The "budget"....

[Deerslayer]

Here are the latest numbers on days hunted and fished and money spent doing it....I thought it was stagering!
Granted, most of us on here proabbly spend this much and MORE!....but just remember, this is the average, including the guy who only hunts opening day or fishes a couple weekends in the summer......

The most recent 5 year survey by the US Fish and Wildlife Service found the nation's 13 million hunters age 16 or older spent 17.5 days on average in the field last year. For the 34 million US anglers, the number was 16. Better yet, if you want to justify buying a new rifle or fishing rod trot out these stats:
On average, hunters spent $1,585 apiece on gear and trips while anglers lightened their wallets to the tune of $1,046 each. Total spending by Sportsmen in 2001: $55 Billion!
Now I know most of us can spend the $1500 in one or two quality trips each year, but you got to remember, this is the AVERAGE! I thought it was high when you factor in every single hunter and fisherwoosie......
DS

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1">[ 09-10-2002 15:39: Message edited by: Deerslayer ]</font>

 

[Elkhunter]

DS, here are some more staggering #s and only for one town.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department estimates hunters annually purchase about 8,600 licenses and rack up 56,660 days per year hunting the Jackson elk herd.


The Game and Fish further estimates that each elk killed by hunters produces an economic return of $3,808 in the state of Wyoming. Based on a five-year average, hunters kill nearly 3,000 elk in the Jackson herd for an annual economic return of roughly $11.4 million.


But that may be a conservative estimate since the cost of visiting Jackson is more expensive than other parts of the state. Research by University of Wyoming professor Tex Taylor estimates outfitted hunts alone pump $8.8 million into the Jackson economy and account for 118 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of $2.5 million.

So I would think that $1500 a year for an average is not out of the question.

Granted these #s are not the same ones referred to, but when I see stuff like this it does not surprise me.

 

[Moosie]

DS.. I jsut bought a new pair of boots for $1,500 DS HAHA !!!! Just kidding

 

[amosgreg]

Well lets see..... My trip to South Africa cost $1700 in airfare alone..... I guess I am above average and I havn't spend a dime on hunting yet here in the states

OK I have but that is a different story!

 

[Deerslayer]

Yeah...but you guys are radicals
or as my teens would say....."the bomb"

..what about the neighbor who hunts opening weekend with the same 30-30 his grandpapy gave him.......or the guy that always seem to ruin hunt by being a freeloader, never buying anything or carrying his own weight?........these guys don't spend $1500 a year on anything, much less hunting. It seems there are a lot of folks like that that would pull the average way down. So it must means that you finatics are spending many times that to have the average we do.
DS

 

[A-con]

I'm going to be pulling upward on it this year....
lets see
new gun case
new sleeping bag
plane tickets
some new warn clothes
local pig & deer tags & Lic
Co. elk tag
new boots