jcpopejr

I have hunted twice with IMB and will do it again when I decide to save up some money for thetrip. Right now I have other priorities. In 2003 I went to Pike Co Ill during the late MZ season and shot a 140 inch 8 pt. ($1000 3 day hunt not including transportation to Ill) In 2004 I hunted in Iowa zone 5 during the first shotgun season and killed a 168 in 10 pt. ($1700 5 day hunt not including transportation) IMB is a fair chase outfitter that has no fences. They lease thousands upon thousands of acres of great ground. Both hunts I went on only a few of the hunters killed deer. Some elected to pass on smaller bucks and some never saw a shooter. They're prices have risen considerably over the last several years but it is due to their great success of putting people on big deer. In the end it's up to the individual to decide if they want to spend his/her hard earned money on a deer hunt.

ipscshooter

When you say "my private property here in Alabama", are you talking about property that you actually own? Or someone else's private property who lets you hunt there? If it's your property, sorry, but you ain't hunting for free... You paid for the land. Most of us don't have that luxury. If we want to hunt a place that has anything furry on it, we've got to ante up. It costs a couple grand to get on a lease in the Hill Country. To BUY a place that's as big as the ranch I hunt would cost several million dollars... Seems to me rather silly to say "I wouldn't pay a dime. I can hunt at MY place."

As for hunting "public" land... yeah, good luck. Precious little of it here in Texas, and what there is is usually over-hunted. We had a guest at the ranch we lease who had been hunting public land in East Texas for years. He came out to our ranch and shot the first puny-azz little buck he saw. A 2 1/2 year old little eight point that scored under 80 inches. Said he'd never seen one that big where he hunts, so he figured it was a good one.

JakeinTX

Interesting, I am on a lease here in Texas. Costs $1400 year per gun and only produces a few deer. Since so much land down here is private if you want to hunt you pay. Now $3500 is more than I can afford so I don't pay to hunt the high end areas. I am not opposed to high fence like others, the last two places I visited (Couldn't afford to hunt) were high fenced and the smallest one was 4000 acres. I'll bet some deer didn't even know their was a fence. A place I helped cull a few does off of last year is 16,000 acres (small by west Texas standards and he is now high fenced on three sides because neighbor installed fence. If a true Deer management program is run, that is expensive and like anything else you pay to play. A person I know, their dad runs a 4000 acre ranch in S. Texas and he regularly has guys paying $15k or more for some bucks. Lots of costs involved (namely the land and feed).
But if you are ok with a meat hunt for deer you can find those (and alot of scams) for only a small amount of dollars here in Texas.
Jake

whitetaildreamer

Lanse couche couche how can you say they don't factor in? I've got a beauty set of skinning/boning knives that I bought specificly for hunting. Likewise I bought a second 18 cu/ft freezer that I use specificly for wild game (venison, ducks, geese, grouse, fish). When I get an elk I'm having to store some at my parent's freezer also. And how can you say your gun (scope, rings, sling, case, cleaning supplies, etc.) doesn't factor in? You aren't talking to your wife so fess up. You don't own any calls, scent/scent eliminators, camo, or bullets? (I could list more but I think I made my point) My hunting stuff is my hunting stuff and it's not used for everyday use and I'm sure that there are many hunters that look at their gear the same way.

Lanse couche couche

It all depends on the person and what toys they want/need in their given situation. The last deer i shot was with a Remington 870 shotgun that has been in the family for 30 years. No scents, calls, etc. involved. The homemade standwas three fourths of a mile from my parents place, so no gas involved.I have used the same old plastic handle butcher knife (given to me) for the last decade to do my own meat processing. All I really need out of a deer is about 20-30 pounds of steaks and roasts that fit nicely in the freezer section of my fridge that I (obviously) already need for other stuff. So, nope, no big cash outlay for me for my deer hunting.My dad is the direct opposite of me and has thousands of dollars wrapped up in stuff specifically for deer hunting, so I understand where you are coming from, though.