# What's Your Venison Cost per pound?



## moonwolf

So, what is the real cost you pay per pound for your deer or other venison that you hunt for meat? 

Last deer I got when I hunted 2 years ago cost $36 for the license and for processing $60 that yielded right at around 100 lb. venison for the freezer, cut wrapped and prefrozen. This included 20 lb. of Italian spiced sausages. 
Looks at around $1/lb. 

If I'm to harvest a deer this season, I'm looking to do the butchering myself, since it seems I have some facility to do that now. But, I will probably be investing in a meat grinder. sausage making stuff (and spices), etc. 

Since I hunt deer now without driving afar, the transportation and fuel costs involved for the hunt are negligible. I don't factor in cost of the firearm, as that item basically doesn't depreciate, but the ammo is roughly $1/bullet. Last deer I used 1 bullet . :shrug: 

What's your cost per pound when you figure on getting your venison this year? (include license fee, fuel used for the hunt, lease if applicable, processing, etc.) Do you still consider it feasable to hunt based on what you harvest for the cost? If you could buy it the same cost as you pay to hunt and process yourself, would you do that instead?


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## Bearfootfarm

My license cost is $0. If you figure a dollar per shot Ive got 3 dollars in 3 deer so far. I may have burned half a gallon of gas so add in another $1.25. But then thats not counting the $250,000 for the farm to hunt on LOL. But being able to hunt and eat fresh venison? PRICELESS!!!!


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## Haggis

The license costs are $26 for the regular tag and $13 for the bonus tag, a $19.50 average per tag. The shells are about a buck each. Our deer are quite large this far north so they dress out fairly heavy. We have taken as many as 6 deer in a year off the Back-Sixty; we would have taken more if some of the kids spent more time at their target practice. We can count on 3 or 4 deer without too much effort.

We process our own beef, hogs, chickens, rabbits, geese, and ducks; processing our own deer costs nothing but wrapping paper or vacuum bags. The investments in knives, grinders, meat/bone saws, and other apparati have been spread over many years X many hundreds of animals, the equipment is still in good condition and likely to last the rest of my life, and well into my children's lives.

We hunt here on Wolf Cairn Moor, and the surrounding dozen or so square miles of empty wilderness, so there is no cost for fuel. The guns we have purchased over the years have all increased in value, some of them dramatically. Out hunting attire is the same warm clothing we wear during the remainder of the winter season; with the exception of the cheap thin cotton blaze orange shells we wear over the warm clothing. 

Deer hunting is a thrifty win/win situation for us, where we live and at this time, *BUT * we have lived in areas where the nearest public land for hunting was a 50 mile drive each way, crowded with other hunters, and our chance of success next to nil, and a three day season, then deer hunting was a lose/lose situation; more of an act of desperation.

I'd say deer meat is cheap for lots of folks and cost prohibitive for as many others.


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## bgak47

My combo hunting/fishing liscense is $37. My BP tags are $20 each for 1 doe & 1 buck. Same for gun season. That =$117 for the season. I'm usually able to fill at least 2 tags, for an average of at least 75-100lbs of processed meat. I do my own butchering & processing, so no cost there. If I'm lucky or skillful enough to fill 3 or 4 of the tags, or if the deer are exceptionally large, the cost of the meat goes down. I killed a 175lb buck & a 120lb doe a few years ago. I enjoy the hunt enough that I'd pretty much write off the cost. That $37 liscense covers the small game hunting & fishing that I also enjoy. I also put about 75lbs of fish & small game in the freezer last year. Those crappie,bass,squirrels,rabbits, & catfish may be small, but they add up, & are mighty tastey. I consider the liscense fees that I pay to be a good investment in the future of hunting. I've been hunting for 50 years, & IMO, there are more large & small game animals than there were when I started hunting.


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## big rockpile

It cost me an average of $10 a Deer.

Now Hog Hunting thats a different story  

big rockpile


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## cowgirlone

We process our own meat too. It sure saves a bundle.
I like to make jerky, burger, steak, roasts and summer sausage. I also like to can some of the meat to serve over noodles or mashed tatoes.


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## Fire-Man

moonwolf said:


> So, what is the real cost you pay per pound for your deer or other venison that you hunt for meat?
> 
> Last deer I got when I hunted 2 years ago cost $36 for the license and for processing $60 that yielded right at around 100 lb. venison for the freezer, cut wrapped and prefrozen. This included 20 lb. of Italian spiced sausages.
> Looks at around $1/lb.
> 
> If I'm to harvest a deer this season, I'm looking to do the butchering myself, since it seems I have some facility to do that now. But, I will probably be investing in a meat grinder. sausage making stuff (and spices), etc.
> 
> Since I hunt deer now without driving afar, the transportation and fuel costs involved for the hunt are negligible. I don't factor in cost of the firearm, as that item basically doesn't depreciate, but the ammo is roughly $1/bullet. Last deer I used 1 bullet . :shrug:
> 
> What's your cost per pound when you figure on getting your venison this year? (include license fee, fuel used for the hunt, lease if applicable, processing, etc.) Do you still consider it feasable to hunt based on what you harvest for the cost? If you could buy it the same cost as you pay to hunt and process yourself, would you do that instead?



Do we Really Have to answer this???? Lest see this is what it cost my neighbor-------A $34,000 4 wheel drive, $6000 4 wheeler, $1200 club fee, a $600 30-06 and a $800 scope, 3 climbers about $500, 3 ladder stands about $600, Biconaculars(?) about $150, A $350 GPS. Misquito suit about $150, Camo clothing about $200, Feeder about $200, 3 wildlife camera's about $500, snake boots about $200, Misc(hunting lic, deer corn, bullets, scents, gas, knife, skinning equipment, meat grinder, sausage stuffer, seasoning, freezer etc) $1000+. I ask him yesterday how many he had got-----1 80lb spike-----Lets see---thats about 30lbs of meat, plus he had it processed at $83--------Shoot so far he has only $1551 per lb, but look on the brite side if he can get another 80lb deer that would bring him to less than $1000 per lb. LOL Shoot if he can get two deer like this per year for 5 years(have to trade trucks and 4 wheelers then) he would probably get to below $200 per lb over a 5 year period. To answer this above question-----If we kept up with how much it REALLY cost us------We would not have no fun. It does not cost me as much as my neighbor---------but I don't want to figure How Much---LOL. 

AS far as Processing goes----My local Processors charge App. $20 to skin, App $40 to process + so much per lb for sausage etc. It Comes to about $2 per LB for a small deer $1.50 per lb for a bigger deer. I processed the only deer I have got so far this year-------Didn't cost hardly anything, but If I figure all I Used like I did above for my neighbor-------I am sure it would Be Alot. Randy


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## Frenchy

Costs me $35 for a combo hunting fishing lic.............. minuim cost for ammo since they are reloads..........don't have any of the fancy stuff for hunting just either slip hunt or sit against base of tree mostly...........an hunt right out the back door on 51 acres of hardwoods (lots of squirell an turkey there too even now got us a bear working the place)........... at one point just before season started this year had 6 legal bucks at one time in back yard...............an we do all our own skinning an processing of meat so no cost there except wrapping paper an tape.................so all in all don't cost me much per pound ......................


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## Highground

Used to be pretty dern expensive when I had to travel to hunt. Wouldn't want to toll it up, but now it's pert near all free if I don't count all they eat from the garden.


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## bargarguy

Good thread, I almost always get impatient and take a deer or two when its too early to hang which forces me to pay for butchering. So given that I have only the cost of butchering and a little gas. so maybe 1.20 per lb.

Now my last deer this year will cost me .10 per lb.


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## Iddee

Since I have become unable to hunt physically, the cost has went way down. I have processed my own for many years. The equip. has long ago paid for itself. My hunting friends and now their kids and grandkids give me more deer than I can put away. I received 14 last year and told them to stop after 3 this year during bow season. I may take a few more during gun season. Only cost is freezer electeicity and vacuum bags.

Iknow, it's cheating, but it's food. :shrug:


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## FoxfireWoman

The twenty five (I think) dollars for the license and the cost of the bullet. Freezer Bags at 2.00 a box. The rifle we would have anyway, so that doesn't figure into it. We hunt on our own land, so no travel expense. We process the meat ourselves and I generally tan the hide (value added) and sell that, so that covers the price of the license, bullet and bags for the meat. Total cost per pound - $0.00.


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## swamp man

Yep.Dang good thread.
I hunt my own land,so I haven't bought a license in a while.I'd have my guns around even if I didn't hunt,so I dont count that as part of the overhead.
A few dollars for winter rye seed.
A little 2-cycle mix for cutting shootin' lanes,and cleaning up rye plots.
I've done the butchering myself in the past,but these days I gladly cough up the $35 to get my butcher to do it.I dress and quarter it myself,and he takes it from there.The $35 includes the cost of some ground pork to mix in for suasage,etc.
It can be pretty warm here during deer season,so sometimes I have to buy a few bags of ice.


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE

your looking at this all wrong 100 for a nice weekend vacation a good excuse to by about 50 in new gear that the wife doen't give me a hard time about 
24 in licence 

getting grandpa away from grandma for the weekend so you can hear the realy good stories PRICELESS

lets just say that some of the better ones involve a 53 plymouth a 12 ga
,and an air plane

but we proccess our own opening weekend is the weekend before thanksgiving here so we cut them up before we go home and have a grinding party on thanks giving morning

vac bags are the way to go perfect meat a year later


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## travlnusa

When hunting at home in WI, it costs me $24 for tags per hunter (myself and son), and $2 for each bonus tag that you want. We process our own. Processing equipment was expensed against beef and hogs years back. 

When we join the family in southern IA, it cost me $325 for tags per hunter (myself and son). Gas to get there. Since I am about 9 hrs from home we end up taking them in to be processed. Needless to say it of foolish to look at cost per lb for my Iowa hunting. It is worth it when you consider 3 generations spending 4 days at deer camp. 

Awhile back my other son asked me what my Iowa tags cost me. I gave him an honest answer. He was quite for about 2 minutes, then asked " Can't you just buy a deer for less that that?"


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## RoyalOaksRanch

Well, if you add up all the trucks, quads, trailers, outfitters tent and RV, rifles, scopes, hunting clothes, (thermals, boots, suits, etc) sleeping bags, range finder, binoculars, then add in cost of fuel to GET there, plus non resident tag fees, (approx 300 each tag, 100 for my son) Lets just say that it would be cheaper for us to buy a ranch where we hunt LOL...
As far as hunting in Calif... I think its 25 for 1st deer tag, but yoiu have to have the 35.00 hunting license, And to be honest the deer are scarce here where its open to the public. Private ranches are much better...This state doesnt manage their herds good like some other states. Anyhow its not the cost, its the experience.. And as anyone can tell you.. THe memories and the good eating is priceless no matter what it costs you...


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## MELOC

the license cost alone for all the tags, allowing me to kill 4 deer, cost me @$60. so that is $15 each without adding other expenses. i butcher my own so i pay no processing fee. 

other costs could include...

$.75 per round for ammo

@ $7 per tipped arrow if it gets destroyed

? depreciated costs for weapons and @ $150 treestand

@$700+ for extreme clothing

fuel for the occassional travel to the "hot spot"


***the thrill of the hunt and being able to maintain a tradition and procure natural meat...PRICELESS!


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## Pigeon Lady

We hunt on our own land so no license required. Hubby does the processing himself. As someone else stated we would have the weapons anyway so I guess it amounts to just the cost of the ammo and freezer bags!

There are 5 of them grazing by the back porch steps and under the kitchen window right now!

The best part is I don't have to buy hay for them,I don't have to worm them, I don't have to give them any shots and I don't have to trim their hooves. If only I could milk them! 

Pauline


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## MELOC

i wish PA was one of the states where no license is needed. i think it is rediculous that i need to purchase a license to hunt the property.


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## Pigeon Lady

Oh Meloc, I didn't realise others had to pay to hunt on their own land! Here the no license applies to family and friends also.

Pauline


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