probably already have all the essentials you will need. Could probably do the hunt for pretty cheap using most of what you already have. We plan on making this trip every year for hopefully many more years. So I try to upgrade like 1 thing a year of better quality for function and comfort.
The first year we did it for around $1000 a piece and both brought bulls out. You don’t have to have the best or fancy equipment starting off.

 

[trevvamos]

Its a cheap hobby…until you look through your first pair of Swarovskis.

 

[Recurve Man]

I don’t qualify either and have been hunting elk over 10 years. I’ve got everything I need to camp and hunt for weeks at a time. All public land hunting changes over time for sure. My gear wasn’t near as expensive as all my tags were. Guys I work with can’t believe you can spend so much with no guarantee. They say my wife would never let me do that. I say well you should a worked that out before hand. I’m a blessed man.

 

[Dos Perros]

Tough to ballpark a dollar spend. I know the memories are priceless, tho.

 

[Billy Goat]

Coming from the East Coast my trips have been costing 2-2.5k. That's elk tag and expenses on the trip split between several people. We eat good and a lot of times rent a place to stay.

The real cost?? Just depreciation on my vehicle when it goes is 18 cent a mile, then the maintenance.


I don't want to figure everything else, but it's easy to control how much you spend. You don't need but a used $50 frame pack to get meat out. Walmart hunting clothes work just as good and it doesn't hurt as much when they get ripped. They suck when wet tho. 20 year old bows kill stuff just as dead, so do new entry level. A Salvage or Ruger America in 308 makes stuff as dead as a Fieldcraft in 308. Point is you can spend as much or as little as you want. Comfort and fashion drive the costs.

 

[Mule3006Elk]

His point is simple.
Budget.
Simply wants to get an idea of how much money it will cost to accumulate needed gear/etc to hunt Western game.
Not sure why this goes sideways.
I'm in the 10k+ camp.
BUT I have really good optics.

On any given hunt I have ~ 8k in gear: tent and sleeping gear, clothes/boots, gun, optics/tripod, RF, pack, misc gear, etc. Does NOT include tag fees/travel/etc.

I've been very selective with my gear. Lots of research etc. I haven't upgraded anything and I don't have anything on my current NEED list. Point is purchase wisely and be weary of the GEAR FAIRY.

But I have gear that is NOT used. Most newbies overpack at first. I did. With time you understand what you need and what you don't.

 

[5MilesBack]

His point is simple.
Simply wants to get an idea of how much money it will cost to accumulate needed gear/etc to hunt Western game.
Not sure why this goes sideways.
I'm in the 10k+ camp.

The reason it goes sideways is because there are people out there that tell him he'll "need" $10k in gear. I'm not sure I've spent $10k for gear in the last 40 years combined for hunting, and I've killed dozens of elk and deer and even a sheep and a moose.