Dragon, I've been fortunate enough to hunt where either cross-country walking hunting was commonplace, or where sneaky-snaking around in swampy-jungly country was workable. Just sitting and waiting in a stand is not something I enjoy.
But kicking Bucky out of bed and watching hair stick out all directions, eyes rolling, is a hoot. Or easing along and finding a buck before he knows you're there gives a feeling of satisfaction even if he's too small to shoot.
I never worried about $/lb. At the old home ranch, it was maybe 20ยข for the whole bloomin' deer.
Plus labor. At the deer lease? My father always said that it was worth a few hundred bucks a year for the right to trespass across some rancher's several thousand acres. A deer on the ground is worth maybe four bits, 'cause the fun's over and the work begins. Heck, the campfire companionship was worth a few hundred bucks.