Cost cutting hunting tips?

[Rob W.]

It always seems that with gas prices, tags, etc. that money is tight this time of year and Christmas is getting closer.

I always pick my hunts to get the mosts woods time and do without some weekday evening hunts. I clean my bloddy arrows and reuse. I process all my deer myself and the early ones I cut or grind into the most useful pieces for the family.

I buy used or trade equipment on Tradgang when I can and I tell myself a new bow isn't something I need very often. Even though I usually just play the wind I buy scent free luandry detergent/soap after season on clearance and throw one of those wafers that can be reused in the dryer instead of expensive dryer sheets.

I also wear whatever warm and dry clothing that I have instead of worrying about expensive hunting apparel.

What do you guys do to cut costs?

[scrub-buster]

I use walnuts and rotten osage fruit as cover scents.  My property has a lot of both trees so I figure its a natural smell they are used to.  I have deer walk the same trail as I did coming to the stand.

I also make my own bows, arrows, quiver, and metal trade points.

[Stump73]

For detergent I use backing soda. Then i hang clothes outside to dry, after that I pit them in a black trash bag and sprinkle backing soda on it. I'm still whereing most of my hunting clothes from years back. I buy my thermal under wear when it goes on sale at the end of the year.

[LB_hntr]

When hunting other states or areas camp rather than stay in hotel rooms.
 when booking deer hunts out of state choosing the late winter season will often save you a lot of money as many outfitters usually don't get many hunters end of the late archery season. not always the case but always worth asking.
 buy clothing, soaps, handwarmers, and anything else you can at the end of the season when its on clearance.
 Like Rob said, process you own deer. But also offer to process your friends deer for 50 bucks each can be worth it for both of you. most processors change 100 plus. do it for your friends for half that price helps them and puts money in your pocket.
 instead of buying scent killer sprays I buy scent killer laundry detergent and make my own sprays. a bottle of scent killer laundry detergent will make a whole bunch of gallons of scent killer spray.

[ozy clint]

shoot mutiple critters with the one arrow.    

i do little cash jobs and sell things i don't need to help fund the hobby.

i butcher all my own meat.

i hardly ever drink and i don't smoke. hobby is paid for already.....

[Fattony77]

LB, great idea about the detergent! How do you mix/dilute to get that yield?

[Gator1]

I'm interested as well in the formula

[Chad Orde]

I buy the new free and clear tide and my wife washes all our clothes in it during hunting season it's the same price as regular tide and is scent free.

I have made scent killer spray from peroxide and distiller water but you need to let it sit open for awhile or it's two fizzy. You can buy it for about five dollars more if purchased on sale. Seams I never make time to make it before season.

Hunting out of state on public land like IA & IL tags are $$$ but still allot cheaper then a guided hunt and both states have great public land.

[Jon Stewart]

Put white vinegar in your rinse water when doing laundry.  Wife does it for every load.  It removes any access soap left in the clothes.

I buy all the old, straight wood arrows I find at yard sales, strip them down, put a clear finish on them and hunt with them.  Under that ugly green and grey paint on Bear arrows is some really nice Port Orford cedar.

I knap my own hunting heads but that's not always cheap unless you live in Texas where rock is almost everywhere. lol

I repair a lot of my leather goods.  Just the other day I back a back quiver with some Bear arrows in it.  The quiver had a broken strap so  made a new strap and sewed it on.  Now one of the grandkids has a back quiver to use.

Refletch your arrows.

Use head like Black Diamonds to hunt with.  You can just re sharpen them after shooting them unlike most razor type broad heads.

Learn to make your own bow strings.

When I go to shoots I pick up the point end of broken arrows left at some targets. There is nothing wrong with them.

Just a few tips for thought.

[German Dog]

Buy good gear the first time so it lasts.  Save up money and pay for the gear. Do not impulse buy with credit cards.

[buckeye_hunter]

Bought 2 heavy wool blankets for 60 bucks. Had my mother-in-law sew them into a pair of heavy bibs and a heavy vest. If I compare them to internet prices, what cost me $60 would have been $600.

[jimneye]

I shop at Goodwill for hunting clothes.  They seem to have a lot of wool clothing.

[LB_hntr]

Originally posted by Fattony77:
LB, great idea about the detergent! How do you mix/dilute to get that yield?

I don't have a specific mixture. I just pour about a cap full into the bottle and add water then shake it up.
  I got this idea from my hunting buddy many years ago. been using it ever since and saved tons of money as I probably go thru a 2 gallons of scent killer spray a year. I only wash my wool once a season but constantly spray it will scent killer and let the rainy days wash it lol.

[MnFn]

Buying used stuff has worked well for me. Black tail recurve, Pronghorn longbow, Thunderhorn quiver, binoculars, all bought from tradgangers. Treebark camo set from a second hand store, used arrows from Snag  

My biggest expense is gas, and have not figured a way to beat that one. Except hunting with a friend of course.

[SELFBOW19953]

Saving my broken woodies with the plan to foot them and have to buy fewer arrows.  Just haven't gotten to the actual task, yet.

Using 3/8" dowels from the local hardware store to save on cost of shafts and shipping.

Buying up stock from people getting out of archery because it's cheap, even though I've already got enough to last several lifetimes.

[Trumpkin the Dwarf]

Army-Navy Surplus stores carry wool pants. Hole in the wall secondhand stores have some good stuff occasionally.

Also, a lot of gear really isn't needed (elk hunting is a different story...something about 200+ lbs of meat to move that ups the ante considerably). If you hunt deer sized game or smaller, within a couple miles of your vehicle, you really only need a few items.

You need the clothes to stay warm, three or so broadhead tipped arrows, a selfbow, a knife, and wood smarts (although I would never leave the house without a liter or two of water).

It may not be the easiest hunt in the world, but it will be memorable.

[monterey]

Make arrow shafts

Make arrows

Use full length feathers and make kid arrows out of the extra pieces

Make bows

Practice in yard to save fuel to range and range fees (have not shot an indoor range for twenty five years!)

Fewer day trips and more long trips to save fuel

Try to butcher my own but hot weather can make it impossible

Don't buy gadgets or unneccesary gear.  If it's really desireable then try to make it

Buy inexpensive clothing, etc.  It only needs to be good enough for your typical conditions

If you have excellent rain gear it makes the things worn beneath less critical

[reddogge]

I make all of my hunting doo dads or use old stuff I had lying around like haul rope, accessory pouch, bow hanging hooks. Also make my own arrows, spine tester, broadhead alignment jig, arrow straightener, alcohol lamp, arrow painting rack, string jig. Make my own strings. Every single bow, riser, limbs, has been purchased used or acquired in a trade. Do my own butchering and meat preparation. I wear BDUs I got for free for camo and buy used wool from Goodwill.

I recycle my old bowhunting, state archery organizations, and archery magazines by giving them to my young friend Sam who gives me firewood.

I feel I'm as economical as they come.

[Jake Diebolt]

If you don't mind dull-coloured feathers, go to a field where Canada Geese have been hanging around and pick up all the feathers you find. You can then strip them off and use them as naturally waterproof feathers. Not as durable as turkey and you can't dye them very well but they work.

Drive a more fuel efficient vehicle if you can. If you have two vehicles, see about borrowing the spouse's car and take some tarps to wrap around anything you kill. Or work out a 'truck pool' if you hunt with other people, where only one guy drives a truck each day. Then when you need to retrieve a deer, you have one truck. Everybody saves on gas.

 Little cars like mine suck for carting stuff around, but it makes you downsize to only what you need. And with some creativity I bet I could get a deer into my Focus easily enough. And I get pretty good gas mileage.

I have to say that making your own gear only saves money if you have the tools already for another purpose. If you have to go out and buy a bunch of tools it can get expensive very quickly. I've gotten into leather working and the only way it will 'save' me money is if I sell stuff. It's a lot of fun though, so it's just another (expensive) hobby until I get good enough to sell the things I make.

[Rob W.]

I forgot to add that I dry all my trimmings from processing and save them for dog treats.