Affordable Deer Hunting Trips – Are For Everyone?

Anyone who has been hunting for any amount of time has seen the who’s who in the hunting industry hunting deer on the gigantic tracts of land “where the big boys roam “.

In fact, you can watch the different hunting oriented TV channels and every 30 minutes another show will have a different hunter hunting in these locales. From Saskatchewan Canada to the corn belt of Iowa we see these hunters filling tags on deer that would easily be the biggest of our lifetime !

So do Affordable Deer Hunting Trips really exist ? What kind of bang can we get for the buck on a blue collar hunting trip ? We will take a look at this growing trend and gather enough information to make an informed decision whether this kind of venture is for us .

What makes an Affordable Deer Hunting Trip Affordable

Obviously the criteria for being an affordable anything is based on the budget of the person who is interested in such a trip.

There is a big difference between a 40 hour a week family man and the owner of Cabelas !

If a guy is trying to enjoy the hunting season while working 40 hours, he or she will likely have to use vacation time from work to even go on a trip, which will add to the expense as lost income, unless they have paid vacation time that the family is ok with the hunter using for deer hunting. But that is merely the tip of the iceburg so to speak .

I’ve found 1 day archery hunts for $350 and 2 day gun hunts for $4,000. And there are all kinds of hunts between. Depending on lodging, meals, archery, gun, and a laundry list of other choices like, length of hunt, processing, add a doe or hog and the experience changes.

Most people might consider a $350 two day, one night hunt would be an affordable deer hunting trip. But the average Joe would likely see a $4,000 hunt about as affordable as a round trip ticket to Mars !

There is a large contingent of hunters who save up and use their affordable deer hunting trip as a vacation, and there are people who can afford to take 5 or 6 of these trips per season. I don’t know about you, but I’m not one of those people!

How do the T.V. people take so many awesome hunting trips ?

Most people who sit in amazement at the latest episode of their favorite hunting show and the monster buck that were taken think that these people must be kazillionaires and don’t have any problems.

While that might be true for a very select few, for most it could not be further from the truth .

While there are those people who have spent years and decades promoting their specific pictures of leaves as the best camo pattern brand on the market, and have amassed a fortune and following, there are also ones who have been approved for T.V. time that THEY get to pay for that time with proceeds from products they sell during their paid for time.

Hunting ranches then offer hunts in exchange for advertising on that show. These ranch owners get advertisement from the T.V. personalities harvesting a “management buck ” on camera. At the end of the day the hunter is making their living from advertisement and sales .

I view hunting as hunting. I’m not into downing someone who legally dog hunts or hunts behind high fences. To each his own ! But it’s the absolute truth that a big portion of the monster bucks you see harvested on T.V. come from the high fence ranches.

And when that buck gets harvested, the guy who owns the company name for the best pictures of leaves makes money from advertising. The company who made the special reed in a tube called a grunt tube made money from advertising The T.V. personality made money from both.

And the rancher makes money by advertising and then charging you for the right to hunt inside that same fence. In short. Most circumstances of Gigantic deer harvests is based mainly on sales .

So where does that leave the guy or gal looking for an affordable deer hunting trip ?

It actiually leaves us where we started at the beginning of this article. The more money you spend, the bigger bucks you hunt, the longer the hunt, and the better the amenities ! Is it possible to kill a huge buck on a budget hunt ?

Absolutely ! It happens. But the exception is far from the rule. Deer are still deer, and planted food plots are deer magnets. No matter if you are paying to hunt in Iowa, or over a quarter acre of throw and grow in South Carolina !

Sure ! Your chances of dropping a monster are better in Iowa than South Carolina. But they’re even better if it cost you $4,000 !

So do we book a hunt or not ?

My personal dream hunt is in Saskatchewan. Sure. It’s got a lot to do with the possibility of killing my buck of a lifetime ! But it’s also and mostly about the experience ! I want to hunt a blind that has 3 feet of snow drifted up around it.

I want to go back to a Canadian lodge in the wilderness after a long day in the field and get a hot meal, followed by a hot cup of coffee in front of a big fireplace as I exchange stories with other hunters.

I want to be an old man telling my grand kids about my adventures!

But my idea of a perfect hunt is no better than yours. My hunt is a very expensive one where yours might be the more budget version. But as long as it is an experience that doesn’t come along every day and you enjoy it while making memories, it’s the best hunt ! And you are far more likely to experience yours !

Go for it ! Book a hunt that you can afford. If it takes a year or two to save for it, so be it !

So in conclusion what Affordable Deer Hunting trip is the best ?

That’s the easiest question of all . It’s the one you go on !

If you can afford to go to the deep wilderness or a high fence ranch and harvest a monster, that’s awesome! Be happy and proud !

But the adventure doesn’t diminish if you book a budget, two day hunt in Alabama or South Carolina. Because when you are telling your grand kids about your adventure some day when your adventure days are coming to and end, I’m sure that little one wont look up and say ” Grandpa, how much did it cost”?

 

Please feel free to leave a comment below with your opinions about affordable deer hunting trips !
Have a blessed day !

Mike