Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting will you ever pay to kill a whitetail?.

just to many good whitetails in this country on puplic land and private land that can be had.i just can't see me ever spending the money for a outfitter to hunt them.

Yes. I'd like very much to hunt Coues whitetail.

Should add that I'd never pay money to kill a whitetail, nor any critter for that matter.

I would pay to hunt them though.

Question, is there any hunt you would pay money for?

I would feel like a little kid if I had to hire someone to take me hunting,and in some cases these payed hunts aint much different than shooting a steer.I seen a hunting show on tv years ago and they hung buckets from their truck so the deer would know it was feeding time,and they had a platform in the bed of the truck that they shot from.

That must be how they are all done. Glad you saw a show.

Yes I do. I work 40+hours a week for 50 weeks just to pay for the other 2 weeks.

Honestly, whitetail is the only animal that I wouldn't pay for. They are everywhere. And I have all the gear. Now if you threw me in the south west Cous country I'd be lost on gear. It would make sense to pay then. But then again it wouldn't make sense to pay to kill a mature deer that is the size of our MN yearlings.

If nothing else, the 'Fire is proof of how strong provincialism is .

I pay dearly EVERY year to hunt whitetails WITH MY WIFE. I look at it as a vacation and TRY to make it one. Trust me,,,,,,,,,,the experience is WELL worth it.

Nobody said that's how they all do it .I said in SOME cases it's like shooting a steer.

As someone who hunts public land and non-posted private land it would be nice to hunt an area that doesn't see quite as much pressure. Never fun to find human or four wheeler tracks all over the place...

It would be fun to have the time and money to hunt (big)whitetails in Canada but I would feel weird having a 'guide' around.

Same with mule deer. I love would to be able to access some of the country where you see a lot of the big mule deer posted on this very forum. Wouldn't need a guide, just the time to poke around the country.

Would I pay for a hunt? Yes, I have used guides out west several time because I didn't know a thing about elk or the state od Montana. Would I pay for a fenced hunt? HELL NO. That is not hunting, that is a shoot. No different than set birds just different animals.

I have and will pay to hunt whitetail so long as it is a fair chase hunt. "Canned" hunts are nothing more than shooting fish in a barrel.

As someone mentioned above, a good paid/guided hunt is definately worth the experience. I went with my Dad and brother into Texas a few years ago on a whitetail hunt and it was one of the best times I've had in my life.

Pouring rain here and I'm tired from the last 5 days trying to get a Whitetail-physically and mentally-so it is a break morning.

Pay to kill a Whitetail? We all pay in one way or another.

I pay to be on a 1200 acre lease. Which just got sold, so after 40 some years on that and surrounding ground next year will entail change.

I pay for a truck I wouldn't need if I didn't hunt.

I pay to have more rifles than I need to hunt Whitetails.

I pay to shoot them a good bit, so when opportunity happens I may be ready.

I pay for a y membership, so I can be in reasonable shape to hunt.

I actually still work part time and part of the reason is so I can pay to do things hunting related without dipping into the retirement funds, like trucks, perhaps more rifles and shoot more.
So in one way, I pay with my increasingly limited amount of time left.

We all "pay" to hunt in one way or another. Would I pay an outfit to hunt Whitetails? Without a question, if it was the right one that offered the potential for a fun hunt with a reasonable chance of success.

For the majority, the days of so called free "out the backdoor" hunting died a long time ago.

It's like 'free pussy'

Bingo!!!!

battue;
Top of the morning to you sir and a tip of the hat for the well articulated post.

As a member of the 'Fire who could legally shoot in our yard and are able to hunt on the mountain behind the house, I can heartily attest to the fact our living here doesn't come close to "free"....

One time in the dim past the BC Wildlife Association encouraged hunters to tally our purchases and hunting costs and then to become more vocal with the local vendors when we made those purchases. I for one thought it was a grand idea.

So then when we picked up our then 5 year old 4x4 pickup nearly 7 years ago, we were very open with the dealer saying that it was going to be used as a hunting rig for our family.

The tire/mechanic shop that I support know that when we're buying tires or tune ups for our pickup or eldest daughter's Jeep they are hunting vehicles.

It's got to the point where now when it's for the other vehicles in the family fleet the store manager will tease me that there's no "fun in this fix" for us.

Anyway I think it pays for non-hunters to realize how much we as hunters/consumptive users do pay to support our lifestyle and in so doing support the local economies directly.

We won't even begin to mention how much diesel at $1.35/liter CDN we put into that pickup this fall in our unsuccessful attempt at killing a whitetail buck.

I am here to tell you though that the local fuel vendors know EXACTLY when hunting season starts and stops in our part of the world.

Lastly, if I ever get around to going back to my old stomping grounds in Saskatchewan to chase whitetails I will pay a steep non-resident tag fee - which again will be peanuts besides the fuel and travel costs to get that 1680km each way.

Anyway sir, in short I agree wholeheartedly with your post - well said.

All the best to you this winter and good luck on your remaining hunts too.

Dwayne

Just like when I lived in SE Alaska and people would say 'You were a resident and a license only cost $25. Why didn't you hunt caribou'

Here's a hint, licenses are the cheap part. Doesn't matter if you're a resident or not.

Scott;
Morning to you sir, I hope you folks are well this first weekend in December.

I get the same thing from people here too - how come you don't hunt sheep/grizzly/pick an animal every year?

Well where do we begin on that one......

Amen, the licences ARE the cheap part.

Have a good weekend my cyber friend and all the best to you and yours this winter.

Dwayne

I can't see myself paying to hunt WT. No need, I kill all I want. I guess it would have to be up in Alberta or Saskatchewan or something to even consider it.

I packed up my truck, a 348 and a 444, and went bear hunting in the U.P. Just up and went. Everyone said I was nuts going alone and that I would NEVER get a bear. Well, they were wrong on that.

My next aspiration is to hunt mulies in Colorado. No guide. Whitetails in Kentucky is something I've been contemplating for several years also.

Like Sam said, I would feel weird having a guide around.....

Lots of good answers here so far. I'll throw in mine.

I loved deer hunting, but was always having trouble finding a spot to hunt. Finally in 2000, the last landowner that had given me permission died, and I was screwed-- thought about hanging it all up at that point.

In 2001, I managed to find 200 acres in KY and bought it. It made sense for a lot of reasons, but the big one was deer hunting.

Now, the game's totally changed from 2000. It's no longer a matter of hunting whitetail, but it's hunting MY whitetail. The challenge is not killing a deer, it's getting involved with everything surrounding it. I'm now hunting the 4th or 5th generation of deer on the property. It opens up whole other dimensions to the sport.

Would I pay someone to hunt THEIR deer? No, probably not. Granted, what I've got is a bit limiting. I'm kind of stuck with what comes on that 200 acres, but that's the challenge. Based on deer density,etc. I figure there's maybe 1 mature buck on the place at any given time. This year, my buddy got him. Next year? I had a peek at The Big One. He showed up last day of season and caught me in my stand, taking down the skirt. Lordy, what a monster!

This is a spot, God willing, I'll be able to hunt until I can no longer hunt. I will get my grandchildren to hunt here. I will retire here and spend every day out on the porch scouting.