# Cost per pound of deer meat?



## USMCarcher26 (Apr 2, 2005)

I know it really doesn't matter how much we spend on our stuff because you can't put a price necessarily on this kind of fun. Have you ever totaled up the cost of your equipment (everything hunting related to paint it broadly) versus a per pound average of the deer meat you put in your freezer. I have totaled it up but I never write it down because I don't want my wife to know!


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## solohunter (Feb 22, 2005)

about 2.00/lb


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## echatham (May 16, 2012)

did some quick math the other day, and based on the two deer I have killed, I would say 20 -30 dollars a lb.


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## hunting170 (Sep 12, 2003)

USMCarcher26 said:


> I know it really doesn't matter how much we spend on our stuff because you can't put a price necessarily on this kind of fun. Have you ever totaled up the cost of your equipment (everything hunting related to paint it broadly) versus a per pound average of the deer meat you put in your freezer. I have totaled it up but I never write it down because I don't want my wife to know!


I`m not sure I have ever even given it any thought. That`s how irrelevant it is to me.


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## hawkdriver55 (Sep 6, 2010)

Not going to go there. It will ruin the fun of it. Its like doing the math of owning a imported sports car......parts, service,crappy MPG, insurance. You think about all that and you realize its just not worth it. I am not going there with my hunting habbit.


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## McChesney (Jan 5, 2009)

If my wife knew, I would be crucified...lol! I would say somewhere around $25-$35/lb! But, I totally enjoy what I do....can't put a price on it since our time on earth is way shorter than we can imagine!


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## sinko (Dec 1, 2004)

I don't try to figure out somethings in life That's one of them, because the time I get to spend hunting is priceless the deer meat is just an extra.


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## GSLAM95 (Oct 31, 2004)

Keeping track of the cost of your meat is like taking your bosses daughter on a date both will cost you more in the long run so quit thinking about it and just go hunt..


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## tyepsu (Jun 9, 2007)

Good thing the meat is not the reason I hunt. I use the meat or donate it, but hunting for me is about spending time outdoors and the challenge. If I wanted the best meat I would go to a butcher and get beef.


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## RickH78 (Jul 2, 2006)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJa8kxPfPoU


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## WildmanWilson (Jul 30, 2009)

Well, I have a new bow and accessories for this year so thats over a $1000 . It's going to drive my cost up somewhat. I set in the stand many hours so I don't know what price to put on my time.

To me its about an enjoyable hobby. We have hobbies for enjoyment. If you boat, fish, woodwork, golf, and so on, its about enjoyment. If you are in hunting for the low cost of meat in the freezer then you are in it for the wrong reason.


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## bucknut1 (Sep 21, 2006)

dont even want to think about it


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## c.sitas (Dec 29, 2010)

You know ,I've been married for forty years and I learned early on your not fooling your wife guys. Why be such a wimp, stand your ground ---and end up in divorce court like a man. Worse yet is to get caught in a lie. Not good for a marriage. Get her in the stand too, and you'll have double the fun. If you had to pay the cost per pound just to eat, would we ever hear the crying.Thing is ,it looks like this is not to far off. heh heh.


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## Where's Bruce? (Jul 11, 2011)

More than a $250. AXT Carbon Vapor quiver.


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## Baldona523 (Feb 12, 2010)

Honestly hunting is expensive, but so are many hobbies. It is not worth worrying about. I look at hunting as getting a prize I can eat at the end. Hunting and fishing are not cheap hobbies, but what real man's hobby is cheap? At least I do get something out of my hobbies, a lot of guys have nice cars, video games, boats, etc and all they get to do is play with them and look at them. 

I try my best to buy things at their cheapest and rarely splurge. The only high end items I have are things like Binoculars that a good pair will last longer than multiple cheap pairs.

I tell my wife to buy whatever she wants as long as she would be okay with me spending the same on something similar in interest to me. I treat my hobbies as the same, if I can blow $100 on something I feel like my wife should be able to splurge on something similar.


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## mtswampfox (Jan 13, 2010)

probably not as much as the fish caught........


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## Buckeye Buck (Oct 1, 2004)

We better not go there! Lol


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## budtripp (Feb 5, 2010)

I don't really think about it, I don't hunt for meat. I hunt because I must, its in my blood and I love it. Meat is a side bonus, and although I enjoy eating venison and turkey and upland birds (pheasant....mmmmm) I don't give really care enough about it to total my costs.


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## USMCarcher26 (Apr 2, 2005)

I am not concerned at all with trying to place a monetary value on anything hunting,fishing or outdoors. The time spent enjoying what God created and the people he has placed in my life could never calculated. I was just trying to discuss a funny question?


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## jtschid0910 (Oct 24, 2011)

mtswampfox said:


> probably not as much as the fish caught........


I did the math once where we went on a daily trip and only caught one 2lb walleye through the ice. The total came to around $100 a lb! But it was the best darn fish I ever ate!


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## Fullstrutter (Jul 8, 2008)

An out of state hunt cost me close to 5k after all expenses (including new gear n such that year). Meat yield of 8osaurus was 72lbs boned. 

Haven't done the math but u can if u want to lol. It matters zero to me. All I know is I enjoyed every single second and aspect of the entire experience, and every single meal the meat provided me. I live for this stuff!


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## FearNot (Dec 22, 2003)

It's........priceless


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## ldoch (Dec 12, 2006)

$10,000.00 an ounce


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## Simpleiowaguy (Jan 10, 2011)

I think that the cost is priceless. You spend all your time focused on a goal, scouting, sitting, preacticing... Then you achieve it but want to do better in the future yet! Money is just money, you'll make more and the government will take more so enjoy yourself!


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## Buellhunter (Sep 2, 2006)

I always figure about 100.00 per lb. Lol!


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## DenCMSC (Jul 30, 2007)

Waaaaaaay more than even kobe beef.....Too many new bows over the years, the latest greatest accessories and whatnot....and a safe full of guns that barely get touched....

Can't put a price on the experience, though.


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## vonfoust (Jan 9, 2012)

Not much. Probably $70 for licenses this year, maybe an OH license if I have time to get over there so $150 for that possibly, won't buy anything else but maybe some replacement blades for broadheads. Usually 3-5 deer a year, depending on what the freezer looks like and if I have time to go to OH, or if the neighbors want a deer, etc. Most of my stuff I've had for years. I went through the buying the lates and greatest craze about 20 years ago. Luckily for me that was still a time when threads are started about "Remember how cheap it was back when?"


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## MarshBuck89 (Jul 5, 2011)

Hmm never thought of it that way...always just thought "man I spend too much money on this stuff!" lol. But w/e the cost is, as long as I have fun and enjoy the season it is worth it to me.


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## ole' bowhunter (Jan 8, 2007)

Irish_25 said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJa8kxPfPoU


Seen this some time ago and agree completely that the venison I get is the most expensive meat I put on my family's table!!


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## jctd18 (Jul 10, 2012)

Interesting question, never thought about it. I took some quick figures and i came up with right around $22/#.
and earlier this year i spent almost $40/# on turkey breast. It was all well worth it though. Wouldve spent twice that much.


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## henro (Oct 9, 2007)

I don't ever wanna think about it... Figuring out the cost of one built hunting arrow was enough to make me wanna puke...


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## jusoldave (Apr 28, 2012)

USMCarcher26 said:


> I am not concerned at all with trying to place a monetary value on anything hunting,fishing or outdoors. The time spent enjoying what God created and the people he has placed in my life could never calculated. I was just trying to discuss a funny question?


The Bride and I once worked for a large feedlot in ID; we spent every hour of every day wonderin' just WTH we were doing working there - but the monthly salary was outstanding for a horseback job, compared to the "outside" ranches... until you broke it down to dollars-per-hour.

Always kinda figured that pricing game tagged, by the pound, would be somewhat the same: best left uncomtemplated. :wink:


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## 180 p&y (Jul 5, 2003)

it's FREE! all those costs you guys are talking about are the price of entertainment


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## Arobie120 (Aug 6, 2010)

Raising grain fed beef on a rented golf course in Las Vegas would be cheaper. Lol. 
If i dont spend the money on hunting, the wife will by more shoes.


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## Ken6 (Jun 18, 2012)

More expensive than Beef Steak but much better for you. We are having Deer Tenderloin tonight.


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## Ned250 (Aug 10, 2009)

Maybe the 'brown its down' hunters are on to something...


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## jman21050 (Oct 11, 2005)

not much in the long run...I don't feel the need to go out and buy a bow every year or all the other hyped up archery equipment that Joe next door has. I'm still hunting with the bow I bought in 2006. The price decreases for each deer you shoot provided you butcher your own deer. I have a Hoyt bow, a Summit climber, warm and cold weather camo. I hunt for the meat but also enjoy the "entertainment" value of each hunt. That alone is worth every penny I spent on equipment alone. I technically don't even include the price of my "tools" into the equation. I bought the tools to perform a task. Those tools also have resale value if I ever decide to "quit" the hobby. So, the cost per pound is minimal if you ask me. I'm eating range fed, organic meat. I figure I'm still way under the average price of beef for my area by hunting. Now if you figure in opportunity costs, like time...than it would be cheaper to buy beef from the store. Sure I could make more money picking up extra time at work but to me the time with nature is priceless, it cleanses the soul.


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## bwhuntMT (Jul 30, 2011)

I agree you can't put a price on it, but just for fun, maybe the secret is to maximize the denominator, more lbs. For example, last year my totals were 8 deer, 2 antelope, and 1 elk, between archery and rifle and two states. More lbs to spread out the cost.


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## Rembrandt1 (Mar 6, 2005)

To be accurate, you should calculate vehicle costs/expenses, land cost, equipment, ATV's, $ per hr to acquire the meat......let's see, on the cheap figure $750,000-to-$1,000,000 divided by a couple of deer.....= about 1/4 million dollars per animal.


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## Screename (Aug 15, 2011)

I don't buy the latest greatest camo every year, new bows, or spend thousands on outfitter hunts. I don't think my $ /lb is that outrageous.


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## Bow_Bo (Dec 26, 2011)

I love to Hunt!


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## dille7 (Jun 1, 2010)

Too much.


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## LAWhitetail (Oct 29, 2011)

180 p&y said:


> it's free! All those costs you guys are talking about are the price of entertainment :d


e x a c t l y !!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Deerhunter 28 (Dec 1, 2010)

$1,000.00 easy


PSE EVO 57 Lbs.
Blacked out


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