Too me this has little to do with being a hunter.

was going at the "cost" aspect.

I think cost is a major factor.

I think it has to do with the fact that Texas FISHING forum has a MUCH better humpday thread than Texas HUNTING forum.

I agree with rifleman.

If it was easy everyone would do it. Hunting in general requires more effort. Regardless of hunting style one must put effort into the hunt before and after. I consider hunting a primitive art form.

Fishing is also a primitive art, but it seems like there is a considerable luck factor involved. Plus in the summer it is much nicer on the lake than on the ranch. Good topic.

There is a little bit of the work factor I think, plus some folks just can't stand the cleaning! With fishing you can just throw it back and wipe your hands on a towel! That one factor might be bigger than all the rest. I think it may also explain the EXPLOSION of predator hunting-it's about as close to 'shoot and release' as you can get..and you usually don't have to worry about a lease!

I spend about the same on both...Glad I don't have to choose which one I would do from now on. The cost of leases will go down when demand goes down. IMO There are more opportunities to fish than hunt for John Q Public.

Access to hunting land is one big problem. My buddy got so tired of trying to find land to lease he just went out and bought 100 acres and paid cash for it. There are very few people that can do that and not many more that can afford the monthly payments along with all the rest of the monthly bills.

The cost to hunt has went thru the roof. Lease,corn for feeders,food plot,hunting license,hunting equip,etc. I have two daughters that love to go to the lease with me when I go even if not going to hunt. My oldest daughter has been sitting in a stand with me since she was 2 (now 16 and a better shot than me) my 12 year old does not like to hunt just spend the time outdoors. I am really scared that they will not have the same chance to do it with there kids. Where we hunt in the last 12 years all the land has been high fenced all around us and we do not see near the game that we used to see. One thing is that there is more money in Game ranches than in ranching. In a few years most of the open land will be high fenced and no more open range. I just do not understand it if you have cull game turn it out give it back to the public. Oh yea there is no money in that.

I think those who cant legally possess firearms fish

when are we going fishing...

I enjoy participating in both activities.
I would compare fishing to tennis and hunting to golf.
The first one being less expensive and more forgiving on skill.
The second is going to cost more and require a greater skill level.

Just wait till the economy completely implodes and people are forced to the "extreme" to feed their families. There'll be fluorescent orange behind every tree in every inch of the national forests and other public lands.

Hehehehe.. It's already like that according to the last time I went!

lol, I figure I will hunt a little NF this year myself and I really hope I don't run into that problem.

I think a lot more people fish because of adverse views on guns and shooting animals they have. They think it's different than taking fish out of the water. I also think for families with kids they view fishing as a non-violent way to introduce kids to the outdoors without turning them into bloodthirsty killers as hunting would do in their mind. We all see the mini-van moms trying to raise little nobel laureates and fathers who sit all weekend and weekend in an office. Society spends a lot of time teaching us that we need to talk and cry more. One example is last year there were some hunting photos posted on the TFF and a couple members whined because they stated that they didn't want their kids to see blood. That's the best pithy answer I could come up with.

Cost doesn't really seem like a big deciding factor to me.

Yep..............but in Tx which most land is 95 percent privately owned, what does one do??? The average cost of most deer leases seems to be 2 gs, the days of the 500 dollar lease seem to be gone. I wonder how the counts are in Colorado or other states with more public hunting???

No Fishing Season, 24/7-365

You can fish from the bank and catch a variety of fish.

No boat actually needed. License, rod/reel, baits and public waters, either lakes or rivers.

Look at a general catfisher/person....Low maint...

still may be cheaper to get on a $2K lease if you don't already have the gear to go hunt CO.

Not knocking Colorado or any other place outside Texas but....consider the cost factor! How much will it cost you to hunt outside the state if you have all your equipment? This is saying your going to camp out on public land. The gasoline alone is enough to choke a horse much less all the grub and first-aid items you have to take in case of an emergency. Here again I'm an advocate of package hunting and I know its expensive for a lot of people but you can even compare the cost of a package hunt to a lease and the package hunt is going to come out on top! The only thing you don't have in package hunting is the comradre and that is probably 75% of hunting. My2cents.

X 2!!!!


i wont touch a rod and reel unless its at the lake at the ranch

It seems alot easier to take a kid fishing than hunting, but don't get me wrong my preference is hunting by far. The kids have spooked deer off before when in the stand with me, but in the end I hope its them takeing me hunting. Seems like its hard to keep a kids attention unless there is alot of activity. Over all I think we need to teach the kids at a young age to hunt and fish, and how to be responsable doing both. Granpa told me one time that most hunters also fish, but not all fishermen hunt.

I wish I knew. I certainly dont begrudge a rancher for trying to make a living.

great topic. i love both also. have a pretty nice boat so i fish alot feb thru june. cant afford the 2g lease so i really only hunt when invited... which is rare. the public land here is covered up with every jackassss in the county so i stay away. i have decided i like duck hunting on the public lake more than worrying about a lease or waiting for an invite. i agree that cost is a major factor. if more oppurtunity, aka more public land/cheaper leases, was available, there would def be more interest. im doing my best to get my kids involved in the sport...

Longhunter said "IMO There are more opportunities to fish than hunt for John Q Public."


I think Longhunter hit the nail on the head with this one. Opportunity is much better.