How Much Does It Cost To Go Deer Hunting?
You might be surprised at just how affordable it can be – and how expensive it can get. Here’s what it takes.
• Deer Hunting Costs Breakdown
• Related Articles:
- Hunting For Value? Check Out These 7 Best Hunting Rifles For Under $550
- The Best Tree Stands For Deer Hunting
• Pulling It All Together
• Other Articles You May Like
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About Deer Hunting
Deer hunting is unparalleled in how exciting the hunt can be. Many hunters report their heart pounding as deer approachestheir stand or blind, and every hunt has some great stories to go with it.
Whether you take home a trophy buck or miss the shot, nothing beats being outdoors in the crisp fall air. Bringing home and grilling the venison is a revered tradition dating back even before to the settlement of our great nation.
Have you been wondering how much does it cost to get into hunting?
Many articles we’ve read are wishy washy on what it will cost, saying there are too many variables. Not us. Here’s what it takes, with 3 concrete levels of investment in this sport: practical, best value,
and high-end. This is how we rate gear, so we thought it made sense to approach the “total cost” of deer hunting this way.
This article will get you pretty darn close, based on extensive price research into the average cost of hunting, and will help you make smart choices on how much to spend. You can adapt it as needed to exactly how you want to hunt.
Deer Hunting Costs Breakdown
Let’s break down the costs of deer hunting to see exactly what it is you’ll be spending money on.
Upfront Costs – Must Haves
The obvious place to start is with the gear. If you’re interested in hunting, you’llneed to “buy in” to the lifestyle. Unless of course, you have a rich uncle who will provide everything for you. Have you chosen your weapon of choice yet?
Rifle
- Practical $350 – $450
- Best Value $450 – $700
- High-End $700 – $1,900
Bow
- Practical $250 – $400
- Best Value $400 – $750
- High-End $750 – $2,100
Note that, we haven’t included costs for two of our other gear ratings, “cheap” or “outrageous” as for this article
we assume you want a level of quality to ensure success, but don’t need a collector’s item to get started with deer hunting.
This article will give you a good perspective on how to choose the best hunting rifle, especially the best bolt action rifle and best deer rifle you can get for a reasonable cost. As you evaluate the best hunting rifles, be sure to select the model with the best caliber for deer.
Of course, you’ll need a few other things such as ammo, practice, camo clothing, and a stand or blind to be effective.
Ammo / Arrows + Practice (targets, range fees, etc.)
- Ammo/Arrows $50 – $150
- Practice $20 – $100
Stand or Blind
- Practical $0 – $100(DIY to base models)
- Best Value $100 – $300
- High-End $300 – $2,500
Related Article: The Best Tree Stands For Deer Hunting
Of course, there are many more things you can decide to purchase, that will at least make deer hunting more comfortable
and convenient, and perhaps more successful. If you’re wondering how much does hunting gear cost, really now, just know these aren’t absolutely necessary if you want to keep your costs down, you can stick to the items above.
Upfront Costs – Optional
Storage Freezer $0 – $800 (if needed)
Hunting Pack
- Practical $0 – $40
- Best Value $40 – $150
- High-End $150 – $400
Hunting Boots
- Practical $0 – $80
- Best Value $80 – $150
- High-End $150 – $475
Specialty Cold Weather Gear(gloves, parka, seat, thermos collectively)
- Practical $0 – $100
- Best Value $100 – $350
- High-End $350 – $800
Hunting Guide and/or Shooting Coach
- Practical $0 – $200
- Best Value $200 – $500
- High-End $500 – $1,500
So as you can tell, the picture forming is that you can go hunting in a very practical, low cost way if you want to stick to the basics of deer hunting needs. Or, you can go all out with the high-end gear, where there are endless choices to soak up your hard-earned dollars.
Annual Costs – Must Haves
What do you need for a deer hunt? For deer hunting, the recurring costs are pretty much what you’d expect:
License
- Resident $50 – $150
- Non-Resident $75 – $200
Ammo + Practice (targets, range fees, etc.)
- Ammo $50 – $150
- Practice $20 – $100
Travel
- Practical $0 – $100 (local drive, gas)
- Best Value $100 – $300 (long drive/short flight)
- High-End $300 – $800 (destination flight)
Annual Costs – Optional
While some think of meat processing as a must-have, others prefer to do it themselves, out of tradition or to save on the substantial cost, typically $2 or higher per pound of meat plus often a minimum amount charge. Of course, one variable is the processor’s pricing, while the other is how large your deer is, with take home weights having a huge range of 25 – 150 pounds of fully processed venison:
Venison Processing/Butchering
- Practical $0 – $100 (DIY to small deer)
- Best Value $100 – $400
- High-End $400 – $600 (large deer, expensive processor)
Would you like a shooting club, range, deer hunting club, or sportsperson’s club membership to stay on top of your shooting game, and share hunting lore with your friends?
Shooting Club / Range Membership Dues
- Practical $50 – $100
- Best Value $100 – $250
- High-End $250 – $2,000
Then there’s the question of whether to lease land, which can improve your chances of success, and give you a consistent spot to go to year after year. Check out our article on the pros, cons, and how-tos of leasing land for hunting.
Land Lease
- Practical $0 – $500
- Best Value $500 – $1,200
- High-End $1,200 – $3,000
If you have traveled for the hunt, don’t forget camping and/or lodging, ranging from free camping on public lands up to high end hunting lodges.
Camping and/or Lodging
- Practical $0 – $100
- Best Value $100 – $500
- High-End $500 – $5,000
Related Article: Best Hunting Lodges – That Won’t Break Your Bank Account
And now, assume you’ve tagged your first buck, or largest buck, or just a big buck you want to mount above your fireplace….you could mount just the antlers, or the head, add the shoulders? Plus your choice of hardwoods, finishes, leather covering, gold colored rivets etc….nameplate?
Taxidermy
- Practical $0 – $100
- Best Value $100 – $400
- High-End $400 – $2,000
Related Article: How to Lease Land For Hunting
Dizzy yet? By now you must be thinking, why is hunting so expensive? Yes, there’s a lot to deer hunting. However, as we said above you can rest assured that you can go hunting in a very practical, low cost way all the way up to high-end gear and accessories and accommodations.
Dizzy yet? By now you must be thinking, why is hunting so expensive? Yes, there’s a lot to deer hunting. However, as we said above you can rest assured that you can go hunting in a very practical, low cost way all the way up to high-end gear and accessories and accommodations.
Pulling It All Together
So let’s pull it all together in one place so you can see what the damage will be. Here are all the costs discussed above, in one handy reference table (using mid-points from the above price data, so yes there are extreme prices that are higher or lower than shown below, but this will give you a very good idea).
If you are a beginner, the way to use this is to help target how much you want to spend on this sport, at least for starters. If you are experienced, you can use it to better understand your total cost, or what it will cost if you want to take it to the next level. And of course, you can use this as a shopping list if you want, just print it out and take it with you!
It’s very possible that nothing you’ve read in this article is going to change your mind. If you’re only deer hunting for meat, you might be disappointed to learn how much it costs. [We leave that for another article – yes deer hunting can actually pay for itself if you manage your costs, consistently take medium to large sized deer, accounting for the value of deer meat.]
The important thing is, those who really love hunting do it for the best of all reasons – it’s a great tradition, it’s primal, in the great outdoors, and it’s just downright fun. It’s just one of those things in life worth paying for.
Our goal is to arm you with information to help make a great choice about what you need to deer hunting at the amount you want to spend, whether for deer hunting rifles or other gear.
