With the high price of gas and everything else do you think that hunters will not go on hunts far from home, like on a outfitter type of hunts this year or do you think it may have effect on next year?

I noticed on some outfitters web pages some have numerousopenings during the prime time weeks for deer, this leads me to think that some hunters cancelled there hunts, and on the other hand most hunters already made a deposit for this year and will go, and just might not go next year.

Its all about priorities. I will, however I may not go as often or as far. i will never let my hunting budget cut into the household budget. When my play money is gone its gone. I have to budget my recreational cash to get the most out of it I can.

I know personally speaking my out-of-town trips for this fall are going to be severely cut back by the price of gas. At $90+ per tank it makes those couple hundred mile one-way trips a lot more expensive, that's for sure. On top of that with the economy in the toilet a lot of businesses are slow right now which is hurting people even more, especially the blue collar worker who makes up the majority of your hunters.

Every outfitter I've talked to so far this year has said bookings are definitely down, so there's no doubt in my mind that it's having an effect on their business just like everyone else.

I'm going to ILLINOIS, I agree that we can't stop hunting, but we are all limited

If you put it into perspective, the increased cost for gas is really not that much. If your tank is 25 gallons and gas is $1 more per gallon, then each fill up is only an extra $25. So even for a hunt 1500 miles away you are only talking a couple hundred extra bucks. When the cost of the hunt, tags, etc are much more than that. Plus, when making trips like that I am normally splitting gas a few ways anyway.

I do some bookings for a couple of outfitters in Alberta and Saskatchewan while I'm at sportshows during the winter. I can tell you that starting around mid-February the media started talking more and more about how the economy was going to get worse, gas prices were going to shoot up, etc.... It was at that time it got harder and harder to book people for their's and my businesses.

So, yes, people are not spending their money on the high dollar hunts this fall and more are staying closer to home. I'm glad my main business is fishing....its a cheaper trip and the price of fuel has not hurt my business.

Exactly. I had one of my customers ask me the other night if the gas prices were affecting my business. Nope. Like he said, the four of them drove up here from Milwaukee in one vehicle (SUV)and its only going to cost them each $20 more this year. Its a 14 hr trip one way.

Gas prices will not effect my hunting at all because my area is only 13 miles from where I live. Also, I fly to Alberta, so there's no problem there either.But it has definately effected my trout fishing, big time. That's a 3 hour drive. I've only gone to the mountains twice this yearto fish. That might be it for the year though![&o][&o][&o]

It won't really hurt me. My local spot is ten miles away and I will be carpooling part of the way, haha. I also have a spot I am looking into just north of the HNI Headquarters that is under ten miles away. For Brown County I will be going with one or two people and sharing gas so that won't be bad.

No offense, but you've got to be tripping on shrumes or something!!Last year I filled my tank for like $50, now it's like $100. Youthink it's not that much?