Venison - as cheap or expensive as you want it!

OkieKubota

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Staff member
I know most all of us here are habitat junkies and whatnot but I still think it is great that we can spend as much or as little as we would like on a pound of venison. If I had to sit down and put pen to paper on what we spend in our HH to be able to hunt the way we want to hunt I think the figure would be astounding.

We had property before we bought Whitetail Hollow that was loaded with deer. Killing a deer there would be as easy as buying a $6 bag of corn and spreading it around on the ground about 75 yards off our front deck and sitting there with a $150-$200 gun with a $15 box of shells unless you can find somewhere that still sells singles like we used to be able to do when I was a kid. No camo, no boots, no calls, etc...wouldn't have to buy a hunting license for our own property so the only paperwork would be the tag at about $20... ( I have a lifetime license that includes tags I purchased as a young man). The gun can kill many more than 1 deer and in my instance I could actually just borrow the gun so without the cost of the gun and most of the ammo I could still kill a deer for about $27 and if I kill a deer that dresses 100 lbs I can get about 40 lbs of meat making my per pound cost about $.68 cents a lb. if I process my own deer.

I realize these numbers can be skewed around with stuff like "you awn your land but have to pay property taxes and do you have a house payment there" and such but I can also counter by saying I can walk from that house to a neighbors and have the same exact hunt not on my own property with the same result.

If I did not live in a rural area it would get trickier if I did not own land and did not know anyone so I ended up hunting "public land". The result would actually be the same with a bit more expenditure such as fuel to get there, the actual Hunting License cost (if I didn't already have my lifetime license), the boots to keep my feet warm and a good jacket but I am pretty sure I could still keep cost to around $1 a lb.


Now - what we do is far different as far as cost. I am not going to break every bit of it down but throwing out the cost of our land, taxes, house, and tractor because we can use all of that for a lot more than just hunting. I figured this year I am set to pay about $182.50 a lb for that same 100 lb dressed deer which is about 40 lbs of venison. Cost of venison go's down the bigger or more deer that you take pending processing and tag fees...

I know some pay more per pound and some less...just something to ponder :)
 
It cost me $50 in fuel just to drive to my farm and back, it was over $70 when diesel was higher.
Then put that on your venison budget...

It's sobering to really look at this details. If we weren't living here on our place the entire loan on it would also be in the deer hunting budget and the taxes, fencing, etc... I didn't include any of that :(
 
Back when we had some good dove hunts on the farm I tried to calculate cost per pound.......was quite high. But good eatin'
 
You are focusing on the wrong cost Okie. Just think of the possible cost if you didn't have the outlet for stress that is hunting. You can't put a price on that !:)
 
My uncle asked that question Monday afternoon when I showed up for the Labor Day cookout after spending 9 hours working at the farm. Just imagine how much the cost would go up if you also included your time .
 
I know most all of us here are habitat junkies and whatnot but I still think it is great that we can spend as much or as little as we would like on a pound of venison. If I had to sit down and put pen to paper on what we spend in our HH to be able to hunt the way we want to hunt I think the figure would be astounding.

We had property before we bought Whitetail Hollow that was loaded with deer. Killing a deer there would be as easy as buying a $6 bag of corn and spreading it around on the ground about 75 yards off our front deck and sitting there with a $150-$200 gun with a $15 box of shells unless you can find somewhere that still sells singles like we used to be able to do when I was a kid. No camo, no boots, no calls, etc...wouldn't have to buy a hunting license for our own property so the only paperwork would be the tag at about $20... ( I have a lifetime license that includes tags I purchased as a young man). The gun can kill many more than 1 deer and in my instance I could actually just borrow the gun so without the cost of the gun and most of the ammo I could still kill a deer for about $27 and if I kill a deer that dresses 100 lbs I can get about 40 lbs of meat making my per pound cost about $.68 cents a lb. if I process my own deer.

I realize these numbers can be skewed around with stuff like "you awn your land but have to pay property taxes and do you have a house payment there" and such but I can also counter by saying I can walk from that house to a neighbors and have the same exact hunt not on my own property with the same result.

If I did not live in a rural area it would get trickier if I did not own land and did not know anyone so I ended up hunting "public land". The result would actually be the same with a bit more expenditure such as fuel to get there, the actual Hunting License cost (if I didn't already have my lifetime license), the boots to keep my feet warm and a good jacket but I am pretty sure I could still keep cost to around $1 a lb.


Now - what we do is far different as far as cost. I am not going to break every bit of it down but throwing out the cost of our land, taxes, house, and tractor because we can use all of that for a lot more than just hunting. I figured this year I am set to pay about $182.50 a lb for that same 100 lb dressed deer which is about 40 lbs of venison. Cost of venison go's down the bigger or more deer that you take pending processing and tag fees...

I know some pay more per pound and some less...just something to ponder :)
Money well spent on something we love and will share with future generations.
 
$162.00/lb

LOL, that's perfect!

Add to that the cost of meat processing. I know, I know, real hunters process their own deer, and Mrs. Brushpile tolerated quarters of deer on the kitchen counter for years..... but alas, no more! So I take my deer in for processing for about $150 a deer!
 
I hate to think what I have in a pound of deer meat this year. I know it is well more than my mortgage, utilities, health insurance, life insurance and all other personal bills combined. The sad thing is I still am shooting the same old 2009 Bowtech bow, wearing the same clothing I bought in 2009 as well and have not bought any new gear or atv's etc.
 
For those of us that hunt out of state the license fee alone helps the price of venison go way up... $300 bucks just for archery season, another $300 for gun season... which is why I just stick to archery season! Lucky for me my wife and kiddos really really love venison! My wife is always getting on to me for not bagging more deer.
 
For those of us that hunt out of state the license fee alone helps the price of venison go way up... $300 bucks just for archery season, another $300 for gun season... which is why I just stick to archery season! Lucky for me my wife and kiddos really really love venison! My wife is always getting on to me for not bagging more deer.

I am sad to say my state is one of the worst when it comes to those out of state license fees. You can thank the fine folks in Chicago for that one.
 
My first wife complained about every dime I spent, even when I predominantly hunted public land. Twenty bleepin' years of misery.
My current bride hunts with me. Encouraged me to get the bow I wanted, cost be hanged. She is saving money for us to get high grade optics strong enough to see Mars. Five years so far of sheer and complete lovey dovey bliss!! We will spend our fifth anniversary where we spent the first four...at an outfitted deer hunt.
 
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