The cost of one animal per pound butchered. - Page 2

**Mike Irwin** · October 18, 2012, 01:28 PM

"plus the land tax on my property."

Uhm... why?

The deer are going to be there whether you own the property or not.

Double Naught Spy · October 18, 2012, 01:57 PM

Quote:

The deer are going to be there whether you own the property or not.

But if that is where you are hunting, then that may be part of your hunting expense, especially if you bought land for that purpose.

It is sort of like the cost of the hunting lease. The deer will be there whether you lease the property or not, but it is part of your expenses to hunt there.

Stressfire · October 18, 2012, 02:07 PM

As with almost any hobby - the math is not your friend

**Mike Irwin** · October 18, 2012, 02:44 PM

Ok I took it to mean that he owned the property to live there.

Deja vu · October 18, 2012, 03:19 PM

I butcher it my self. I would have this land even if I did not hunt so that is not an issue. I would also have the gun and the ammo.

So basically I am paying for the licence and tag and a few spices.

I typically turn most of the deer into Jerky. That is the only way the kids will eat it. I smoke it with apple wood from my back yard

There is also the cost of Propane to run the smoker and then my time processing the meat.

publius · October 18, 2012, 04:11 PM

Don't even want to think about it. Going to get a beer and try to forget this.

Sure Shot Mc Gee · October 18, 2012, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Mike Irwin said: "plus the land tax on my property. Uhm... why? "

The property (160 acres) was bought for hunting purposes to begin with. Not to farm. Not to be logged off. Just to have a place for my son and I to enjoy our favorite pastime. (hunting) Why not add this property's tax into the mix of deductions.
BTW. The land is not my residence of record. It is 100% wild with no structures or fencing on it. i.e. just a nice 1/2 mile X 1/2 mile square place for peace and quiet this family appreciates having. _

RevGeo · October 18, 2012, 05:11 PM

If I am lucky enough to be lying peacefully on my death bed surrounded by my loving family and friends my thoughts will surely be on the things I did, not the amount of money I have made or spent. I don't remember the cost of my many big game hunts, or the steelhead fishing or snowshoeing a trapline or piloting a Pacific City dory from Depoe Bay Oregon up the coast to the Columbia River and across the bar into Astoria....Or the beautiful women in my life or the feeling of riding a big street bike over thousands of miles of highway or playing a guitar for thousands of people in the audience...
How can people reduce their lives to dollars and cents? Makes no sense.

Deja vu · October 18, 2012, 05:31 PM

Quote:

If I am lucky enough to be lying peacefully on my death bed surrounded by my loving family and friends my thoughts will surely be on the things I did, not the amount of money I have made or spent. I don't remember the cost of my many big game hunts, or the steelhead fishing or snowshoeing a trapline or piloting a Pacific City dory from Depoe Bay Oregon up the coast to the Columbia River and across the bar into Astoria....Or the beautiful women in my life or the feeling of riding a big street bike over thousands of miles of highway or playing a guitar for thousands of people in the audience...
How can people reduce their lives to dollars and cents? Makes no sense.

That is one of the best posts I have read in a while.

jimbob86 · October 18, 2012, 05:52 PM

Last year I spent a bit over $300 on gas and maybe $50 processing supplies (freezer paper, saran wrap, tape........ bought some new plastic tubs, too) $60-70 on permits, 14 bucks for beef tallow .... butchered 7 deer,, 4 turkeys, a pheasant and a couple of quail in 10 days, ...... 4 of the deer were small (Sunday Orphan Patrol), while 3 were mature bucks (one was huge)..... the small ones yielded probably 40 pounds of meat, the others on the order of twice that. Approx 120 lbs of deer and a turkey went home with my brother..... leaving me with a freezer of venisonand turkey for about $450...... about $2/lb. Considering the local butcher shop charged me $1.40/lb for beef tallow, not bad.

This year I can't swing the gas, so I'll be hunting local ..... I don't imagine we'll be as successful.....

Jo6pak · October 18, 2012, 06:29 PM

I'll quote my father one this one

"Never add up the price of your passions. No matter what the cost, you always come out ahead."

Chaz88 · October 18, 2012, 11:28 PM

Quote:

just a nice 1/2 mile X 1/2 mile square

If it is 1/2 mile square and you only paid for 160 acres you got a heck of a good deal. An extra 160 for free!

FrankenMauser · October 19, 2012, 12:03 AM

Quote:

And the other question is, why cant we write it off on our taxes?

You can, as long as you classify it as a "hobby expense" and your total hobby expenses account for at least 10% of your adjusted gross income.

As for cost...
I figured this year's Elk cost me about $2.37/lb, including the cost of an unfilled cow tag. (that's cheaper than the lowest grade ground beef, around here)
But... there were also 4 hunters that came back empty-handed, and 1 non-hunter, with their own costs. And, if it had been a Deer, the cost per pound would have quadrupled, just for starters. -For Deer, the families (yes, multiple

) would have come along. Plus there's much less meat.

**Mike Irwin** · October 19, 2012, 09:34 AM

"The property (160 acres) was bought for hunting purposes to begin with."

See, you didn't mention that in your OP, so I assumed that you were living on the property.

jimbob86 · October 19, 2012, 10:04 AM

Quote:

For Deer, the families (yes, multiple ) would have come along.

The beauty of the Nebraska $6 youth tag! .... 2 deer, 6$ ... and the kid can get 2 tags.....

But finding a deer rifle and load that 11 year old girls can manage well is ....tricky.

**Art Eatman** · October 19, 2012, 10:23 AM

Heh. No matter the per-pound cost, deer and elk are cheep, cheep, cheep compared to those dove-birds.

Saltydog235 · October 19, 2012, 10:23 AM

Quote:

If I am lucky enough to be lying peacefully on my death bed surrounded by my loving family and friends my thoughts will surely be on the things I did, not the amount of money I have made or spent. I don't remember the cost of my many big game hunts, or the steelhead fishing or snowshoeing a trapline or piloting a Pacific City dory from Depoe Bay Oregon up the coast to the Columbia River and across the bar into Astoria....Or the beautiful women in my life or the feeling of riding a big street bike over thousands of miles of highway or playing a guitar for thousands of people in the audience...
How can people reduce their lives to dollars and cents? Makes no sense.

Excellent post.

spacecoast · October 19, 2012, 10:32 AM

Quote:

If it is 1/2 mile square and you only paid for 160 acres you got a heck of a good deal. An extra 160 for free!

A square mile is 640 acres, so indeed 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile is 160 acres.

jimbob86 · October 19, 2012, 10:40 AM

Quote:

A square mile is 640 acres, so indeed 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile is 160 acres.

The Math is not your friend, Spacecoast.

1/2 of 640 is 320.

I grew up in open farm county..... a field or pasture was "a section", "a 1/2", "a quarter", "an 80", or "that little strip/scrap"..... a "quarter" is 160 acres, or 1/4 of a section, which is a square mile, 640 acres.

Husqvarna · October 19, 2012, 11:24 AM

It is to the point that I can't justify the cost without the meat.

Luckily most of the big time meat hunting (read moose) is a shared endeaver, everybody that participates gets a equal part of the meat, this year we got 2 outta 6 alotted animals in our team during the actual hunting week, a calf and a bull, and 15 people are to share it, as we have 4 more allowed, most people would probably not turn up for the weekend hunts so there will be more to share, (we are 18 people in the team)

The shooter gets the heart/tongue and a choice cut of his/her choosing

My lease allows me to hunt solo for deer, hogs and other animals but we do have some shared/organized hunts for those aswell where we share the meat.

BLUETIP · October 19, 2012, 11:36 AM

640 is one square mile 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile is 1/4 of a square mile=160 acres. His math is correct.

Chaz88 · October 19, 2012, 11:47 AM

Quote:

640 is one square mile 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile is 1/4 of a square mile=160 acres. His math is correct.

I apologize the 160 is correct. I was thinking half a section, that would be a 1/2 x 1 mile. But I stand by my statement that 160 free would be a heck of a deal.

Chaz88 · October 19, 2012, 11:59 AM

Quote:

But finding a deer rifle and load that 11 year old girls can manage well is ....tricky.

My skinny little 13 year old has done well with a small rifled 20 gauge and a .243 since she was about 11. She is good with an adjustable stock .223 also but it is not legal for deer in most places.

jimbob86 · October 19, 2012, 12:28 PM

English is not mine, apparently-

1/2x1/2 is indeed "a quarter" ..... 160 acres.

I apoligize.

Gunplummer · October 19, 2012, 05:25 PM

If you look at it as a hobby, and do your own cutting, I think you are way ahead. Take 2 pounds of 90% lean beef burger and cook it up. Drain the juice into a can and let sit overnight. Do the same with 2 pounds (Or 3 pounds) of deer burger with no added fat meat. Look in the two cans the next day. Where you gonna buy meat that lean at any price?

October 18, 2012, 01:28 PM	#26
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,097	"plus the land tax on my property." Uhm... why? The deer are going to be there whether you own the property or not. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

October 18, 2012, 02:07 PM	#28
Stressfire Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2011 Location: Ohio Posts: 1,497	As with almost any hobby - the math is not your friend __________________ "The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank" - Montgomery Scott

October 18, 2012, 02:44 PM	#29
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,097	Ok I took it to mean that he owned the property to live there. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

October 18, 2012, 03:19 PM	#30
Deja vu Senior Member Join Date: March 14, 2010 Location: Border of Idaho & Montana Posts: 1,750	I butcher it my self. I would have this land even if I did not hunt so that is not an issue. I would also have the gun and the ammo. So basically I am paying for the licence and tag and a few spices. I typically turn most of the deer into Jerky. That is the only way the kids will eat it. I smoke it with apple wood from my back yard There is also the cost of Propane to run the smoker and then my time processing the meat. __________________ Shot placement is everything! I would rather take a round of 50BMG to the foot than a 22short to the base of the skull. all 21 of my guns are 45/70 govt 357 mag, 22 or 12 ga... I believe in keeping it simple

October 18, 2012, 04:11 PM	#31
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,344	Don't even want to think about it. Going to get a beer and try to forget this. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain

October 18, 2012, 05:11 PM	#33
RevGeo Senior Member Join Date: September 18, 2011 Location: North Idaho Posts: 144	If I am lucky enough to be lying peacefully on my death bed surrounded by my loving family and friends my thoughts will surely be on the things I did, not the amount of money I have made or spent. I don't remember the cost of my many big game hunts, or the steelhead fishing or snowshoeing a trapline or piloting a Pacific City dory from Depoe Bay Oregon up the coast to the Columbia River and across the bar into Astoria....Or the beautiful women in my life or the feeling of riding a big street bike over thousands of miles of highway or playing a guitar for thousands of people in the audience... How can people reduce their lives to dollars and cents? Makes no sense.

October 18, 2012, 05:52 PM	#35
jimbob86 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 5,244	Last year I spent a bit over $300 on gas and maybe $50 processing supplies (freezer paper, saran wrap, tape........ bought some new plastic tubs, too) $60-70 on permits, 14 bucks for beef tallow .... butchered 7 deer,, 4 turkeys, a pheasant and a couple of quail in 10 days, ...... 4 of the deer were small (Sunday Orphan Patrol), while 3 were mature bucks (one was huge)..... the small ones yielded probably 40 pounds of meat, the others on the order of twice that. Approx 120 lbs of deer and a turkey went home with my brother..... leaving me with a freezer of venisonand turkey for about $450...... about $2/lb. Considering the local butcher shop charged me $1.40/lb for beef tallow, not bad. This year I can't swing the gas, so I'll be hunting local ..... I don't imagine we'll be as successful..... __________________ TheGolden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T." http://nefirearm.com/

October 18, 2012, 06:29 PM	#36
Jo6pak Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2010 Location: West Coast...of WI Posts: 1,140	I'll quote my father one this one "Never add up the price of your passions. No matter what the cost, you always come out ahead." __________________ NRA Life Member, SAF contributor.

October 19, 2012, 09:34 AM	#39
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,097	"The property (160 acres) was bought for hunting purposes to begin with." See, you didn't mention that in your OP, so I assumed that you were living on the property. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

October 19, 2012, 10:23 AM	#41
Art Eatman Staff Lead Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX, USA Posts: 20,925	Heh. No matter the per-pound cost, deer and elk are cheep, cheep, cheep compared to those dove-birds. __________________ You're from BATFE? Come right in! I use all your fine products!

October 19, 2012, 11:24 AM	#45
Husqvarna Senior Member Join Date: May 7, 2012 Location: Sweden Posts: 331	It is to the point that I can't justify the cost without the meat. Luckily most of the big time meat hunting (read moose) is a shared endeaver, everybody that participates gets a equal part of the meat, this year we got 2 outta 6 alotted animals in our team during the actual hunting week, a calf and a bull, and 15 people are to share it, as we have 4 more allowed, most people would probably not turn up for the weekend hunts so there will be more to share, (we are 18 people in the team) The shooter gets the heart/tongue and a choice cut of his/her choosing My lease allows me to hunt solo for deer, hogs and other animals but we do have some shared/organized hunts for those aswell where we share the meat.

October 19, 2012, 11:36 AM	#46
BLUETIP Senior Member Join Date: September 30, 2012 Location: tennessee Posts: 119	640 is one square mile 1/2 mile x 1/2 mile is 1/4 of a square mile=160 acres. His math is correct.

October 19, 2012, 12:28 PM	#49
jimbob86 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2007 Location: All the way to NEBRASKA Posts: 5,244	English is not mine, apparently- 1/2x1/2 is indeed "a quarter" ..... 160 acres. I apoligize. __________________ TheGolden Rule of Tool Use: "If you don't know what you are doing, DON'T." http://nefirearm.com/

October 19, 2012, 05:25 PM	#50
Gunplummer Senior Member Join Date: March 11, 2010 Location: South East Pa. Posts: 1,080	If you look at it as a hobby, and do your own cutting, I think you are way ahead. Take 2 pounds of 90% lean beef burger and cook it up. Drain the juice into a can and let sit overnight. Do the same with 2 pounds (Or 3 pounds) of deer burger with no added fat meat. Look in the two cans the next day. Where you gonna buy meat that lean at any price?