The cost of getting into hunting

You're basically asking "I'm thinking of getting a vehicle, I haven't set a budget, I like the colour red, any ideas?".

If you're getting into deer hunting on a budget:
Deer tag, orange vest, orange hat, box of slugs and two legs. Head to Giant Tiger for some cheap blaze, and Canadian Tire for a box of slugs. Total investment, approximately $25 after tax plus the tag and you can legally get into deer hunting.


Now if you want to do it the other way and have it all check out this link for a rundown on some of the other basic "essentials":
http://www.gandermountain.com/checklists/deer-hunting.shtml


You can either spend $25 (bare essentials), $250 (new camo and a tree stand), $2500 (small food plot and a whack of accessories), $25000 dollars (new ATV and top of the line equipment), or even $250000 (hunting property). Set a budget, read about different ways to deer hunt, visit your property to figure out what ways would work best, buy equipment accordingly.
 
A side note:

I personally usually end up spending $200 - $300 a year on hunting, sometimes more. There are soaps and sprays to keep your scent down. There are food plots/food attractants. Ammunition for target practice. Gear lost or worn out.

Then there is the cost of gas...
 
Dimitri said:
In most of Ontario, South of 118, and West of say 62, if you get lost on what ever area your hunting, you'll walk a couple of hours, but you'll eventually make it back to your vehicle. A compass is not required for a big part of the province.

Your either boxed in with roads, or there are other large geographic features (such as rivers and lakes) that you can guide yourself around.

A Compass may not be required, but I'd still suggest either knowing your location well, or grabbing a map.

Dimitri
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yomomma said:
No its not. Most places below Algonquin you can't go 10 km in a straight line without hitting a road of some sort. My experience oof 30 years of hunting fishing and atving in the "lower" part of Ontario. I probly couldn't tell you where my compass is or when the last time I used one for rabbit hunting.

YMMV
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Considering I live and hunt in central ON in the Algonquin/118 area and have worked and hunted in the bush my whole life, I wholeheartedly disagree with you. 10km? a couple hours? Those are absolutely problems on a cold wet November evening when light is failing fast.
 
good boots and warm clothes is a must. Camo is optional( IMO) as for the $$$ amount, all depends on what your hunting for, and where you are going. Are you planning on a one day hunt? camping out for a day or two? $500 is a good starting point, but you would be surprised how fast you can swipe the ol' debt card at the local outdoor shop and spend twice the amount you originally budgeted. Anyways, enjoy the hunt, thats what this is all about in the end.=)
 
blasted_saber said:
Considering I live and hunt in central ON in the Algonquin/118 area and have worked and hunted in the bush my whole life, I wholeheartedly disagree with you. 10km? a couple hours? Those are absolutely problems on a cold wet November evening when light is failing fast.
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In that case screw the compass, bring some waterproof matches and some fire starting material!!!
 
All great suggestions... if your going for a walk in the woods. IMO. But what if the OP actually knocks a deer down? Some good things to have (essentials in my opinion) are a good sharp knife, small axe, folding saw and rope. A couple small garbage bags and a roll of paper towels are always good to have. All for around 100 bucks at ct. I personally wear latex gloves when cleaning an animal. And a good pack to put it all in. Hope this helps. And have fun!
 
I find the most expensive part of hunting after buying a gun tends to be costs for gas to get to where you actually wish to hunt. I live a 5 minute walk to a great deer hunting spot but a guy from the city will spend $30 gas...at least to get somewhere a deer might be and they are allowed to shoot. The cost seemed a lot to hunt until last year where it was difficult to hunt because of deep snow and I only got one deer. Buying my red meat most of the year from the grocery store, now that's expensive!!! Some people spend a lot on clothes to go hunting. Deer don't care what you look like! Leave your clothes outside or with some horse blankets if your worried about smell. Forget about stinky body sprays and smelly deodorants. I usually just wear old clothes because I often have to throw them out after because the blood stains won't come out.
 
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The way I break it down is. Do you need a new gun. Depends what you want To get. Secondly your ammo costs, third what you want to hunt. Different price for different type game and then where you go hunting. Look just for me to hunt deer this year is costing me about 600$ And about 200$ for goose
 
I have only one other suggestion. Get into the habit of informing someone you trust, close friends or family, (someone who will not overreact) of your hunting trip plans and your latest expected arrival time back home. And exactly where you plan to hunt. In this technology day and age that could even be just a quick text msg to someone.

maybe
 
The cost of hunting is easy. The price " Your soul " bwahahah.......

But seriously buy what you need when you need it and keep it in a reasonable budget and when you get hooked mortgage everything you own and go at it.( LOL..) Life is to short. Enjoy yourself.

Dead and in debt or dead with money... dead is dead.
 
To go hunting you will need a few very basic things . A gun ,bow ,spear ,rock etc. suitable for taking game (check your local regs ) enough warm /waterproof clothes not to freeze, wool is good enough and quiet. Enough bush sense to understand wind direction, natural cover, and walking quietly through the bush and how these things will effect your hunt. A good knife and a foreknowledge of field dressing and some way to get you and the game home .
It can be as expensive as you want or as cheap as you want depending on your tastes in gear .Myths in hunting include ... You need a better gun , you need better gear , if you have 4000 dollars worth of camo and base layers you will be a better hunter etc. Deer are brown and white ... They are hard to spot in the bush because they know how to use natural camo and the land to their advantage, not because they have the most recent version of hunterfade that they spent 1000 dollars on at the local outfitter shop.
 
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