bmgillum

I have several friends that are "cheap". No other word for it. Without exception, all are nice guys. I have learned, thought, not to go out to dinner or drinking with them.

Murdy

I probably spend toward the lower end. I still buy a fair amount of stuff, but I shop around a lot, particularly online. I'd guess 3/4 of what I've bought has been from Amazon or Ebay. I buy deer hunting stuff in February and turkey in June (Dick's is more prone to clearancing their merchandise than other outdoor retailers). I bought my bow used, and it's fine.
That said, there are times when money spent = quality. I put a lower end Bushnell scope on my muzzleloader, and that was a mistake. After 2 years, I went to the range to site in for the year. Tried to make an adjustment, and the scope wouldn't move left to right (still moved up and down). I assume it wasn't durable enough and the muzzleloader shook it apart internally. Replaced it with a mid-grade Nikon designed for an muzzleloader, and, so far, so good.

Stonewall308

Yep.

Its all relative. I've never paid for a guided hunt, but I do pay for nice equipment like a range finder, nice scope for my rifle, nice climbing stand, etc. I keep my total spending on all my hobbies to a pretty reasonable level, and I just try to stay away from buying gimmicky things, but I don't have any problem dropping several hundred dollars on a new piece of equipment that will really improve my experience.

MZS

Some can afford all the new items and some can't. We have 5 kids and a lot of expenses. I am always preaching to my wife how we need to economize. If I then go out and buy a new $600 bow package when I already have a bow, it won't go over too well. If I was a single guy, or retired, it would be different. But for now, I have to put my family (and marriage) first. Generally, if I buy new items now, it will be because my son needs some gear to use. That is how we picked up a muzzleloader last year - I will be using this while my son uses my regular deer rifle. And the muzzleloader also gives me an additional ML gun season so it serves several purposes.

WCW

One of the guys that shoots here has come up with a new latest model muzzle loader every year for the last eight years This year it is the Knight Mountaineer. He is the same way with shotguns. Every year it is the same thing; “This is the best gun I have ever shot”. He gets new cloths and boots every season and gives away last years outfits. Does this make him more successful in the field? Hell no, he hasn't filled his deer or turkey tags in three years. He thinks that anyone who does not do as he does is nuts. I thought that he would have a stroke when he found out that my go to gun for pheasants is a single shot 410 I got back in 1947 when I was ten. My turkey shotgun is a Western Field pump that my deceased father-in-law bought back in the thirties that I put turkey sights on. My center fire rifle for deer is my Winchester 94 30-30 that I bought when I was 14. I have been wearing the same boots for ten years. I have nothing against new technology but I figure that if what I already have does the job why replace it. I do spend quite a bit on side lock smoke poles but that is a hobby rather than guns I need for hunting.

GTOHunter

Dpv...I think You started an interesting Post,some times we all get caught up in the "Buy New Hype" and get the newest gear out there on the Market!I usually buy products that others have tried out that really work or that I think makes pretty good sense out in the field.I still use the same Natural Gear Camo Clothes I bought over 5 years ago and continue to wash them in scent-free detergent and just spray them down with scent-killer when I'm ready to go out Hunting...I bought a cheap pair of Redhead rubber boots that split and fell apart...so sometimes cheaper isn't always better in some cases. LOL

Still I watch what I spend and if I want a new Gun/Rifle I shop around and find the best deal...I've been using the same Rifle (Remington 30-06) my Dad gave me over 25 years ago,until recently (the last 5 or 6 years) I have been lucky enough to buy a few new Rifles after saving and paying everything off to be debt free....still I watch what I spend.

Gunplummer

It depends how much you hunt. When I was a kid I suffered through the winter hunting with any thing I could come up with to wear that was cheap. I was overseas quite a few years and stopped hunting. When I started again, I bought a Winchester Camo-orange hunting out fit on sale at K-MART. It was around $100 dollars, a lot back then. I could have kicked myself for not saving the money and buying something like that years before. It lasted me about 20 years, and I hunt some of the worse conditions you can imagine. My problem with people that run out and buy the newest junk is it lets the clothing manufacturers sell junk. I looked and looked to replace my Winchester outfit and was looking for quality over cost and you simply can't find it anymore. I Checked Cabela's and their heavy coats and overalls would not last two deer seasons. The Woolrich orange coats had pockets so thin I would be afraid to carry a box of ammo in one. If more people refused to buy this junk maybe the manufactures would have to make a better product.

WCW

Gunplummer:

I couldn't agree with you more. It is so hard to find any gear that was made to last that at times I just give up. It kills me when someone comes out to shoot with a new gun that has plastic sights and stock. I have a pair of leather fronted canvas field pants that I have had for about thirty years that are about to give up and have been looking for a replacement. The few that I have looked at wouldn't last a full season in the brush. The more people who buy this junk the poorer quality it gets. I bought a orange vest last year that will have to be replaced before the season starts so I am thinking about having one made out of heavy material with reinforced pockets. God forbid my lined canvas hunting jacket wears out, I wouldn't know where to go to replace it.

nodog

Yes it's nuts.

dpv

I'm glad you guys are better at writing that I am. I couldn't quite express it as well as you all did. Again, I have to say I can probably afford more than I buy. I have a few items I spent big money on....big to me. I bought a Summit Viper II about 6years ago to replace a terrible climber I had bought based on price and name I only replaced because it was falling apart and unsafe. The Summit is still in great shape and is one of the best purchases I have ever made. In addition to lifting me off the ground and increasing my viewpoint, I feel that it also makes me safer because it gets me off the ground where I am less likely to be mistaken for a deer (important because I hunt public land and have no say in the people who share my hunting space.) There are definately some good buys out there and also a ton of crap. I got sucked into the scent control vortex about 15 years ago and spent more time planning how to deoderize my clothing than I spent actually planning where I would hunt. Now, I get out in the woods....no matter what, that is the key. Buy what you need to get you out in the woods so you can remain comfortable enough to stay out there and hunt. If you get cold feet, spend your money on boots and socks..and maybe heat packets. IF your hands get cold (me) gloves that will hold chemical heaters are awesome. if you have to choose between the most super duper new cartridge in your rifle or a decent quality scope or site setup for an average rifle, then go with the sights/optics. That's what I mean by hunting on the cheap.......If all you have is a wool sweater , blaze orange vest and borrowed shotgun then that's how you hunt.....and that is how tens of thousands of deer have been dragged out of the woods. New,, shiney stuff is always cool to have but not always better and certainly not always needed.