My friend and I were recently looking at going on a whitetail hunt in the Midwest and I was kind of surprised at the cost of whitetail tags in some of the states. It got me wondering about how much you guys from out of state usually spend on an elk hunt out west ( gas, food, license and whatever else). Just interested in seeing how it compares for us to go on a hunt in the Midwest.
How much do you spend on your elk hunt
- Thread starter Granby guy
- Start date
For Idaho from Reno I've done it many times for about $1k with friends along to split gas and food costs.
Eberle
Veteran member
I typically spend $1,000 or less, excluding license. Diesel gets me pulling my gooseneck with my mules & equipment.
Work2hunt
Veteran member
Not couting gear like a new gun or spotter, etc., my last couple trips from Ohio to Colorado I've done for about $1k. That includes food, gas, and license. I butcher everything myself so I save there.
Hilltop
Veteran member
I plan on 1k for the trip to Wyoming regardless of the species. I never figure the tags because you pay for them 6-10 months earlier. Usually end up spending a little more or less but 1k is a good rule of thumb. Get a group of 4 people and you can cut that down to $300 each easily. To put that in perspective, I have friends that travel here to eastern Nebraska to hunt and they can usually do the hunt for half the above numbers. There just isn't as much gear and planning to go sit in a corn field IMO. Finding the place to hunt is the hard part...
Fink
Veteran member
A few of these Midwestern states are REALLY proud of their deer.. Iowa and Illinois to be specific. Kansas deer tags aren't terrible, at about $350, but in my opinion, Missouri deer tags are a bargain, at $225. Find a good farm in the north half of the state, and you're essentially hunting the same deer as you would be in Iowa or Illinois. Missouri kills an absolute pile of 150-160 type deer, we just don't kill quite as many BC type bucks as the other three.
OregonJim
Very Active Member
Going to Colorado, Wyoming, or Utah from the West Coast usually runs me about $1500 if gas is reasonable.
Stops at Cabelas, hunting partners who insist on processing, and post hunt celebrations always run it up
Stops at Cabelas, hunting partners who insist on processing, and post hunt celebrations always run it up
Drhorsepower
Veteran member
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
Depend.....unguided or guided. Usually 2 of us going from SW Colorado to Wyoming and camping out except for the last night on the way home. Motel is in order then so we can get home without all the campfire smell, etc. Trip like that usually 1k to 1.2k. Hunting Colorado is usually only several hundred because its so close to my homeplace.
I've spent anywhere from 1500 for wilderness drop camps to 8k on a fully guided wilderness hunt.
I've spent anywhere from 1500 for wilderness drop camps to 8k on a fully guided wilderness hunt.
Work2hunt
Veteran member
Hey for $149 you can have an either sex tag in Ohio. Add another $15 and you get a doe tag.
And oh, that tag is good all season for all hunts.
And oh, that tag is good all season for all hunts.
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What work2hunt said. Ky is probably about the same for a NR. I hunt both states and its hard to beat for whitetail, in both quality and quantity, for the price. Both states are great. And for the bow hunter....public land is a plenty!
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wolftalonID
Very Active Member
I live here in Idaho, the last few years except for last season, I lived within a few miles or so of where I hunted elk, and my cost was usually about $600 a year. Tat includes licenes, several species tags at resident prices, gas for my 8.1 liter Chevy that thinks thats funny....so it hogs it fast, processing fee $200, food, snacks, beer. All three seperate buget brackets!
gear, clothes, etc as needed.
Then last year a taxidermy bill at $1500 and a custom cabinet for the mount I built that ran me $600 so far just for my materials used....god help me if I wasnt the carpenter.....
Travel or local...it aint cheap, and as my friends told me when I got started 8 years ago......you pay to play.....
gear, clothes, etc as needed.
Then last year a taxidermy bill at $1500 and a custom cabinet for the mount I built that ran me $600 so far just for my materials used....god help me if I wasnt the carpenter.....
Travel or local...it aint cheap, and as my friends told me when I got started 8 years ago......you pay to play.....
I thought what the western states charged was a little high until I saw what a few states were charging for whitetail tags!!!
This sounds more like it. (I would have a really hard time justifying a $500 whitetail license to my wife). Currently, it costs my friend and I about $300 total to go elk hunting for the week including licenses. We don't know crap about about whitetail hunting and I was just curious to find out if it was comparable to people coming from the Midwest to hunt elk and deer out here.
Fink
Veteran member
You know, I didn't even think to look at much past Western Illinois, simply because the travel costs/time would start getting eccessive for a guy coming from out West, but I agree, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana all have fantastic deer hunting... It's just a haul to get there.
Granby, if you wanna shoot a whitetail, let me know, there's a really good outfitter about 2 miles from me, he controls a ton of ground, we have big deer, and his restaurant serves a pretty mean steak. Oh, and the tag is OTC. Or, I can point you in the direction of a bunch of public ground. If you're an archery hunter, you'll have it to yourself.
kentuckyhunter
Member
Granby. I drive from ky to hunt public land in ohio every year for deer. I always see a few but nothing big. The tag is easy and cheap but the quality is questionable on free public land.
Unless you have connections I wouldn't expect an inexpensive high quality hunt in the Midwest. I'm not the best or most dedicated hunter, but this is the biggest buck I've seen on the hoof in 4 years on Ohio public land
People who want a change of scenery and not break the bank may consider a public land quota hunt in ky or at the land between the lakes in western ky. Apply online for both of these options and expect a decent hunt.
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Unless you have connections I wouldn't expect an inexpensive high quality hunt in the Midwest. I'm not the best or most dedicated hunter, but this is the biggest buck I've seen on the hoof in 4 years on Ohio public land
People who want a change of scenery and not break the bank may consider a public land quota hunt in ky or at the land between the lakes in western ky. Apply online for both of these options and expect a decent hunt.
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Work2hunt
Veteran member
Not to completely hijack this thread from your original question, but if you are serious about coming East to hunt Whitetail I can direct you to some Ohio public land also. I now hunt primarily private here in Ohio as I have gotten to know a few of the farmers and now have permission to hunt about 500 acres of private land. Some of the land is better than others, time of year plays a big part, I don't always have the woods to myself, and some of it I only have permission for just myself or immediate family, but I do see some nice deer and I usally see at least 1 deer each year on the hoof that will go above 170 inches. I just cant seem to always connect.
Here is my best deer and it is from Ohio. Top picture in my post on this thread.
http://www.eastmans.com/forum/showthread.php/6554-quot-Old-quot-Members-Introduction-(with-pics)/page9
I've also got a lot of other pictures both of harvested and game camera pictures that show some real nice deer.
Here is my best deer and it is from Ohio. Top picture in my post on this thread.
http://www.eastmans.com/forum/showthread.php/6554-quot-Old-quot-Members-Introduction-(with-pics)/page9
I've also got a lot of other pictures both of harvested and game camera pictures that show some real nice deer.
Hilltop
Veteran member
The real bargain I have seen is the Nebraska non-resident youth permits. Bring you young hunter here to hunt for $5 with an either sex tag good for all seasons... hard to beat that!
I spend about $1200 coming from AR to CO. It would certainly be cheaper as a group. I have hunted whitetails in almost all of the mid-west states (not Iowa), and even though the tags may be pricey, they are absolutely great hunts. If you are a bow hunter, I have had great luck knocking on doors. I am generally told the same thing, to be done before rifle/slug/muzzle loader season. KS and IL are my favorites, but OK might be a good place to do some research on too. Specifically the areas north and west of OK City. I do like Missourri too, but they have a rifle season during the rut which tends to take more mature animals out of the herd. They still have some great deer though. Good luck on picking a place!