Just curious what some of y'alls ideas are. Hunt budget is gonna be real, real tight this year because of some of the stuff I have posted up, about how I got laid off (twice in 13 months) and my wife got laid off. We are both working again but moved to Austin for the new jobs and for a few months have been paying an extra mortgage on an empty house back in Big-D.

So my biggest issue was last year I drove about 13,000 miles to dove, teal, duck, and snipe hunt and spent around $2000 in gas & maintenance on the truck. This year's TOTAL hunt budget for EVERYTHING is going to be around $600. Well, minus the license (already in the budget), and shells (insurance settlement from getting robbed) and if I replace my stolen waders that is insurance money too.

So I got $600 for gas, extra food above + beyond the weekly grocery budget, any lodging, fees, etc.

What scares me is scouting... I mean what scares me is not enough $$ for scouting, even just for gas... I like scouting but it's hard to do for free.

So, if you were in my shoes, do you think you'd try to make one or two memorable trips and leave the rest of the season alone or try to squeeze in a few local half-baked trips?

I'm thinking I should probably just plan 1-3 trips and make each one count. I'm afraid if I start blowing 20-50 on gas for some local trips (scout + hunt) that I'll run out of money too fast. It will be hard for me to stay home most weekends out of the season but everything is kinda hard when you're broke!

If I do just 1-2 trips, I'll do the THF hunt in Paris again, that'll eat about half my budget... but make a nice memory. Then figure out what I can do with the other half.

1. Find a few huntin' buddies to split the cost of gas with.

2. find a lease. no scouting necessary.

Get a second job.......Now. So you have the extra money come duck season.

kelly

You can really hunt for cheap if you have too. Once you have your “must have” fixed costs covered (i.e, license, public hunting permit, must have gear, etc,…) gas and shells are all the “must have” out of pocket expenses left.

Shells – Pick your shots. All you need is 6. Cost per hunt $3

Gas – Say $20 round trip. Make it a 2 or 3 day hunt, hunt in the morning, scout in the afternoon, sleep in your truck, 3 day average cost per hunt $6.75

Average cost per hunt = $3 + $6.75 = $9.75.

# of hunts you can do for $500 = $500 / $9.75 = 51 days

Food does not really count, you have to eat anyway if you hunt or not. Heck if you eat what you hunt, you may make money.

I think Guy has it figured out

I never really put much thought into how much I spend during the season, but if you spent $2000 I would hate to know what I spent...

since your here in austin now hollar at me, lets go fly fishing

The easiest way is to partner up and split the costs of gas etc, thats one way to keep it down... I had one imfamous trip last year with some people from here that ended up costing a fortune That east texas mud is a bi$ch.. And if you dont go out with Brett the nite before you will save money too that guy can make dollar bills dissapear fast

a $1 bill will fold into a fat roll real easy

What do you want to hunt most? Ducks, or doves.

I am sorry you have had some bad luck... I don't think I spend very much on duck season- I buy winchester xperts, use tanglefree academy decoys, I built a few camo burlap blinds with scrap 3/4" dowel, I shoot a Mossberg 835 and I walk in on public land... It's a wonder I've ever killed anything or had any fun!

Been doing that the past few years while I got married and bought a house... but now it's payback time and I'm revamping the WHOLE setup! New Gun, new Decoys, new Shells, new Camo, new Layouot Blind, and maybe- just maybe (if my friends cry hard enough) I'll Camo Wrap the brand new Tracker so we can get a ride to the same old spots.

whaaaahhh!

how's that?

Let me know when you get back, I want to go on this shopping spree with you.

It probably wouldn't be that bad if you backed the Crown out.

that one saturday that you came down and hunted with us...after you left that afternoon I cut loose and ever since then the reins have been pulled back nights before hunting trips (for the most part)

I'll let you guys know when I plan on buying the shotgun... most everything else I'm systematically buying online and it'll all be waiting for me when I get back.

Guy, you do some interesting math!!! Let's see, 6 shells, I pick 2 shots where I knock down two birds with the shot, then, I take the remaining four shots and skillet shoot the four birds down, yeah, ok, 6 shells a hunt, and 4 birds a hunt, not bad!!!



Kelly, I ought to, and I am probably going to, as soon as my house is up for rent. Right now I don't have the energy between running back up there every weekend and packing/moving stuff. Really, it's a great idea... but if I earn extra money it's gonna go towards paying debts, not playing more. I might start a new gig in August or Sept just so I can pay these bills down faster so that future seasons are less cramped (and everything else).

I got a pm from someone, I think I came off the wrong way-- I'm not down on my luck, we're very lucky... my wife got laid off the day after I started my new job... how fortunate is that. If we were both out at the same time some things would be real bad! I just gotta pay for bills that stacked up during layoff periods this year and last year. Just looking for some ideas.

I never thought of leasing as an only spot, and it would be a crap shoot but leasing with a buddy and splitting gas could make for a pretty long season, even if the lease didn't have the most birds every weekend. I guess I thought it would be too much but splitting costs I could see it coming down.

Don't foget days you get skunked, you have 12 shells on your next hunt.

Uh oh.

The insurance money was burning a hole in my pocket and I shouldered a Vinci at Academy tonight....

I was maybe plannin on if I had leftover insurance money using it for gas money for season, but,

that Vinci feels GOOOOOOD. Hmmm... more duck hunts with a Mossberg Maverick or less duck hunts with a Vinci.....

get the gun, you will find money for gas on an as needed basis.

I'm glad you threw away the hardcover Cabelas catalog.

I'll carpool with you

Just internet scout, everybody is doing it! Its basically free

I like the way you think!!!

Plus if I promise not to shoot Daisy:



It might could work!

dave, what part of town did you guys move to?

We're near Jollyville / Arboretum area.

good area, I lived up there for like 5-6 years

I'm a financial planner and when it comes to hunting all budgeting goes out the door. Sometimes you just have to say waht the F#$%!

But seriously it sounds like linking up will be good. Otherwise use your experience and check holes you've hunted in the past. Find a few good holes and hit them hard. You're results won't be as good as they would be if you could scout more but honestly the best thing about hunting isnt getting limits...everyone thinks it is but it's not.