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Post by beermaker on Mar 13, 2016 11:18:46 GMT -5
Before I start rambling, I can say without any doubt hesitation that I have never cared the least bit about shooting a buck. Period. Anyone that knows me will vouch for that. I am a meat hunter and that's it. I could not agree more. I have all but lost interest in deer hunting due to lack of private land access. I have little doubt that the transformation of deer hunting into and industry has led to this. "Antler envy" is ruining the sport. I place a good part of the blame on the TV guys. They hunt on large, well-managed exclusive properties. The deer are fed via food plot and selected for harvest. Those of us that are not independently wealthy are never going to have access to such land. Just look up Gregg Ritz and the shameful way he was exploiting the largest privately held contiguous piece of land in KY. I know...knock on enough doors and you'll find places to hunt. Well, not in the part of the state where I live. The days of pitching a little hay or weed eating fence lines to earn hunting permission are over. I'm sure this still holds true in very rural areas, but not here. If you are not family or a lease holder, public land is about the only option. That's fine, but GOOD public land is about an hour away. Overcrowded and rough public land is plentiful, but I'm not interested. Sub-urban areas and bordering counties harbor a good number of hunters, but little options for hunting. It was NOT like this 15 years ago. This is one of the worst attitudes I've ever come across. For someone to believe that "If I can't hunt good private ground I don't have a place worth going to then" idea. I'm not calling you lazy I'm not saying the way you hunt is wrong but to think that there is no good public ground worth going to is flat out ludicrous. I'll gladly drive an hour to two hours to hunt public ground. No there's not a monster behind every tree but there are monsters on public ground and more does than can fill ten freezers you just have to put the work and time in, you won't learn the property in a year, maybe not even two but by the third year you'll be killing deer consistently. Thanks for judging me! I do drive an hour plus to public land, and I do it about 8-10 times per season. That includes scouting, hanging stands, and a measly few hunts. Maybe I should have elaborated and on the fact that having to drive that far makes all BUT weekend hunts impractical. Even then, the day is basically shot after a morning hunt. The days of sneaking to the woods after work are over. Leasing has taken over the area where I live. Honestly, I can't blame the landowners. Property taxes are ridiculous in my area and real estate values are not getting any lower. While there is a decent amount of public land available, what is reasonably navigable is very crowded. Also, the vast majority of it is no where near farmland and food sources are scarce. I'll continue to hunt as much as I can, just like I have for the last 27 years. The number of times I can hunt goes down a little each year.
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Post by bullseye69 on Mar 13, 2016 18:32:47 GMT -5
I ask the following question to anyone that says they only hunt for meat. Would you support raising whitetails as livestock for food purposes, just like beef and pork? Why or why not? What fun would that be.
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Post by nfalls116 on Mar 13, 2016 18:43:08 GMT -5
I ask the following question to anyone that says they only hunt for meat. Would you support raising whitetails as livestock for food purposes, just like beef and pork? Why or why not? yes, because it is a good portion would I be able to afford pin raised venison because of the way it was labeled (organic, non gmo, gluten free, CFC free)and because the food to meat ratios probably aren't as good for deer as they are for other animals commonly associated with the meat industry so the cost to the consumer would more than likely be far more than the others.
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Post by hunterman on Mar 13, 2016 19:11:06 GMT -5
It cost about $150 per year in feed to raise a deer. The math on a 3 yr old big enough for meat market can be eye opening. Makes a deer tag look cheap .
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Post by trapperdave on Mar 13, 2016 19:27:28 GMT -5
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Post by alduflux on Mar 13, 2016 19:41:40 GMT -5
You overstated the price. The $20-30 a lb is only for the steaks and loins. Ground meat is $11 a lb. The total price is much less then you stated. Also, that price is for meat that is only free range, hormone and steroid free, which drives the price up. The same practices for factory farming would drive the price down even more. The price for free range new zealand deer is in line with the same price for comparable beef www.devonpointfarm.com/grassfed-beef-price-list-order-formAlso, if the new zealand prices are in new zealand dollars then free range deer are cheaper per pound then free range beef
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Post by esshup on Mar 13, 2016 20:00:19 GMT -5
I ask the following question to anyone that says they only hunt for meat. Would you support raising whitetails as livestock for food purposes, just like beef and pork? Why or why not? What's your definition of "support"? Since I have a lifetime license, if I wanted to pinch pennies all it would cost me is the supplies to process the deer. But, I take it in to be processed, but even at that the price per pound is less than beef. (at least that is what I tell myself!) I don't "need" to buy a different gun to hunt deer. I usually break an arrow on each deer, so there is some $ there.
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Post by alduflux on Mar 13, 2016 20:20:11 GMT -5
I ask the following question to anyone that says they only hunt for meat. Would you support raising whitetails as livestock for food purposes, just like beef and pork? Why or why not? What's your definition of "support"? If venison were sold alongside beef and pork at the grocery store and reasonable priced, would you buy it?
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Post by sakorifle on Mar 13, 2016 20:39:05 GMT -5
Greetings Over here it actually is sold in some stores and on the box it says purely organic harvested from the forestry commission. Would i buy it Don't be daft i supply it, and like every hunter on here i imagine, i would rather get my own from my private area. regards Billy
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Post by nfalls116 on Mar 13, 2016 20:44:51 GMT -5
What's your definition of "support"? If venison were sold alongside beef and pork at the grocery store and reasonable priced, would you buy it? ground venison over the other two ground yes any other way then no ID still pick beef and pork
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Post by Woody Williams on Mar 13, 2016 20:58:57 GMT -5
Just figure out a way to grow only antlerless deer....problem solved...
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Post by hunterman on Mar 13, 2016 21:15:05 GMT -5
The prices above are way off base from reality of deer and elk meat today. You can buy much much cheaper in indiana fully uada inspected and processed. I was watching mountain men on tv where one of the characters named Tom killed a deer and the narrator said by the time he sold the hide, antlers and value of the meat the deer was valued at $1,100 . If that was the case there wouldn't be a deer left anywhere. You can buy meat animals (deer) on hoof in indiana for $100 to $150.
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Post by nfalls116 on Mar 13, 2016 21:29:17 GMT -5
The prices above are way off base from reality of deer and elk meat today. You can buy much much cheaper in indiana fully uada inspected and processed. I was watching mountain men on tv where one of the characters named Tom killed a deer and the narrator said by the time he sold the hide, antlers and value of the meat the deer was valued at $1,100 . If that was the case there wouldn't be a deer left anywhere. You can buy meat animals (deer) on hoof in indiana for $100 to $150. if you could sell them for 1100 a piece some farmers probably wouldn't even mess with the liability of fenced hunting
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Post by hunterman on Mar 13, 2016 21:36:03 GMT -5
Nfalls, you are absolutely correct. There was a time when average does were very expensive, however like any other businesses or markets they fluctuate. It is low right now but will swing the other way within a couple years.
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Post by Ahawkeye on Mar 14, 2016 7:36:23 GMT -5
"Thanks for judging me! I do drive an hour plus to public land, and I do it about 8-10 times per season. That includes scouting, hanging stands, and a measly few hunts. Maybe I should have elaborated and on the fact that having to drive that far makes all BUT weekend hunts impractical. Even then, the day is basically shot after a morning hunt. The days of sneaking to the woods after work are over.
Leasing has taken over the area where I live. Honestly, I can't blame the landowners. Property taxes are ridiculous in my area and real estate values are not getting any lower. While there is a decent amount of public land available, what is reasonably navigable is very crowded. Also, the vast majority of it is no where near farmland and food sources are scarce."
I'll continue to hunt as much as I can, just like I have for the last 27 years. The number of times I can hunt goes down a little each year."
Not judging you beemaker, just letting you know that there are numorous oppertuinities on public ground and to think different is flat out wrong. Is it as easy as private? Not in most cases. Will you have to work at it? Heck ya. But to think you or anyone doesn't have a place to go if you don't have private ground to hunt is just not correct. I've heard this argument too many times in my 27 years of hunting and chuckle while I cut up my deer for the freezer. My time in the woods is limited too but off season scouting and using the preasure of other hunters has been worth the trips. Keep working at it, in fact a trip this weekend if you have the time would be helpfull, those deer trails really show up well before things get green you'll find trails you never knew were there, as long as they're not under water like most of my spots right now. Good luck.
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Post by esshup on Mar 14, 2016 9:28:27 GMT -5
What's your definition of "support"? If venison were sold alongside beef and pork at the grocery store and reasonable priced, would you buy it? Yes. Provided I could not procure my own any more AND it was reasonably priced. I figure it costs me between $1 and $2 per pound if you don't count the $$ gone into food plots. My hunting gear is amortized over many, many years, most of it is used for more than whitetails here in Indiana and I can't even begin to figure that into the equation. Heck, if I went back to using my first slug gun (still in the safe), that was purchased in the early 1980's, how would I calculate that?
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Post by schoolmaster on Mar 14, 2016 10:08:58 GMT -5
Deer meat is the best meat there is. I put myself on the road kill list if I don't get a deer during the season. Yes I would buy venison if it were priced within my budget and I couldn't get it any other way.
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Post by windingwinds on Mar 15, 2016 21:10:32 GMT -5
I ask the following question to anyone that says they only hunt for meat. Would you support raising whitetails as livestock for food purposes, just like beef and pork? Why or why not? No, the reason I prefer deer meat is no toxic materials given by man directly into the deer in the name of "production". No antibiotics, no feed additives, no wormers. No nasty, small feedlot. Unfortunately, and I come from a family that has always farmed, we are breeding the survival and health out of livestock. Very few producers worry about worms becoming resistant to wormers, or how much feed with medication they have to use to get a animal to butcher. Now do I agree with books on antlers? No. But then I don't measure my deer that way. Also stopped watching hunting shows. Only way to stop something is stop supporting it. There are books because someone wanted them. Just like t.v. shows with the biggest antlers.
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