Are hunting and fishing cost effective?

[rennigade]

you are not getting what I'm saying, to me 30 hrs of hunting would suck so much that I would rather spend that time earning extra cash, enough at least to make up for what you are saving on meat. If you can't understand the math in that, sorry.

This makes perfect sense. You work, make money, buy meat rather than not working, being miserable for 30 hours, get meat. That example is straight forward.

The other points you touch on are a stretch. But if you value any time outside of "work" as a monetary value...so be it. We can agree to disagree.

[rennigade]

And we COULD extrapolate the whole "time is money" to everything - cooking, cleaning, oil changes, justifying that we all have butlers and maids.

This is a good example as to why the whole "time is money" thing is silly. How the hell can anyone live their life analyzing ever little detail as to...would it be cheaper to do x vs y?

[Fishindude77]

Yea, I didn't get the whole "time is money" argument either.
The time we spend hunting / fishing is recreation time, vacation time, off hours, weekends, etc. when we wouldn't be working anyway.

There are a few rare exceptions, but for the average sport to claim that he hunts or fishes to save money and feed the family is delusional. We do this stuff for fun primarily.

[FLA]

The other points you touch on are a stretch. But if you value any time outside of "work" as a monetary value...so be it. We can agree to disagree.

I said time is a commodity, something to be treasured, I never said time for yourself or your hobbies have a monetary value. I'd agree to disagree but I do not think we are speaking of the same thing at all


com·mod·i·ty
kəˈmädədē/
noun
a raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee.
synonyms: item, material, product, article, object; More
a useful or valuable thing, such as water or time.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

On a comment board today, some people were talking about how to reduce your grocery bill (was the title of the article). I told them recently, somewhat out of necessity, mostly out of choice for health, have become a "flexatarian." The Cliff Notes version of that is. . .mostly eat vegan, but are not purist about it for ethical/religious reasons.

ANyway, someone countered that you can hunt for deer and have a frugal way of having meat in the freezer. (anything but become a tree hugging liberal vegan, lol!). Um, yes, well, I guess at 3.00/dozen eggs that's SOMETHING to consider.

Now, considering the cost of ammunition, gun, licences, and travel. Factor in your time maybe at a half rate (I am not always sure it's fair to calculate your full rate for time for these calculations) .. is it really frugal to go deer hunt? Maybe turkey hunt? Or fish or crab for protein?

Anyone ever informally punch the numbers?

Should we retire men (traditionally the hunter) as a gender, citing problems in scaling of costs and relegate the Y chromosome to the annals of antiquity?

Doing it purely for money is stupid IMO.

Doing it for love of sport, love of outdoors, the DIY or catching your own food is not. Quite the opposite.

Just my $.02.

[scfr]

It can be. After retiring, my FIL took up fishing. He went several times a week, and he and my MIL ate what he caught. He walked to his fishing spot from home, where he fished from shore. No boat needed, and no license needed where he lives. Fishing was very cost effective for them.

[Scanner]

Well, it may be stupid but I think worth inquiry.

For instance, my father/mother gardened and canned/preserved vegetables and fruits and my father had chickens for eggs.

Apparently the feed costs and time/money spent on those endeavors were partially out of necessity growing up. It wasn't just a hobby for my parents. This was a way of saving money even with the Shoprite Can-can sale every year my mom went to.

Now, at $3.00/dozen eggs, meh, maybe a chicken house in my backyard next door to DisneySteve, with a goat tied to a post foraging isn't such a bad idea.

[Fishindude77]

Even if it doesn't save much money, there is no doubt the home raised stuff is a heck of a lot better tasting and better quality. No comparison between a fresh egg -vs- store bought, or a garden tomato -vs- store bought.

We had elk burgers, garden beans and garden tomatoes for supper last night.

[bjl584]

I'm an avid outdoorsman and would argue that hunting and fishing are hobbies more than a means to save money. At least that way that people in modern society go about it. If you lived in the wild and hunted and fished as a means of pure survival, then it would be cost effective if not necessary. But, to go out on a Saturday and hunt or fish is a rather expensive thing to do once you factor in all the gear and clothing that you need to do it.

[LittleLamplight]

I always wondered about this as well. I always saw it as more of a hobby or sport compared to a way to save money on food.

[amastewa93]

I think that this topic is an interesting one. I think that as a hobby, fishing or hunting can be an expensive hobby. However, if you are using your hobby to also feed yourself, it can be extremely cost effective. You can learn to really rely on yourself for everything. The same goes for gardening and learning how to cook from scratch.

[tonyb3]

Being a coastal resident and passionate angler I originally fished to feed my soul, but after several challenges in life over the past decade (divorce,child support,disability,unemployment) I have had to use fishing as a means to put protein in the freezer.

Hobbies like this can be expensive with custom rods & etc, but once you have some decent gear it can be extremely cost effective. I took several hints from the immigrants in my city that catch fish using a handline with a spark plug or bolt as a sinker and a rusty overused hook. They come from humble beginnings and know how to make something out of nothing.

I use a rod & reel but catch my own bait and re-use as much hooks & sinkers as I can unless I lose my rig snagged in the rocks. That said, I have rockfish in my freezer that are the same size & quality as if I spent the $$ to go out on a fishing charter boat, and all it took was a healthy hike to my secret shoreline spot and some casting.

I sometimes even catch enough to give to people.