Farming vs Hunting cost

The size of a deer depends on its age, but also the location. Our deer are big. A steer kept on pasture most of the year and hay in the winter is going to cost the purchase price plus the cost of hay for one winter. Same with sheep. But, with sheep if you buy a yearling that will be full sized at just over a year, you pasture it until October and butcher, no buying winter hay.

We have friends who hunt on their land (and also their neighbor’s). With deer cameras and home schooling, which means the youngest can keep an eye on the cameras while doing school work, they take all they are allowed, which is 6 deer in the freezer at any time. Extras go to their married children. This kid has kept the family in meat ever since his father’s masonry work shriveled up.

__________________
Nothing is as strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength - St. Francis de Sales

http://feralhogs.tamu.edu/files/2011...s-in-Texas.pdf

Hunt hogs. No limit, no tags/hunting permit. You could fill a freezer fast around here, and you would be doing the environment a favor!

This all revolves around what it costs to hunt and what means of hunting you are willing to use.

I've spent $10,000 in one year to hunt and I've spent the price of a couple of boxes of shells in others. I've gone strictly by the letter of the law, and I've fired up my "one-eyed beagle" when my family was hungry.

Most hunters start with small game. Squirrels and rabbits (especially rabbits) are good eating if cooked right. Quail & dressing can't be beat. Grouse is good. I get burnt out on coon, but an occasional one with baked sweet potatoes is nothing to turn your nose up at. And many ducks are tasty.

That's not to say you shouldn't deer hunt. Venison is probably my favorite wild meat. Just try to keep your cost down, because it certainly can escalate, depending on where and who you hunt with.

Lastly, a word about meat around the farm...while cows can get expensive, most people can raise a pig pretty cheaply. A good market barrow at around 250-300 pounds, a few tame rabbits and an occasional fryer out of the chicken yard can be done without breaking your pocketbook.

GreenCountyPete, thank you so much for the .pdf and video - great information!

That is true on the question of guarantees. We may not get a buck this year - we're totally new to the task. And deer are most certainly not at pest levels here - in fact their numbers have declined recently. But my father-in-law gets one every year, usually around 300 lb., so I'm hopeful.

We will definitely have chickens, and possibly pork instead of cattle. With a buck or two each year on top, I think we'd be all set.

And if anyone has recommendations for a ladies rifle, please let me know. I'm currently borrowing a Browning 7mm-08 youth model. Length of pull is still a little too long, comb is way too short (just end up tipping my head sideways over it), and it's too heavy towards the front. I've seen the Savage Model 11/111 Lady Hunter recommended. Is that the only woman-specific option on the market?

Seems to me that the OP is asking about her own land, not leasing or traveling or other expensive options.

If you can figure out where to intercept deer between their bedding and feeding areas, you can bag one with a minimum of gear. Cost is just the license and ammo. The cost of the rifle has to be averaged over how many deer are taken before it wears out, generally hundreds.

If you invest in a food plot you have the cost of the seeds and gas. You might already have the tiller for gardening. It will defiantly make it easier to get a deer. I have had the best luck planting root veges like turnips. They sell a mixture of seeds for a deer food plot. The cost should be well under the cost of feed for a cow. A cow may need to see a vet once in a while too.

Ya know, you could hedge your bets and do both.

Hunting deer is sooooo much more fun than doing cow chores.........

The meat is better, leaner, cheaper too. Just my opinion.

A couple of things first, you mention a 300 lb deer, well if you kill a 300 lb deer it will yield roughly 150 lbs of usable meat. Now if 150 lbs of meat will keep you fed for a year, even half a beef is going to be freezer burnt/ruined before you eat it all. But I doubt that you would limit yourself to 150 lbs of meat a year if it was readily available.

Secondly, you could still raise beef and if you get sufficient deer to feed your family sell the beef and get the cash, if not you have a fall back plan and your family still has food, an advantage of raising your own beef that is often overlooked in the cost of production is that you know what you are eating and what it has been fed and injected with.

If you own the land or can hunt for free without burning a lot of fuel and as you said use the gear you have and cut the deer up yourself you have almost nothing in it so obviously it is cheaper than the beef.

If you are the typical suburban hunter, the cost of the 4wd 3/4 ton pickup, the 4 high powered big bore guns, the 2000 rounds of shells for each, the hunting dogs to maintain all year in town, the 4 sets of Cabelas brand hunting garb, and so on.....

For 80 lbs of meat....

Doesn't really pencil out very well.

Now, if you live on the land, have a simple gun, go hunt off your or a state land next door, you can live pretty darn frugally by hunting. Lot cheaper than ranching it yourself.

Paul

if your comfortable with a 7mm-08 savage makes a good entry level rifle , as does marlin in bolt actions , that is a fine caliber for most anything you could want to shoot inside 300 yards

the youth rifles are the same as ladies rifles but the market name is different , ladies don't mind shooting youth guns but little boys take issue with shooting ladies guns

the comb not sure if your saying the scope is to low to the gun or too high , for to high wrap the stock in masking tape this year the painters type that comes off easy without hunting the finish then cut card board strips and duct tape them down to make the comb right where you need it then wrap in duct tape , nothing permanent and the gun fits you better , lower scope mounts make this better also but sometimes the scope is almost to big for the gun so it has to mount higher

for to low , higher mounts can be had for not much cost 15-20 dollars http://www.midwayusa.com/product/136...ProductFinding measure what you have determine how much higher you would like them and replace they come easy enough and you can put the originals back on when your done with season , you will need to re-sight in

H&R / NEF Handi rifles if you are fine with an exposed hammer and a single shot are light and compact keeping that barrel weight closer to you and sell right around 250-275 a youth savage or marlin will run right around 400 with a scope or 350 without

if the length of pull is to long on a youth you may look for a wood stocked gun , they are easier to cut down , not rocket science just cut a 1/2 inch at a time till it s right if you go a 1/2 inch to far you add a thicker recoil pad tape the stock before you cut to avoid tear out . some plastic stocks the same thing can be done , but you have to look at them with the but pad off to tell , any gun smith can easily tell you if it can be done and how much he/she will charge to do it expect around 40 dollars

take a yard stick put your hunting cloths on and stick the end into the elbow of your bent arm bend your finger like you are pulling the trigger just where you are most comfortable , what does that distance measure from the crook of your arm to the pad of your finger
most factory adult guns will measure 13 1/2 to 14 1/4 inches I am a big guy and this is about perfect for me but 12 to 12 1/2 inches is about what most youth guns are cut at

learning to use a shooting sling will help with that forward weight , as will shorter barrels , with optics a 18 inc barrel will give up almost nothing over a 22 inch barrel

I some times use kneeling position to take a deer at longer range than I feel comfortable at with off hand (standing unsupported)

also you can learn to grab a tree with the support hand and then place the rifle on your wrist for support , you need to practice these things so that they are fast and smooth when a shot presents it's self

I have been working on this with my son this year this is his first year

not sure how far you take shots where you hunt often we can't see more than 75 yards because of the dense forest so that is generally our limit , we use shotgun , and a mossberg 500 20 ga is a solid choice to get you shooting most game a Remington 870 youth 20 ga is another fine gun , you can get slug barrels for both and switch back and forth for birds and small game as well as big game a combo shotgun can be had for about the same as an entry rifle and will get you hunting the most on a budget but it's weakness is range a hundred yards is really about it with a smooth bore and 150-200 with a rifled barrel and proper longer range slugs.


the thing is if you choose a gun that fits you in a good available caliber it is a once in a life time purchase , your not going to wear it out hunting a barrel has around 5000-10000 round life in it depending on caliber and your likely to shoot 500-1000 in a life time at most for most people hunting

Raising cattle roughly is $1.50-2.00 a day IIRC from cattletoday.com. This is partly due to a grain diet, but also cost of land, equipment, hay etc etc. I haven't done the cost anaylsis on our cattle here, but pastures are relatively permanent, and hay costs are around $15-20 per round bale... we feed about 500 a year.... process 12-15 animals a year... so a rough rough guess is is a $1-1.50/lb of meat...

So it would obviously be cheaper to hunt most of the time...

I can get a "Hunt-your-own-land" permit for $17.50 online from the KDWP, walk about 200 yds from my house and be pretty sure of a deer with my rifle I've owned for 40 years. Process it myself, BIL and I have a cheap grinder for burger and if its a doe or nice fat young buck, I cut out steaks and roasts. Very economical.
That said, I do enjoy a good beefsteak, so I'm probably going to have that in the freezer also. Raised on my own land but I usually let a professional do the processing.
I like venison, but the beef is worth the extra cost also.

__________________
* I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find one. .*-

The army surplus Russians are ment for slightly smaller people. You might find a carbine comfortable.

GreenCountyPete, thanks again for another highly informative post.

I'm not sure if the scope is too high, too low, or possibly just too far away. I know I feel like I have to tuck my head down a lot to get cheek weld. So I end up keeping my head up off the butt, or at most a "chin weld". I do find myself having to crane forward to get a good sight picture, also.

Because of the weight, and also since I'm new, I do not take any standing shots. They're kneeling or sitting. Also don't have a sling, but would like to get one as I've heard others mention their usefulness for steadying. Yardage wise, they are almost always within 75 yards, like you. It's too thick around here for anything farther.

I took a look at the Handi-Rifle but am actually not a fan of the exposed hammer. The Browning I'm using has the same issue - slowly lowering the hammer if I change my mind just gives me the skeevies. Especially if I'm cold and my fingers get clumsy.

I did use a Remington 870 20 ga. pump action at one point and found that nice, simple, easy to use. May look into that again at some point.

Ok me and my wife went through this. Wooded acreage, think of it more as source for wood to heat with. Burn off each Spring to encourage undergrowth for Deer. Landowners get most Permits they need at no cost.

But lets go way we are now. 3 1/2 acres. Archery hunt Public Land, cost $25 for 3 Tags, plus get 2 Turkeys. Use Carbon Arrows and Spitfire Broadheads, cost more but can get several Deer with one Arrow.

Can get plenty of Small Game and Fish.

We raise Rabbits and Chickens, have Garden and Orchard.

We get Permits to cut Firewood on Government Land Free. We also get Road Kill Deer.

We have plenty for me and my wife, plus my Son, Girl Friend and their Daughter.

Cattle cost for Fence and Cattle plus have to have way to Breed and Haul them, plus you have to be there all the time in all kinds of weather.

Food Plots cost.

If you want Muzzleloaders are pretty reasonable and depends on what you use for Ammo is your cost, I use Maxi Balls, even in Inlines.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

Hogs are fun but around here most hunt them while hunting Deer.

300 pound Deer. Is this Field Dressed. I know your Deer can be bigger but around here a Un Field Dressed Deer 200 pounds is really Big.

big rockpile

__________________
I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

I see a BLR browning lever rifle

if you call it chin weld it is probably way to high , common because on the lever guns the stock was build to use the provided iron sights any scope added added about 1 1/4 inches in height over the factory sights to center of the scope

you could if the irons are still on it and shots will be fairly close just remove the scope , or try a littel masking tape and some card board ans see how that works , the scope is likely to far forward also


first step- what eye is your dominant eye ? hold your hands out in front of you arms length make a triangle with thumb over thumb and fingers across fingers a small triangle about an inch on a side , find a target like a light switch across the room with both eyes open looking through the triangle your hands make place the target right in the triangle close your right eye , did the switch move out of your triangle , if it did your right eye dominant , repeat by closing the left eye , does the light switch stay in the triangle if it does your right eye dominant , if this is the opposite your left , it may be hard now and if it is a week till season don't but you want to learn to shoot to your dominant eye and buy a gun appropriate to that


then, shoulder the rifle eyes closed , if you plan to be sitting with a rest then sit at the dining room table feet flat on the ground and use a box and books as needed to get you a nice level height , remember eyes closed when you raise the gun to your shoulder find the natural position with a good cheek weld now , open your eyes yes both of them what part of the scope are mount or gun are you looking at measure from that point to the center of the scope reticule that is how much distance you will likely need to make up also bring your trigger hand up into a salute to the corner of your eye brow , the scope should be about your hands width from the eyebrow if it is forward of that you will want to loosen the scope rings and slide it back this will fix the neck craning issue. when you take the rifle in the natural position with a cheek weld you should be seeing the hole image in the scope and not just a part of it move the scope as needed to make this happen , build up the comb with strips of card board and masking tape till you have the right weld it may look like hell but with a bit of furniture polish it will clean right up after season

I get kids that bring dads gun to my youth shooting program told not to touch the scope , when i hear that I grab one of my program guns out of the rack and we move things as needed to make it work. fit is huge

Pete's point about the dominant eye is a very good one. Some people with stock problems don't have stock problems, but eye problems.

You can spend whatever you want to on a deer rifle. Most makers have a youth model which should fit.

If you can handle a 7mm-08, I would not suggest moving down to a .243, but sticking with something around the same size. A .308 will be the easiest ammo to find, but other mid-calibers are fine.

Something like this would make a dandy rig:

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...08+Youth+NIKON

Don't know about length of pull, but a decent carbine at a decent price:

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/p...+COMPACT+MTBLK

Over here, even if you own the land you have to buy a hunting license and tags. During regular rifle season you can only take a buck. Does can only be taken during bow and muzzle loader season. All of those require different tags.

So if you want to hunt all seasons to give yourself the best chance of bagging a deer, then you need a bow, a muzzle loader, and a rifle.....and tags/license for each. It gets expensive if you want to do it legally, and you still haven't got a deer yet. You could get skunked, then what do you do? Then you bought all those tags and licenses, put in time at the range, and you'll have to buy meat too.

I've done it both ways, and there is a reason why keeping domestic livestock overtook hunter-gatherer type existence. Keeping a few sheep, all grass fed costs almost nothing if you have the grass. Raise a few more then you'll eat and you'll make money.

Keeping sheep has just worked out better for me. I know I have a guaranteed meat source, the costs are very low, I don't have to deal with government regulations/tags/licenses, and I sell some to make a profit. I feel like the licensing/tags/regulations just kill any financial benefit and I don't think that is by chance.

If I wanted a deer which I don't I got a good spot off my upstairs porch .About 900 yards away they just graze in the edge of a big woods . This area these deer can't read so they wouldn't know if you had a tag or not .One shot one deer close the barn doors and get at it .

__________________
Check it Out O added another Plank With O care
http://www.libertyzone.com/Communist...to-Planks.html

All I know is here in western Canada, the deer here make the hunting show american deer look like jack rabbits! lol. I am surprised when some tv hunter whacks a deer and exhorts over how big it is, when to us it would be a bambi.

300 lbs is a big deer anywhere though. I would not think it would be an average size for a place that is at the latitude of Maine, 42 to 47 degrees north.

Here, a two hundred lb buck would be a yearling, or a VERY tiny mature dwarf.

Known as Bergmann's rule, mammals typically are larger in northern climes.