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In Illinois, I see everything from guys in old Carhart bibs with beat up old guns to guys in Filson, Bean and Orvis and carrying classic American SxSs. I haven't seen a downturn in popularity in our state. The public put-and-take program isn't half-bad run, and its weekend slots get filled nearly all the time all over the state. Weekday slots are easier to get ... but there's always the issue of how much time off from work you can wiggle away with.

When the regular season ends and the put-and-take sites' season runs out, we hit a little club that charges $85 for 5 pheasant. My slightly older brother and I put out two sets of 5s, so it runs us $95 each -- $85 for the birds and a $10 tip for the bird boys. We do it only about 5 or 6 times in January and Febuary so as not to overstrain the wallet. We may go the first week of March if it stays cold, but more often than not it's warm, the birds have sneakers on and the fields are mush. We both prefer colder-weather hunting.

I look at both my recreational clay shooting and my bird hunting as no more expensive than golf. My oldest brother is a golf freak, uses only high-end gear and golfs at some pretty nice clubs. I'd bet I actually spend a little less than him.

Personally, I don't golf. First, I've already got enough issues. I think golf might send me over the edge. Second, I'd rather go to the gun club than the golf course. I don't know how you guys who do both wingshooting and golf stay both sane and in the black.

Anyone ever seen's Robin Williams' bit on a Scotsman inventing golf? It's on a DVD called "Robin Williams, Live on Broadway." Hint: Take a pee before you watch it, or you might wet yourself laughing.

Hi Henry,

Even though joketers like me and PGG might irritate you, nevertheless, I hunt just like you: simply and inexpensively, yet passionately. I am blessed to live where I do, and I have never had to pay hunt, it's all wild birds, but suppose I would if I didn't have this huge state to frolic and cavort about in......

......HOWEVER, I happen to own a section of land, applied for private shooting preserve status, and GOT IT about 4 or 5 years ago. In order to keep this status, I need to release 100 birds per year, it's like use it or lose it. Wanna come out and shoot some pheasant or chukkar with me? ANYONE? All you need to do is get out here and pay my cost for your share of the birds. The season runs Aug 1-Mar 31.... we'd need to set a date for it, however, as my work takes me overseas 4 times a year....

gee, can't we be friends ? Very Happy

...or am I still killin ya? (I did buy an Ithica this week).... Smile

britgun

Member Joined: 01 Dec 2006 Posts: 524

Growing up middle class in Washington State I didnt have a clue very expensive uns existed until I was in my mid to late 20's. Then after learning that, I wondered why I'd never seen those types of guns around except in shooting magazines. I figured they were all over in England and stuff - where birdhunting is a sport for the upper class. I thank God i grew up and continue to live in aplace with vast tracts of public land with many birds. To have the added pressure of having to organize a multi day far away trip every time I wanted to hunt would suck. I can go for a week or a day any point in time I choose. I have access to incredibly vast tracts of private lands built up over a lifetime of hunting/prospecting. But if I didnt have that it would still be easy to hunt here. In fact, I still use probably 75% public land as primary areas. No - its definitely not a rich man's sport in my State. They seem to gravitate more toward the clay games here.
Even waterfowling which requires quite an expenditure in equipment costs is still dominated by middlw class folks willing to sacrifice to get boats, dogs, decoys etc. Thats kind of why I have cut back quite a bit in my waterfowling -to do it right, you gotta spend some money. This didnt used to be the case as I had a honey hole that became the leased hunting property of a rich Dentist. It was a nice walk-in all you need-is a bag of decoys-style hunt. One day (having hunted there for years) a figure loomed up outta the fog just as the ducks were locking on my spread -to give me and my pal "the boot". Oh I could find another hole -just not that convenient. And, the fact is I enjoy the constant movement and working of the dogs in upland game hunting better -not to mention the eating of the birds, though I love duck and goose too. So now we decided to just go on 2-3 guided goose/duck hunts per year. That way we get all the benefits of having the good equipment, without the capital investment. Stiil a great value too.

Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 10

I am fortunate to own my own ground and live in S. IL where you can still get permission to hunt birds. There are not many quail left but over the years since the 60's that I have been here I have found areas that hold birds (quail and woodcock) and in several instances I (I am a wildlife biologist) have traded management stuff for places to hunt. We are also blessed with lots of public land.

My expenses are dogs, dog food, ammo, guns, gas and food. Bout like everyone else. Is it expensive? I don't know. I like "good" guns and really good bird dogs. The dog part is from my father. The gun part is me.

I hunt as often as my work and wife will allow. Usually several times a week. Local mostly with a trip or two each year.

I think what has driven cost, don't shoot the messenger, for hunting is the same as fly fishing. It has become the in thing to do amoung a certain cadre of folks.

Member Joined: 04 Mar 2006 Posts: 76

If i may go off the subject for a minute, i will tell a true story. Many years ago i went with a friend and his new 20,000 dollar bass boat to Saratoga Lake Ny. As we put our boat in the water, we admired all the other expensive boats and gear that others were putting in the water as well. Then up came an old pickum truck with a mutli painted beat up aluminum boat and 2 ederly gentlemen. At the end of the day we came back with a couple of little fish and so did the other guys. As we were complaining about our poor luck and this fished out lake, the 2 guys showed up in their beat up boat. We all watched as they got out of the boat. As they lifted the first string of walleyes out of the boat, you could see their muscles bulge from lifting all the weight, and the second string was just as heavy.
May all our hunting bags be so heavely laden with fine game.

Bruce

PGG, we both know who the jokester that told me about that upity place is. Shocked

Sprocket 5or 6's but you really dont need to. I truely enjoy you coming along(on all the trips). It was as much fun watching you as hagrith, or Beau with those fisrt points(beau the lab now points setting birds, and I'm quite tickled about it). The excitment the of the 3 of you had learning something different was great. have you heard from sebago lately?

Brit if your not kidding put me down(and maybe sprocket, if we can contain him)

Member Joined: 12 Mar 2007 Posts: 36

I live in central Iowa....I have lived in South Dakota and also MN over the span of the last 16 years..... my experiences have been somewhat as in berg's post..... I have managed to always have a modest amount of land to hunt by asking for permission and keeping an eye out and a ear to the ground for possibilities.......

I have pretty much avoided public land in all three states where I lived due to pressure and lack of game.... It seems harder and harder to secure good places to hunt without connections...... I sense that it is not getting any better.....

My investments have been fairly modest, but I do like nice guns....have went the route of having fewer guns but as best as my budget allows....the solid liver GSP of course is an ongoing expense....

going to the local pheasants forever function tonight...... with any luck maybe I'll win a new shotgun !!

The cost of hunting for me has only increased as a function of my addiction to gear and time afield.

I started off with a $200 12ga 870, with which I hunted doves, squirrles, put and take pheasants/quail, rabbits, and deer. My duds included a quilted flannel shirt, insulated carhart bibs, my deer hunting boots, and whatever gloves and hat I had around. With the exception of the put and take hunts ($15 for state hunts at the time), day of the hunt costs included gas and any shells that I needed. If I purchased 10 boxes of shells in a year it was a big year (or I was really bad in the dove field). My annual spend, including a liscense, may have been $50 a year, excluding the gun purchase.

In 2002 I was asked to make a trip to South Dakota with a group from church. That's when my addictions really started to take hold. My play cash has since added to the closet 2 pair of briar pants, 1 shooting shirt (I still like my flannels), under armor wicking base layer, a seperate addiction to smart wool socks - 5 pair, a Mother bird vest, boots - which have holes in the toes now and need replaced, multiple caps/hats, shooting gloves, books on hunting, books on dog training, a dog (not in the closet Wink

), assorted training bumpers, starter gun, training scents, a kennel, a 16ga Citori, new cleaning supplies, a new gun case, and last but not least (and I believe the worst) an addiction to 16ga shells. I have purchased 50 boxes of shells - mostly game loads - which spawned trips to the gun club for a round or two of clays. I look for shells every where I go and frequently go out of my way to look at a Sportsmans Warehouse, Dicks, Gander Mtn, or Rural King for deals.

The trip to SoDak only runs me about $600 including gas and food for a week, but the "other" expenses are considerably higher. However high the cost though, the memories and experiences have been priceless. In 2004 my father and I made the trek to SoDak alone. We had just finished hunting on our last day and pulled over to the side of an old dirt road to tie down our gear for the 15 hr trip home. With the sun setting and the full moon rising we cleaned birds, pack coolers, cared for the dogs, and changed clothes right there in the middle of the road. When our work was complete dad and I sat on tailgate and finished the last two beers in the cooler. The smell of the black So Dakota dirt, light of the moon, roosters cackeling in the distance, and the conversation with dad will be with me forever. It was just one of those special moments that you only get a few of in life.

I would pay any price for another moment like that one, gear or no gear.

Chopper

Joined: 29 Mar 2007 Posts: 24

I spend an inordinant amount of cash on my bird hunting life style and I wouldn't have it any other way. My entire life revolves around the opening of grouse season. Every day I wake up it is one day closer to Oct 1st. I am fortunate my wife is on board with it. At one point we thought of getting one of the large trophy houses. We talked about and and deceided to get the house "up north" instead. I spend the month of October there bird hunting. We live in the same modest house we built when we were 25 yrs old just so we could get the other house. We have two GSP's and I am picking another puppy up today. Only in the last year I have started on some expensive sxs's. I could never add up the amount I have spent on hunting, dogs, guns. It is literally hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The feeling at the end of the day, tired from chasing grouse and WC, feet up in front of the fire, dogs sleeping by your side, cold beer in your hand and the smell of good food on the stove.........Priceless!

Could I be happy with a pair of boots an 870 and an orange hat? Absolutely! (but not for long)

The 870 and boots?? what if they were those fancy russels and the 870 had exibition walnut (with the cutts and one of those cool 3" glowing sights, to help with aiming)??