True cost for Nonresident

xtreme

Very Active Member
Feb 25, 2011
859
4
Searcy, Arkansas 72143
If an elk tag cost , rounded up, $700. and the average success is 18%, the license cost alone would be 5.56 x 700 or $3892. per elk harvested. That much money will buy some really good long range camera equipment. There are lots more cost to go with it. Do you think you can beat the percentages, thereby reducing the cost? Food for thought.
 
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kidoggy

Veteran member
Apr 23, 2016
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idaho
lol. uhm ,that's sum fuzzy math there,or are you using the new common core math.try$3,892.00. kinda an important mistake .
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
However I know some non residents that hunt elk here in Colorado that have been successful every year for the last 10 years that I have known them. A lot of that 18% that you quote are also resident hunters that never leave their homes, they purchase a tag on a chance that they might go elk hunting. I know a few that do that every year.

So if you don't like the math or figure that it is more expensive to hunt elk than purchase camera gear, then by all means go buy some camera gear with that money.
 

ivorytip

Veteran member
Mar 24, 2012
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SE Idaho
once you know your area you hunt, a person if not picky, can have 100% odds every year. if you aren't seeing a bunch of elk nearly every day, its time to find a new hunting hole.
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
once you know your area you hunt, a person if not picky, can have 100% odds every year. if you aren't seeing a bunch of elk nearly every day, its time to find a new hunting hole.

This can be said for a lot of hunters. I know some that purchase a tag and just go out for the party, then I know others that go out and are up at 4am and leave camp before the sun comes up and stay out until after it goes down. Guess who usually brings home meat every year?
 

go_deep

Veteran member
Nov 30, 2014
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If an elk tag cost , rounded up, $700. and the average success is 18%, the license cost alone would be 5.56 x 700 or $38,920 per elk harvested. That much money will buy some really good long range camera equipment. There are lots more cost to go with it. Do you think you can beat the percentages, thereby reducing the cost? Food for thought.
Yea, it's so not worth it. NR stay home, lol.
If anyone for one second thinks there going out of state to hunt and it be cost effective for meat your wrong. It's the experience period.
 

xtreme

Very Active Member
Feb 25, 2011
859
4
Searcy, Arkansas 72143
Fixed the math problem with an edit. Our archery group would be 100% if one hunter would tag out instead of waiting on the giant, not that I care, its less work his way. All good points everyone has posted and I have about as much fun scouting as I do hunting.
 

Fink

Veteran member
Apr 7, 2011
1,961
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West Side, MoMo
If an elk tag cost , rounded up, $700. and the average success is 18%, the license cost alone would be 5.56 x 700 or $3892. per elk harvested. That much money will buy some really good long range camera equipment. There are lots more cost to go with it. Do you think you can beat the percentages, thereby reducing the cost? Food for thought.
I dunno about you, but I'm hunting for more than the food. I'd have a difficult time putting a price tag on the year round fitness and lifestyle changes I've made, just so I can go maybe go kill an elk once a year.
Besides, if I didn't go chase critters out west, I'd just spend more time duck hunting here at home, which doesnt exactly provide that great of return on investment either.
If I just wanted the meat, I'd call up the cattle farmer down the road, and buy a cow. Whole of course, so I could save the money by butchering it myself.
All up, the elk tag is just a small percentage of my annual hunting expenses. I'd rather have the tag than a camera, but.... To each his own!

Happy 4th!
 

Gr8bawana

Veteran member
Aug 14, 2014
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Nevada
Well, let's see. Between myself here in NV, my brother in AZ and my son also here in NV we have had 4 cow elk tags and 6 bull tags and only 1 has not been filled. That was because my bro had an archery tag and was holding out for a monster. We did have one 5 point at about 6 yards so the tag could have been filled.
We're like the people JimP talked about in that we rarely see camp in the daylight, gone hours before sunrise and on the moutain till darkthirty.
Cost effective? I doubt it when you factor in fuel and food costs, tag and app fees. We do have a blast every year though.
 

brdhuntr

Member
Feb 17, 2016
64
0
Eagle Idaho
Pay to play. Its the world we live in.
If i was concerned about true cost, i would buy an Angus steer and be money ahead. Like others have said it's the total experience of planning, packing, shopping for supplies, camp set up, packing meat, sitting around the fire after a hard days hunt with your'e friends and family. I'm already planning ahead to 2017, that's how excited i get,and i'm about to turn 70! Good luck to all in 2016..
 

genesis27:3

Member
Mar 12, 2015
139
0
North Carolina
My wife looks at costs of my hunts. I asked her to show me what we brought back from our last vacation, which was a cruise at that time. We had a series of pictures and memories for that $3000. I told her that even if I don't kill anything from my hunt, I'll come back with the exact same things, pictures and memories. But then there's always that chance of coming back with a some fine meat, which I have yet to do on a cruise or any other vacation.
 

mallardsx2

Veteran member
Jul 8, 2015
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My wife looks at costs of my hunts. I asked her to show me what we brought back from our last vacation, which was a cruise at that time. We had a series of pictures and memories for that $3000. I told her that even if I don't kill anything from my hunt, I'll come back with the exact same things, pictures and memories. But then there's always that chance of coming back with a some fine meat, which I have yet to do on a cruise or any other vacation.
My wife would punch me in the face if I told her that...lol
 

Wyoming Hart

Very Active Member
Oct 10, 2014
859
166
Spring Run, PA
My wife looks at costs of my hunts. I asked her to show me what we brought back from our last vacation, which was a cruise at that time. We had a series of pictures and memories for that $3000. I told her that even if I don't kill anything from my hunt, I'll come back with the exact same things, pictures and memories. But then there's always that chance of coming back with a some fine meat, which I have yet to do on a cruise or any other vacation.
Brilliant!