Way too much for the hassle. Redirecting the $ this year, for hopefully a whole lot less. With age comes a slight increase in the ability to "read the writing on the wall", and I think my timing, for once, is excellent.

I'll tell you like I told my wife, more than a $100 but less than $20K...….

then I bought her a $2K LV purse....

A professional hunter friend of mine, who's passed on, told me long ago - spend as much on your wife as you do on your hunting and you'll be able to hunt whenever and wherever you want. Given a relatively normal woman, I think this holds true. I can't speak to the ones on the upper right hand corner of the hot/crazy matrix.

Acquired a piece of property last year. Between new feeders, a nice blind, travel trailer, gravel pad for travel trailer, septic tank, running electricity, running city water line, storage shed, tractor, implements, two ATVs, food plots, corn... and the property itself... it was an expensive year.

This year should be much less expensive. Plus, my wife banned me from any large purchases in 2019, heh. Expecting to only spend money on corn, food plots, ammo, deer processing, and gas.

It seems like even those that own still spend a lot. I thought that would change but I guess it doesn’t. I cant make a single trip to lease without dropping couple hundred. I could be more frugal but I guess I over indulge in most things lol. I know I could do a guided trip for cheaper but now I have my kids to share experiences with and that’s almost priceless.

Yep... costs for owning are certainly higher. At least initially. However, land appreciates in value. Taxes are cheap (just got wildlife exemption approved) and eventually my yearly out of pocket expenses will be lower without having to pay for a lease. At least that's what I told my wife

I hunt land owned by family. Every trip to hunt costs me the same as someone that leases. Gas, food, etc. Still have to get there and still have to eat.

I think when you own the land and don't have the fear of something happening with the landowner and losing your lease, you come up with ways to spend big money. It's not just hunting now, it's habitat management and population control. It's not hard to spend into the tens of thousands per year on this stuff.

BUT, unless something crazy happens, the kids will always have a place to hunt. (and fish)

Initial cost was high. We found our place exactly 20 years ago today, on MLK birthday. Wife and I were both off that day and drove the countryside. Bulldozer, tractor, skid steer, implements, 10 feeders, 7 blinds, ranch house and taxes. Wildlife valuation is in effect now. I can hunt fairly cheap nowadays. Box of shells $20, super combo $68. 10pt at taxidermist $650, 2 deer processed $400. Wouldn't change a thing. Never boring on our place.

More than a rational man would.

ugh, I wish I hadn't thought about this and sure not sharing with my better half.

all are approximates...

$2100 corn
$1700 fuel
$1500 lease (own another property and manage a different one for hunting rights)
$800 4 new feeders (dang hogs)
$400 new blind (I built that the Trinity river now owns)
$68 Super Combo
$25 ammo

oh yeah, about $100 seeds for food plots

dang it ... I just now remembered I blew out two hydraulic cylinders on my FEL pushing brush clearing on food plot, so toss in another $300

WHO ARE YOU? DID MY WIFE SEND YOU?

If I start adding it up it’s time to change hobbies

Don't even want to think about it.

Same boat here, i rather not know.

What ever it was it was worth every penny. Even though overall deer sightings were down due to all the rain, we had / are having a great season. Lots of great memories with friends and family. Some amazing meals. We had one of our lease members kid get first buck. Seeing signs of our management strategy paying dividends. For me personally it was great to spend time in the blind with my 4 year old daughter. I love that she wants to tag along. She sat with me 5 times and I only pulled the trigger once when she was with me...an old 8 that had eluded us for 2 seasons. She did amazingly well in the stand.

Great pictures. I think little girls can focus much better than little boys in the blind.

Jadkins, great pic of your little girl. I bet that was a blast. Nice buck too.

Thank you sir. The hunt that morning was an absolute blast. Wasn't too cold. Just like last year we had regular pictures of him in September and October then he disappeared (or wasn't caught on camera). I still hunted him anyway thinking he might follow a doe and just pop-up in the distance...no luck. Then he showed up on camera each morning about 1 hour after the feeder went off for 3 consecutive mornings before the day I shot him. That morning he did as bid...about 1 hour after the feeder went off I see him walking in only to stop directly behind the feeder and offer no shot. He stands there what had to have 10 hours, but was it was actually 10 minutes...then he walks directly away down a little hill and out of sight and my heart sank. I kept glassing and 10 minutes later I saw movement actually closer to the left from the direction he came and his neck and head popped up from behind the hill looking at the feeder (closer to me but looking quartering away). Handed her the bincos and she spotted him. Got my scope on him and neck shot him...dropped in tracks and didn't kick / flinch at all.

Not much more than gas money and snacks

Cheap this year since the duck season was bad

NICE TRY WIFE! I am not falling for it haha

My problem is always buying new stuff. In addition to lease fees, corn/protein, camp fees, mobile cam fees, maintenance, etc. for 2018, I also bought a new Sako Finnlight with high end Zeiss scope, new 4x6 fiberglass blind, new Beretta jacket, quite a few new Beretta/ GameGuard shirts and pants, and countless other smaller items. And easily a couple hundred dollars worth of ammo. Aside from that, it costs me almost $100 worth of gas round trip each time I go to the lease. I don't really include food or drinks since that expense occurs whether I'm home or at the lease. That's just for my lease in Haskell.

I also spent another $3-4k on CO elk - which includes CO license, flight, processing, shoulder mount, and other expenses for 6 days.

All in all, it's a pretty expensive hobby. But, I've also been getting my sons into it for the last few years, so it's all worth it.

About $1000, lease fee, gas, snacks...

I can rope deer in front yard but I do hunt pigs so....
About 260 on corn - feed year around in 2 feeders.
Another 60 or so to reload 100 Hornady 120gr SSTs for 6.8.
My pig number was down to only 54 in 2018 though.

So, $360/54 pigs is a little under 6 bux a pig!