Ok guys I have a chance to go hog hunting for $300 total with my best friends. I want to go but I think I will feel a little guitly even though I will sell one of my guns to go. Are you guys watching your spending on hunting in these uncertain times? would you go?
If you're depriving your family of basic nutrition or care then no, I wouldn't go.
Aren't all times uncertain? We're not guaranteed anything. If you do not go, will you feel as if you missed out on something the rest of your life? And for $300 you couldn't buy the amount of sausage you could bring home with a couple of nice hogs right? Go hunting, enjoy your time with the outdoors and let the economy take care of itself.
I agree with Tom. If you're selling a gun that you don't really need/use, then I don't see the harm unless you intend to replace the gun later at a higher cost. Heck, I'd kill to go hog hunting for only $300.
I like Toms response and Allans - I think if your covered at home then you need to ask yourself something....life is a dash
There is a start date and an end date and inbetween there is a dash.
What you do in the dash is all you have and you don't know when the end is do you.
My Dad always told recessions are man made and fear based. If you talk about it long enough it will happen. People will stop spending money and then it hits...has to.
Uncertainty is one thing but you need to live too. I want to have nop regrets when I go..infact for the time I have been on this earth and the things I have done if I went tomorrow I would be ok with it (no regrets), but I want to do more things don't get me wrong. live today for today..love your family...work less weekends and spend time with your family and closest friends.
In the end that's all you got an that's ok
jer bear
... if you had to enter a plane - for every bowhunt you want to do (like me) - you would not be able to read THIS - but stalking through the woods already ...
Well said Falk, just drove over 2 hours to get back to work. I just had to hunt one last time yesterday.
Never a bad time to hunt, just some days are better then others.
The uncertainty you have is one of the main reasons we are in the trouble we're in. Not blaming you , mind you, but the fear mongers (who make good money being fear mongers)have us convinced the end is near. Folks everywhere who earn their money by working for it, are pulling back and watching to see what comes next.
I had planned to build another garage this year and buy a newer vehicle for the wife. I'm sitting on both projects. I have a job I can't lose , as does my wife, but still the uncertainty takes over.
Jerry is right, recessions are mostly man made and fear based. They have to be since the whole economy is man made and when it hiccups, the fear takes over.
I think you are fine going on your hunt , knowing no more than I know. You know best, follow your instincts.
Nope. My family is used to bologna.
They're all grown up enough to work :-)
If you take the time to wonder and worry, then you will be just fine. It`s the people who do what they WANT without regard to the circumstances that have created the FALSE economy we have gotten used to for the last ten years. It just finally caught up to us.
Go huntin`...Mo.Huntin!
I would go just to fill my freezer. Prime cuts of pork in the store are pretty pricey. If you happen to get a hog in the 250-300# range, you won't have to buy pork for almost a year. If you are selling off a gun that makes up the majority of the hunt price, then go have fun!
If you have to sell one of your firearms to go, then I wouldn't do it. From a purely practical standpoint, that is an asset that, if need be, could be sold or traded for something you or your family needs in dire circumstances.
Secondly, firearms, like bows, are getting more expensive by the day, and if you want to replace it, it will likely cost you a helluva lot more than $300 to do so.
If you are like me, come six months down the road you will wish you had not gotten rid of it. With a small handful of exceptions, in the 35 some odd years since trading my first gun, I've eventually regretted parting with most.
If you can swing the $300 without selling any property, go for it. If not, pass & stay home...
As far as hunting trips go, I just got a promotion &substantial raise so I can afford to hunt as I please, it just pleases me to spend this off season at home working on bows & new handloads. Still, a mid winter trip down to Texas sounds nice... :D
Rather then sell to go, might just save to go. For example if you stop for a paper and coffee @ 2 dollars a shot that $520.00 a year. if you can find a coffee and paper for $2.00.
If your family's needs are taken care of and want to fund this trip with the sale of some item that you don't intend to use again or has no sentimental value then by all means do so.
Life is short. We never know when our time will be done. :coffee:
Seriously, How are we supposed to answer that question for you?
Only you can know whether you should or shouldn't, or can or can't........
As a general rule, if you have to sell something to go, you can not really afford the trip.
It is probably a bad financial decision. Odds are that you will get less than you paid for the gun so you are losing money you do not need to lose.
In most cases you would be better off finding a second job for a few weeks or months (doing anything, do not be picky) to earn the money to go on the trip.
QuoteOriginally posted by Bonebuster:
If you take the time to wonder and worry, then you will be just fine. It`s the people who do what they WANT without regard to the circumstances that have created the FALSE economy we have gotten used to for the last ten years. It just finally caught up to us.
Go huntin`...Mo.Huntin!
OH this should be a on a big sign somewhere.
Amen brother.
No way guys! If you can go to a title pawn and get the cash to go, DO IT!
One day you'll realize that life is mostly over and you fretted it away sitting around the house!
You can deliver pizza's for two weeks and make $300.
I'm with Biggie - find a way and make it happen! Life is short, and trips like this are too few and far between for many people. I've been fortunate to take a good number of trips, but you know what I would have if I had just skipped them all? Not much. More than likely would have just spent it on something else anyway. Even if I did save it I would just have some numbers on a bank statement. My only real regret is that I didn't take even more trips than I have.
Unless you would be depriving your family of essentials, or skipping the mortgage payment, just go! If you don't need the gun, go ahead and sell it. Otherwise get the second job, scrimp and save, but do what you need to do to make it happen!
Some solid advice so far....I've been contemplating selling my muzzleloader to go on a hog hunt(would be my first) so I can totally relate to your dilemma. If you can part with the gun - then I say go for it and have a great hunt!
However, as Guru said - the decision is ultimately your own. You have to feel comfortable about going. Now, go fill the freezer!
Life is short!
CJ
Guns are material things. Hunts are memories. Which do you prefer?
I got plenty of guns and we are doing fine but I would feel better about it if I sold the gun instead of taking it out of my check. I just kind of wondered if you guys where cutting back on your hunting trips or not. I sell toys to buy toys all the time sort of like a all around hunting savings plan. except this time I get memories instead of another toy. memories are not good buisness investments but they are a great investment.
Memories are a great investment! They can never be taken away and will grow in value as you get older. :cool:
Life is short! If it was your last $300.00 I'd say stay home with family. If not go hunting!
you guys all forgot it s also TAX time haha if ya can swing a bit of that hard erned sweat and labor money then by all means go fill the freezer !!! for me now my kids are grown up i say go if ya dont you ll regert it later as i do for not goin on some of my trips when they were little i say go brock
No, I have not cut back on my hunting trips. If everyone stayed home and worried, the economy would never rebound. Plus, I just gotta go hunting.
I have been a mason for over 36 years and not to brag I have built some pretty impressive things but when I'm too old to work or hunt and sit in my rocker in front of the fire I'm sure not going to be thinking about work I did or missed but the memories I've made on my hunts will surely come to mind , hunt hard and often , Fred
Skip it. That trip will be half price come spring. Not to be a party pooper but this is the real deal, as Bill pointed out. Our country is in a world of hurt and there's no end in sight. With a half million losing jobs monthly, I'd wait. Hogs are a nuisance and will be here when you can write that check.....
go hunting mate!
Yeah I've cut way back on everything recreation related in the last few months...putting away as much cash as I can.
I work in the domestic auto-industry and go to work daily expecting a layoff.
If I come out of this downturn still employed then we are going on a big trip some where and I'm gonna buy a new bow!!!
My way of looking at family finances may be a bit extreme. OTOH...anyone who follows this advice and loses a job has nothing to fear. This is not an indictment against how anyone else chooses to run their household finances, but this is what I consider to be sound financial advice.
1. Mortgage paid up and current?
2. Credit card balance at $0 every month?
3. Car payments current? (better yet, non existant)
4. Got 6 months worth of living expenses (mortgage, car payments, insurance etc...) in the bank as a rainy day fund?
5. Putting 10% or more of your monthly income into a savings account???
6. Putting 15% of your check into a qualified tax deferred retirement account?
If I'm doing all these things...hey...I'll write a check and go on a hog hunt.
If I'm NOT doing those things....I feel I owe it to my family to START doing those things so that we CAN weather any tough times.
Unfortunately our economy is driven buy people buying things they don't need with money they don't have.
I've always used me internal watch dog for this stuff. I figure if I have to stop and weigh issues on whether or not I should do something that's just gonna benefit me then I already answered my own question. When you have an activity come up and there's no pondering of all the angles you end up enjoying it so much more because you aren't always thinking about the thing you didn't do instead. I agree with GURU, only you know this answer.
I agree with most everyone here. I too wouldn't sell the gun to go and that wasn't my point. my point was that you should do as much as you can while you are here. Those that play it safe continually usually end up doing nothing.
Case in point:
My dad waited until retirement to do many of the things he had always dreamed about. Sure he hunted and fished and provided for the family but he always wanted a boat (ocean going one - not too big) 22 footer so he could get on the salt chuck. he was a sailor in the Navy on the merchant ships and was amazed that he made it through the war. He also wanted to go to Australia - his biggest dream.
He put off retiring for 2 extra years...pay a few extra bills save a little money. So they sold their house in Kamloops bc (where all his freinds lived) and moved to Vancouver Island so he could get his boat. He got the house sold and took way less than it was worth and moved. He found his boat. Then the mooring fees got jacked up and fuel prices you name it....Couldn't afford it anymore on his retirement wages etc.
He never did get to Oz cause he took a job. They moved to Kelowna in the interior of BC in one of those trailer parks for seniors. They lived in a 5th wheeler etc.
He took on a job helping out around the place to keep active adn make a little extra cash to help them through...He's 67 now. 2 years into retirement and while working for this trailer park he gets killed on the job.
Mom said he was really depressed about their situation so I agree with Otto about looking out for the future and that's why I am doing what I am doing.
BUT it has to have some balance in it somewhere.
You need to go and experience things or why are we here. If it's to live ground hog day every day then count me out.
I make sure i can afford the things I want to do. Take another job etc. You family needs to experience things to and I balance that as much as I can (toughest part).
I lost a friend recently Dec 22 to pancreatic cancer. He lived his life working. He was very very generous - (to a fault), but I think he worked way too much, but he loved it. He has two extended families so yes he was devorsed once so it makes him human.
He lent people money to get a mortgage setup...helped ppl get jobs and gave them jobs.
At his funeral the testimonials to his life would make you proud to know him and surprise you at his true nature.
One person told us " a better man hasn't been born that he knows...caring giving and loving is the man that has passed...he was a man who walked tall...gave advice if asked...talked badly about nobody and knew how to r\\treat employees...he started the first work daycare i think in Canada maybe the world 15 years ago when one of the ladies couldn't find a sitter so he said bring her in and I will look after her so you can get your work done and the daycare was born.
So here's the deal. I would like to carry on Dave's work.
Give me your address and I will send you $50.00 towards your hog hunt (I am serious).
This is not out of pitty ok it's out of kindness and that's it. If I can make a tiny bit of difference in your life then it would make me happy today.
Jer Bear
Jerry, :clapper:
I think Dear Leader Oboma has a plan for that. I know for sure he has called alot of hogs to the trough already.
I have never been so financially secured that I did not take every penny into consideration.
I don't think we are there yet, but here in Texas, I can see the prices for hunting leases starting to edge downward.
It is a sign that things are getting tight. I base this on the fact that a large number of these "prime" leases are leased by business. They lease to take their coporate customers on hunts.
I am a Cop, and while there are wealthy cops, I don't happen to be one of them, not complaining just stating fact. Paying the bills always comes first. In fact, I had planned to go on a Hog hunt at the end of Jan. 09. I will have to wait until the third hunt in March to go.
Better late than never I guess, just the nature of the beast.
I guess for me it has been a factor since I left my Dad's farm to make it on my own. I appreciate my hunting opportunities much better as a result.
Forty years ago my dad said it would take another depression to knock some sense into most people. I believe he was right. It's not over yet folks....spend wisely but don't forget about life.
Well put Biggie
That is one reason that I could not wait to get out of the city. I probably shold have worked 5 more years to get a better nest egg, but had the opportunity to retire and move 'back home' I now have firewood and game right out my back door. The only thing I could not afford was water. That could be a problem if things really tank and the power goes out.
If you live in the city, you gotta do what you can. if it were me I would not sell a gun at this time. I am stocking up on food, water and ammunition. The days to come are indeed uncertain. Trust God, but keep yer powder dry!
life is more uncertain than the economy!!! Go huntin!!
Paul J.
QuoteOriginally posted by Sipsey River:
As a general rule, if you have to sell something to go, you can not really afford the trip.
It is probably a bad financial decision. Odds are that you will get less than you paid for the gun so you are losing money you do not need to lose.
In most cases you would be better off finding a second job for a few weeks or months (doing anything, do not be picky) to earn the money to go on the trip.
Would you feel bad about keeping the gun?
I am working 12hr midnights this week and was just thinking about this last night so I posted it up. I see several people are being cautious also. You can probably tell I don't usually spend much money on my self unless it is for something like a gun that does not depreciate and can be turned into cash fast. Jerry Wald that is very nice of you to make that offer but I just simply can't accept your very genorous offer. Flatlander37 when I get this wrapped up I will shoot you a PM to tell you where to go. for $250 for 2 days lodging included hog hunting. The hunting has been awesome the past 2 times I have been their and it is not terribly far away.
Everybody thinks that they need to save and work all the time and one day everything will be ok.Truth is..your gonna get old and die.Enjoy life as it goes by and if a hunting trip at the cost of a gun I never use or need was what I wanted I`d do it.
You still gotta provide for your family but if thats done ..don`t sweat it.RC
I'm spending like any other year.. You never know what is going to happen.. Spend the money, the memories will be worth more than the money.
You only live once. Go hunting!
10 years ago, I had the privilege of being invited to hunt hogs in SC with my friend Jerry Pierce. Dean Torges, Cliff Huntington, and some great guys I hadn't met would be there to share a week's hunt.
As a responsible husband and father, busy businessman, and fifth-generation farmer, it would have been most like me to say "thank you" and pass on the opportunity. Because of my respect for Jerry and the honor of being asked, I cleared it with my bride and found a way to go.
I had an amazing week I'll remember forever, killed my first pig (with my Choctaw recurve), and made some lifelong friends. That weekend, I brought some of Jerry's stuff back with me to Illinois, and he headed to MS to see his son Lenny before heading home. I never saw him again...
The day a week later when I was going to stop by his house to see him and return his cooler and gear, I got THE call. Jerry had died from a sudden heart attack. For the rest of my life, I'll cherish our last hunt, and thank the Lord that for some reason, somehow, I took that trip. I'm so, SO glad I didn't pass up the opportunity.
I don't tell this to try to be dramatic, but to say there are times when the seemingly "responsible" thing isn't the best course to take. I'll always be thankful for this time that I chose a little time for friends, a bit of time for myself, and built a memory I'll cherish for a lifetime.
Miss you, Buddy!
Daryl
There should be no regrets for the things you've done in your life, only for the things you haven't done. Only you can make those decissions.
DS
Sorry to hear you won't accept my offer cause I was serious.
Fifty dollars is a small price to pay for someones happiness.....wish I could just go with you and that would be better.
Maybe sometime then.....take care, but I really think you should go, but it's your call.
Jer Bear
In the grand scheme of things $300 is nothin'. Yeh, I know, I too have fretted over much less. As I have said before "Life has more than length, it also has width". The length is the number of years you walk this earth, the width is what you do with that time.
If the family and you are secure ,ie: the bills paid and groceries in the pantry, do it. Would be different if you were talking about a $12,000 trip to Africa, but you are not. I'd bet the farm that some here who have advised against it have bought a bow that cost more than $300, while they had several bows already on the rack.Or have sold a seldom used bow to finance a trip.A lot of the guns and bows I have owned over the years have been nothing more than "tender", waiting for a buyer to come along. Yes I have "keepers" but I have "sellers" too.
Length and width boys , length and width.
Geez Tim I thought you were talking about something else and I have neither..WHEWWWWW :biglaugh:
Jer Bear
Sell the gun and GO GO GO .the goverment will take it soon enuff.. :scared:
That's not even funny especially when they do.
Ask the aussies.
Yeah we have the gun registry here...big joke. They just want to know where the guns ARE. With your new patriot act they can sieze evrything if they think it's a threat to national security...well thats great but they also have the right to do it for us Canadians too....load of crap.
So when water becomes your national crisis what then. Do they come into Canada and take our guns and leave us at the borders with wet taowel flicking them at the tanks...dunno, but I really don't think it's something to laugh at...sory for being so straight up.
Our governments are eroding all our freedoms in the cause of National Security. Fine and dandy, but is there a real threat or is it fabricated to suit the Gov.
Sorry just don't trust our leadership much:( .
Jer Bear
On the positive side the Russians have let us have a breather and turned up the thermostat to ZERO...yeeeeeehaw :jumper:
Go!!!!! look at it this way, how much pork could you buy for $300 ?? plus the memories!!!
My buddie's and I are heading to southern Oklahoma Friday evening for a hog hunting weekend. We'll make a ton of memories and put some fine pork in the freezer.
Another way to look at it, you'll be stimulating the economy.
Hope you have a blast!!!!
Daren
I just got word I'll be laid-off in June. Regardless, I've always felt that paying for a hunt ultimately waters down the sport and will eventually hurt us all as more and more landowners see dollar signs instead of the abundance of God's creation and a resource to share openly.
That being said, like hunting ethics, it's all in your heart and only you can know if it's right or wrong.
Also, as another opportunity to ask all who will listen: I am a multi-talented, intelligent and articulate individual with a great big heart and a whole lot of drive. If you think you might have a job for a young man with a family to support and the rare gift of loyalty, drop me a private message, please. I'd really love to do what I enjoy and be paid what I'm worth but I'm not too picky right now!
If ur in construction you might hold up ,if ur in a stable work environment go hunting
The one thing about the outdoors that I enjoy, is there no economy out there. The deer don't have any different habbits, the seasons still change, infact hunting is the only part of my life that is certain.
I wouldn't sell any guns. I regret selling the few over the years I did. Hang on to every one.
I'd sell every gun I had to go bowhunting....well, I might keep one :-)
Don't sell ALL your guns Biggie.....your (we all are) going to need a few I suspect.
The hunting question is simple....if you have your bill's paid and $300 doesn't hurt your family, go. If you can't afford it, go earn some extra. Earn $500, put $200 in the family larder to take care of your obvious guilt, and go hunting.
Extra money isn't too hard to earn, most folks sit around wringing thier hands about it instead of getting out and working.
I live in Michigan, arguably the worst economic state in the union right now, with the highest unemployment rate. EVERYBODY in my house works. My 17 year old son earns $15 an hour after school BUSTING HIS TAIL on a construction site...doing work some of these whining "professionals" won't do.
Sorry for the rant. My point is, if you need a couple hundred dollars to go on a hunt, set down the computer and get after it. :thumbsup:
:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I would scratch up the bucks to go. The contacts you make will be priceless!!!
When I was younger I put off things a lot because of money. I missed out on some great times and nowdays I make sure if i can swing it I am there. For the money you are talking about I would definitely go since there is much more value hunting with your friends then $300.
Good post Roger!
Good post Roger...I`m even agreeing with Biggie...sheesh.RC
QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
Nope. My family is used to bologna.
They're all grown up enough to work :-)
Yep. :D
My family went through some hard times for awhile when I was a kid. For a time we had hamhocks and navy beans for dinner several times a week. For some reason my mom felt pretty bad about that. But I certainly didn't share her feelings on that food. I mean I loved the stuff - and still do.
When one reads the writings of an earlier generation of bowhunters, like Chet Stevenson and others, one knows that activities like bowhunting didn't stop because of hard economic times. My father and grandfathers lived through the Great Depression of the 1930's and all of them hunted during that era. And what we are experiencing today is not anywhere near on the order of economic hardship of what that earlier generation faced 70 years ago.
"Nope. My family is used to bologna."
Ha! Nothing builds character like fried bologna sandwiches.....except maybe cold meatloaf with mustard on Wonderbread!
My wife and I have been well off, dirt poor, and in the middle. The truth is, our best times were when we had to scramble a bit to feed the kids.
Rooselk, we were what would now be called poor when I was growing up. Seemed sometimes we lived on fried taters and beans and cornbread. I told myself I would never eat them again. Now that I'm older and wiser they sound terribly good to me.Mmmm!
Rodge I already work a rediculous amount of the time. I do fine. It is just that when do you call money extra money unless you have a million dollars in the bank you never feel secure. I'm at the computer because that is what I do on my breaks at work. I work by myself and am happy to call the people here at tradgang my friends at work. I have worked hard all my life so please don't get the wrong ides. Maybe it is just my thin skin but I felt I need to clarify. I'm not being hostile just defensive. It does not matter any way I'm going to go. I love hunting hogs with friends to much to miss out.
I agree that the economic situation is uncertain. Just today I have lost my 2nd automotive job in 18 months. No regrets here as I have already done everything in my life, I ever wanted to do, except go on a big out of state hunt. With that being said, I will now contribute a little bit to the economic decline by not building a new barn this year. It's the domino effect. If you don' spend that $300 someone else will suffer a little tiny bit. JMO
QuoteOriginally posted by Roger Norris II:
"Nope. My family is used to bologna."
Ha! Nothing builds character like fried bologna sandwiches.....except maybe cold meatloaf with mustard on Wonderbread!
My wife and I have been well off, dirt poor, and in the middle. The truth is, our best times were when we had to scramble a bit to feed the kids.
Ha!! Looks like we enjoy the same goodies,LOL!
This is the problem when we trade time for money though unltimately. You can't have both at the same time. It sucks. Like I say I have been trying like many do to try to find ways to make a residual income along with my regular income.
The key to wealth is making money while you sleep and we could all use a little more sleep.
In my original post I was told I was bordering on being some kinda salesman on this site and that wasn't my intent and I appologised and retracted my post...well most of it.
My problem is I am trying to make a difference. My dad always told me if I couldn't anything nice then keep your mouth shut....still it's hard to keep mine shut when I think I can open ppls eyes to more possibilities.
I hate how ppl have to struggle (me included) day to day paycheck to paycheck and always be worried about income and their jobs.
I have that with my kids and it hurts. My dad knew a job and a job only. I was shown another way and I was trying to open my kids eyes to other possibilities too.
Anyway I hope you go on your hunt and my offer is still on the table. Just make sure you get some video and pics for us ok
Jer Bear
QuoteGood post Roger...I`m even agreeing with Biggie...sheesh.RC
RC
You are coming along well grasshopper...........
Go Get them hawgs! :campfire:
Mo. Huntin - I wasn't insinuating anything about you personally. I was "ranting" in general terms. Don't take my comments negatively.
I hope you make plans to go on your hunt.
As I reread it Roger I thought I may have possibly misunderstood but I had already posted. No worries.