Travel Time to hunt

[Omega]

How far do you guys travel to hunt most seasons? For the past ten years or so I have only gone about 30 minutes from the house, and a few times to TX to hog hunt, but normally it's been quite close. I read where many of you not only hunt local, but also travel out of state to hunt, and it seems it's not just those "lifetime" hunts, but on a regular basis.

Also, and this may be a question some, or maybe many, don't want to answer, or think about , but how much do you guys spend in a normal season? I have a lifetime license, reload, and process my own so my expenses are minimal, probably less than $150, and $40 or so of that is on the yearly tax at my small plot. Before I retired, I would buy the yearly sportsman license and the FTCKY (or where ever I was stationed) permit, so that raised it a bit, but even then I normally stayed within an hour or two of the house so fuel costs were not that much, and that was pre-biden too so there is that.

 

[AT Hiker]

I'll answer but you have to promise my wife will not be able to read this!

***TN- All my spots are at least 45-60 mins away, I hold a lifetime license, buy a LBL permit ($25) and just started back with FC too. Sometimes (rarely lately) will travel to E. TN to turkey hunt the mountains. Normally camp wherever I go hunt. Fuel prices dictate how often I hunt frivolously here.
KY- 45 mins from my house, $335 for the deer tag

Out of state- I apply for various tags in many Western states. Each state is different, some I have to purchase a license even if I dont hunt, just to apply for a random tag. Some I have to upfront the entire cost of the tag and get a refund when I dont draw, minus a application fee and the cost of the bonus/preference point. Wyoming has over $2k of my money right now (most of which wil be refunded if I dont draw), AZ just cost me a $160 license plus $30 for my elk/antelope application. AZ/UT/NV/MT/CO/SD/WY all cost me about $934 per year to apply and buy points.

If I draw a tag out of state- it will cost me the tag, last years MT antelope cost $233 (cheap for a western tag), fuel, wear/tear on truck, maybe one night in a hotel (most of the time its camping on public lands). I dont factor in food, because I have to eat whether Im hunting or at home. Splitting a hotel and fuel with a hunting buddy is the goal but not always do you draw a tag together. Fuel is a killer on these hunts, especially now. $500 per person on a 2 man trip to the Rockies with fuel prices the way they are is likely, its not a good thing and will slow stuff down and/or make you think and plan things differently.

Some hunts have tresspass/lease fees, some are public land and some are free permission to private lands. Those can fluctuate each year depending on what and where I hunt.

I don't do any guided or lodge hunts right now but I do have some on the radar if I can ever get my funding in order. Alaska Sitka DIY lodge or boat hunt, Wyoming wilderness horseback hunt, Mexico unguided Coues deer...those are all on my wish list. I'd rather spend my money on those experiences vs buying land here and having my money tied up in that. Im a roamer.


I try to keep my hunting spending below $4k per year, some years its super easy and some years I get lucky and have a pocket full of tags, high gas bill and need to replace a flat tire. I rarely upgrade equipment, if I do, I do it in years (try to at least) when Im not planning to travel. I don't golf or have any other hobbies like that ( I do like to backpack and hike, which uses the same hunting gear and only cost fuel), I dont have taxidermy bills, process my own meat 99% of the time, cloths shop at consignment stores, coupon shop at Kroger, etc...anything I can do to funnel money to my addiction of hunting.

 

[Mr.Bro]

Average about $100 on weekends and $300 on week long hunts. Travel time to stand about 1hr.This includes gas,food and a little booze.

 

[Deer Assassin]

deer hunting in tn 7-8 thousand miles a year

1 minute
45 minutes
1 hour

up to 2.5-3 hours

 

[Lost Lake]

I try to bowhunt 2-3 weekends in October and travel 30-40 minutes one way. Every weekend in November, and most weekends in December I travel 2 hours and 15 minutes one way to hunt.

It's a lot of driving for sure, and I try not to think about what I spend in fuel. Kinda depressing.

 

[RobDooley]

I travel to Centerville/Nunnelly Tn. which is about three- and one-half hours. Since I'm retired I rarely, if ever go for just a couple of days. I believe most money I spend is on my food plot. Unless of course I purchase new equipment and now AMMO. I probably spend more than I realize, but I'm sure I spend at $1,500.00. And this is a modest estimate.

 

[Hduke86]

Here in Tennessee it's really not that much at all. Now it's a double edge sword for out of town hunts cause over the last 10-15 years this is how I "scout" for new locations to hunt. I'm blessed that my wife will literally go ANYWHERE outdoors with me. Take this last summer for an example at a VERY short notice I talked to my wife about going to Alaska and she literally jumped on the computer and within hours sent me a text with dates booked for flights, rental car, airbnbs, destinations and places to explore. This would be a "scouting" trip for me but also a awesome getaway with my wife cause she likes to be "lost" in the wilderness with me if I'm fishing, camping, or hiking. I plan on doing a caribou hunt hopefully this coming up year so I have a feel already for the lay of the land and environment. We do the same thing for our west in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. We have a vacation which is my "scouting" and then I got back to hunt either that year or the next. So just as an example the "quick" 8-10 day Alaska "scouting" trip costed about $6500-$7000 all in but the memories and experiences are worth it and when I'm 90 yrs old I want to be sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair with my wife next to me talking about our younger day adventures. Our boys do go with us 95% of the time but and they are 11 and 13 but sometimes I just want to get away with just my bride.

 

[TNGunsmoke]

The farm I deer hunt on is 15 minutes from my house. For ducks it's an 80 minute drive give or take a smidge.

 

[Bass1090]

My lease is 3hrs one way and I hunt one or two weekends per year with a bow. I hunt just about every weekend and sometimes longer once ML gets here until close of rifle. I spend a lot since we stay in a motel, gas and food.

The lease is $600 and that covers plots.

I have another lease 15 minutes away that cost $400. Never hunted it last year but plan on more this year during bow and through the week of ML/gun since I just retired.

 

[SteveJ]

I only hunt local so 10 minutes to the property. I only spent money for a license and occasional odds and ends. I have processed my own the past few years. Every now and then I'll have a taxidermy bill but that's rare

 

[AT Hiker]

Here in Tennessee it's really not that much at all. Now it's a double edge sword for out of town hunts cause over the last 10-15 years this is how I "scout" for new locations to hunt. I'm blessed that my wife will literally go ANYWHERE outdoors with me. Take this last summer for an example at a VERY short notice I talked to my wife about going to Alaska and she literally jumped on the computer and within hours sent me a text with dates booked for flights, rental car, airbnbs, destinations and places to explore. This would be a "scouting" trip for me but also a awesome getaway with my wife cause she likes to be "lost" in the wilderness with me if I'm fishing, camping, or hiking. I plan on doing a caribou hunt hopefully this coming up year so I have a feel already for the lay of the land and environment. We do the same thing for our west in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. We have a vacation which is my "scouting" and then I got back to hunt either that year or the next. So just as an example the "quick" 8-10 day Alaska "scouting" trip costed about $6500-$7000 all in but the memories and experiences are worth it and when I'm 90 yrs old I want to be sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair with my wife next to me talking about our younger day adventures. Our boys do go with us 95% of the time but and they are 11 and 13 but sometimes I just want to get away with just my bride.

This is exactly how I look at it as well. I want to wear out before I rust out, I want to tell the stories not be the one wishing I had those stories. These adventures make my day, others get satisfaction by other means...and thats ok too.

My wife and I want to retire to the Big Horn mountains. Live in a small/cheap house and spend every moment we can in the Mountains. Hunting should be cheap for me by then

 

[rem270]

My new spot will be a walk behind the house.

Other spot is 20 mins.

 

[backyardtndeer]

Landowner, usually 5 minutes walk to my closest stands, may take me 15 minutes in the dark to get to my furthest stand.

 

[cecil30-30]

5 mins

 

[BSK]

A little over an hour's drive to my property. What I spend on actual hunting is minimal. Landowner permit, Maybe some new bullets, but haven't bought a new gun or new clothes in years. Did buy a new scope last year for my MZ ($300). The drive there and back in a gas-guzzling truck is expensive, but I would be making that drive every weekend anyways.

Now what I spend on managing the property? Oh, that's so high I don't want to think about it, but upwards of $5,000-10,000/year. That includes agricultural equipment, lime, fertilizer, seed, herbicides, trail-cameras, treestands, etc., plus the gas to drive to the property in the neighborhood of 30 times per year.

 

[gatodoc]

I've got decent hunting 1/2 mile from the house. I'm on a lease 30 minutes away. I mostly hunt a farm 5.5 hrs away. I'm also on a lease in southern Bama 6 hrs away....Never added up the total $. I'm afraid itd scare me...

 

[Ski]

Totaling up cost isn't something I've ever taken time to do. I'm no big spender by any means, but I don't fret over budgeting either. Either I can afford to do it or I can't. By afford it I mean paying for it without sacrificing quality of life for my family or causing any financial issues in my household. Taking a $25k elk trip every other year isn't in my cards. It would get me a divorce. But taking a $10k bucket list trip to Africa with with my wife could probably be doable.....once. My hunting is low key, DIY stuff. I hunt here in TN at the cost of a license and however much I spend to travel 15min from my house.

My biggest hunting related cost is habitat work on my Ohio property. I'm up there at least a dozen times every year, working on something, spending from a few days to a few weeks each trip. I also hunt it in fall. Just the travel gets pretty expensive, but I don't really stress it. It's not all at once so I barely even notice. If I got hit with a hunting bill at the end of the year and had to pay it in one big lump sum, I'd probably croak over from heart failure.

 

[FredRog72]

I drive 2 hours one way and spend a lot more than my wife knows, but it keeps me sane.........ish.

 

[Jcalder]

I drive about 40 minutes one way. I used to go to the local gas station and get a bite but the last two seasons I've packed a lunch and just sit all day. Spent probably $3-400 in fuel going back and forth.

 

[Andy S.]

1/2 to 1 hour drive, one way, most mornings. Some mornings require walking up to an hour to desired location. Get up between 3-4AM to be ready at daylight, without being rushed.