Since times are tough on everyone finacially and emotionally, share some of the ways you are cutting corners to allow yourself to enjoy the sport of archery. I myself find as many ways to trade items with others to get things I want to try or use. I also check at the Goodwill now and then for possible leather products to use and sooner or later find some wool clothing that I might be able to use. I also try to make as much of the equipment as I can for my own use. Lets hear some other suggestions to save so we can play?
I make everything but gloves, nocks, points and string material. I do make my strings.
Repair broken arrows, of course.
Jim
Well, I've pretty much sold off my hunting rifles since I am now exclusively Trad only. Like you, I haunt the Goodwills and am constantly on the look out for a good deal. I have now started fletching my own arrows and am looking to start making them myself too. Eventually I want to learn to make my bows.
Well, I always need arrows. So this winter, Im going to harvest some wild rose and some red dogwood shoots and see how I do. Worse case scenario.....bunny arrows.
I've been selling off some old packs and other stuff no longer used to help get some new arrows, fletching etc. I sold off my banjo to help buy my new yew long bow: which is soooooo choice I'll probably be shooting it forever! I also only buy a few good arrows for hunting. I buy cheeper arrows for 3-d, stumping etc. I also make my own small game and stumping heads.
(http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f196/jjeffer/HMjudos.jpg)
Ive been auctioning some of the things Ive horded since my youth and some recent aqisitions that I really dont need and with the money buying some of the stuff that I really, really want.Hunting close to home and buying here on the classifieds is also a big money saver.Ive been doing some trading as well.
It wasnt a small investment but last year I set myself up with a tent and all the camping gear I needed to go hunting without breaking the bank on hotel stays. Ive used this rig in December in southern Iowa and it was very comfortable and by my estimates it will save me hundreds of dollars and add countless hours to my hunting time in the future. Other than that I do the obvious and look for deals on my equipment, and in my opinion a deal is only a deal if the equipment is of good quality. No point in wasting my hard earned cash on sub standard gear that will ultimately let me down in the field.
I also haunt the clearance sales and try to make as much of my own stuff as I can. This year to finance a new bow, I'm finally going to sell the wheel bow that hasn't been out of it's case for three years. :archer:
I try to save $$$ by doing all the stuff on the "Honey Do List" myself and not bringin' someone in to do it. We can all understand that. Other times... Like now, I get into the Buy-Sell-Trade mode. Then anything goes! But don't tell my wife. ;)
... mike ... :archer: ...
-NUMBER ONE: Learn the discipline of being content! Our culture has deeply influenced us to covet and always want more. It is too easy to justify buying an item I REALLY do not need.
-Live on a budget. I have $30-40 in an envelope per month. If I buy a magazine it comes out of that. If I want to go on a fall hunt I accumulate it throughout the year. Gift money also goes in there. When it is gone- its gone!
-I may visit with some trad guys at a rendevous, but I rarely pay to shoot 3-Ds anymore.
-I rarely buy magazines (money out of my budget).
-Trade as much as I can.
-Fix things up your self.
-Share hunting opps. I have hunted other states-all with friends. I had 7 different NRs here in KS last year. My home is always open.
-For the deer hunters out there. . . I also use just one stand. Up and down each time.
-I accumulate those Cabelas or Bass Pro points and use the points to get my licenses. Dollar for dollar the best use of the point.
-FINALLY: (Though I do no think it is ethically wrong) I do not feed the commercial machine of leasing and a private deer herd management. If I must do that to hunt, I may just have to quit.
My 2c
Dan
i just trade stuff that i make for what i want. i just traded two knives and some heads and arrows for a longbow and thats a good deal. :bigsmyl:
I try to keep the freezer full. Hunting public land that cost only 19 bucks for access a full freezer is money in the bank. I don`t trophy hunt I meat hunt. But a biggun is nice when it happens.I also primitive camp and hunt with my buddies when I drive a distance to help share and cut down cost.RC
Two words.....
Yard Sales!
I'm NOT talking about going out and finding archery stuff at a yard sale even though sometimes you do. It's just simply too hit or miss to count on that.
I'm talking about going to yard sales to save money on day to day things throughout the summer so that you save money and have extra to spend on hunting gear. Kids clothes are the number one item you can save on. 25 to 75 cents is about average for newborn to toddler clothes and you can often find brand new stuff with the tags still on! My wife and I go to LOTS of yard sales all summer long. She looks for clothes for the kids and I look for "guy stuff" which could be any sort of tool that I've been thinking about getting but didn't want to spend the money on, (I'm a mechanic) or maybe I'll find something for camping, hunting, fishing etc for a great price. Last year I found an Apple Archery cut off saw like brand new for $20 and also a Summit climbing stand for $20. New, they both cost about $300. I'd no idea at the time how much they cost but I was danged sure it was more than $20.
Went to an estate sale last summer and they had a Honda riding mower for sale marked $1000. The wife had been wanting one for some time and that's not a bad price so I walked inside and was about to ask the guy how much for the tractor when I noticed a little .22 rifle leaning against the wall and asked to see it. (ALWAYS go straight to any hunting item and get it in your hands or sure as shootin', someone else will pick it before you do.) Anyway, I asked "How much for the tractor and the .22?"
The guy said "$550"
Turns out it was the last day of the sale and everything was half price! Bought them both and when I got home, the wife tried the tractor out, didn't like it and I found it was leaking oil a little. Put it on Craigs list and sold it for $800 two days later.
By the way, around here, half price on the last day of an estate sale is standard proceedure. The very best two times to hit an estate sale are as soon as they open the doors and just before they close them back up on the last day. First day you find the coolest items that always go quick and on the last day the big pricey stuff that's still sitting there is starting to feel like an albatross around the neck of the estate sale company so they're more than willing to deal.
Made $250 tax free profit on the tractor and had money to buy some hunting toys.
Now normally, I don't go to yard sales looking for things to turn around and sell, but there are people who make a nice bit of cash doing exactly that.
Plus, there is always the chance that you will walk into some ladys garage and ask "got any bowhunting stuff?" and she'll say
"No, sorry. Unless your interested in an antique bow?" All I have is some real old stuff my _________ (Inesrt appropriate son, husband, dad etc) used to use."
Say "Would you mind if I look at it?"
Might just be a nice old collectable and or shootable recurve.
Done that more than once and came away with a good deal.
I've just got started with this "lifestyle"...lol In the past year since a friend gave me a recurve, I have passed the recurve on to another newbie, and bought a Montana longbow. Within the last month I have ordered a new JD Berry Viper and bought a 1 year old Berry Appollo in the classifieds on another site. I got bit bad, quickly...lol I figure on using the Appollo and my Montana for trade to get to shoot other bows.
I've always been a yard sale/thrift store/flea market nut. I can't pass one up if I have .50 in my pocket...lol I think I just like going through other people's stuff...lol
DS
Del, you sound like me.
The wife and I often kinda ease up to the curb and eyeball things from the street trying to decide wether to stop or not. Quite often if it's a kinda run down house or neighborhood, she'll say something like "Nah, lets not stop." But I'm always thinking "All it takes is that ONE THING to make it worthwile." Some of my best deals have been at sales with about zero "curb apeal". Ya just never know what you will find and for me, THAT is the draw.
If you don't have access to an archery range, and portable targets are too expensive (I got sick of buying them), simply use steel blunts and soft drink bottles. You need a bit of ground (I can shoot at my school oval). You'll find it difficult to lose any blunt-tipped arrows.
Ben, if a fella brought a bow within about 500ft of a school around here he'd probably be hauled off to the local sheriff's office as a menace to society.
Bows are "firearms" don't ya know?
I always have to ask, OK show me "the fire" when I shoot.
Danged lawyers....
Yeah, I s'spose that's a wise consideration for you, Dave. If you have access to a paddock, or some rock-free bush, that'd do.
I make targets from giant coffee bags from a local company. I study pictures of some of the things I want, draw out a plan, make a prototype, buy some decently priced materials and make it myself. (tabs, quivers, whatever catches my eye) I save a wallet full of money by utilizing the DIY principle.
If I can't make it myself, I check the closeout lists of every archery store that has a website.
My next project is table saw blade knives from the How To section of Trad Gang.
I`m trying to save money by staying away from the vending machines at work.Also,car pooling helps.Saving up for a hunt out of state.As long as work holds out.That`s always a ? the way things are going now.Gonna check the yard sales out this summer to.
I'm sure a lot of members have seen this thread, but it falls in line with cost saving hunts so,,,
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=39;t=000219
It was almost a cash free season that ended in success!
Well, Let's see. I have sold everything extra i have, I trade what I cant sell, for other things that I want. I make quivers and sell those. I always use the Classifieds. I reuse everything that isnt broken. And i try and take care of everything i have. It's working so far.
P.
KSdan... You da man! I liked everything you had to say. Good stuff. Thats what hunting is all about, although difficult to discipline oneself.
The part about public land though, :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: I'm glad I'm not the only one with such convictions. I do pay for hunting rights on the property surrounding a nearby campground. I sort of stumbled upon it while camping there to hunt the last lease I belonged to. :D It's really just a big bedding area and the cost is negligable compared to the amount of doe meat we can count on. As for joining a big lease, and private heard management... I'm over it, and about fed up with how hunting media portrays it as normal and good hunting!
I have always done things the cheap way not by choice but because I have had too. This last fall I took on butchering on the side.Four elk and 3 deer later I was able to buy a new recurve that has got me back into trad archery.Boy it has sure made for a fun time.
Any other budget saving ideas out there?
I am going to learn how to knap so I can make my own hunting heads and look throughout the timber for natural arrow shafts! I also love going to the YARD SALES
You can go to Home Depot and pick up a mess of bamboo tamato stakes for about 5 bucks. Straighten them and you have arrows.
I do alot of trading, good place to get primitive supplies is paleoplanet.
Wife always jokes that it's amazing how we can trade roadkill for sticks and rocks and both parties walk away happy.
For sinew, hit the local deer cooler during rifle deer season. Years ago I took a trash can with a plastic bag. They filled it up, I did this twice.
You can also get deer skin pieces. Some try to charge, but there are many who will just throw them in a pile for you.
Dried it and you guessed. Traded it for: arrow shafts, feathers, rock for arrowheads, strings, and leather.
A fresh car hit otter was traded off for an osage stave. Now, the otter was over 60" long. Just as long as the stave I traded for.
I got my new bow, 60" osage recurve, 65lbs at 27" in a trade. Allan made me a bow, I made Allan a bow.
Yard sales, goodwill, flea markets, any little store that sells used goods is a good bet. I've found prestine bows for 25 bucks, found a Bear A Riser for 1.50. ****ed it for close to 200 bucks.
Wow, those are good ideas. I just stopped eating - that saved me some money.
I do a lot of trading with others to get the stuff I need.I read Primitive Bowhunter there a lot of cool stuff in it.
Trade, thrift stores, garage sale.
Learn how to refinish gear- hunting or fishing(search on websites like this for instructions). Don't worry about a crappy finish. If it really bothers you, light sanding and another coat will fix it. My bows are from the 60s, bamboo rods from 50s or earlier and all of them have had my TLC on them and are all used. I find a lot more satisfaction when I put some time into it and it also keeps a little history of my favorite sport(s) alive.
I married a woman who can sew anything. Buy our material online by the bolt.
Goodwill and sales I hope to never pay full price for nothing and also try to sell some of my old or never hardly used stuff to buy other stuff. Always on the lookout, kinda tough when I like quality gear that will last. My problem is it usually takes me the second time around to get what works for me. But I really admire the hunter that is content with what he has.
Anyone else raise a garden and can or freeze for the winter?? How about picking wild berries for jelly and preserves? Ride your bike to work, carry a sandwich.. How about patching your jeans?
HA ! Earl E. Nov..mber, I do all those except the bike. Little tough puting a truckload of tools on a bike but I'm with you on the rest. Saves tons of money over time
stringstretcher, this is the most practical thread published in a while!
A lot of good ideas were presented: shop at the Goodwill, yard sales, trade, make ones own stuff, buy used, budget, and more.
my 2 cents: number 1, be content with what one has. Americans tend to go to extremes or excess on many things. I'm still working on this one and probably will be for the rest of my life. But now I'm down from a bunch of bows to 1. It cost $165 new. The economy is stressed and so is my budget. But it's an attitude thing. I'm happy with less.
I keep working on Shifting Shadow's thought about contentment. I am learning to be content in whatever situation.
I also started making archery stuff even before I started shooting. Kid bows make me a favorite uncle... plant stakes make arrows for stumping... leather scraps make great shooting gloves... osage is everywhere in Kansas, so I have an endless supply of staves... The list goes on.
Contentment is the issue.
Same here..Yard sales, goodwill, trading, auctions and using coupons..Nothing wrong with leftovers for supper the next day either. We started a garden last year,picking berrys for our jam and such. We are trying to stop smoking also, BIG expense here we dont need..
"Use it up, wear it out, or go with out"! :readit: :readit: All good advice that has saved my butt more than once.
All sound advice above! To bad it takes hard times to get people doing what they should have been doing all the time.
Good luck and happy hunting! :thumbsup: :campfire: :archer:
Raven >>>>-------->
If you have a craft, share it with others. I learned how to make bow strings a few years ago and showed a tradganger how to do it. Now he makes a very nice string. Hopefully he will pass this on to others.
Also do the yard sale thing. Bought a recurve for $.25 (25 cents) once at a sale, made my own string and shot a fox with the bow that year. I also buy all my hunting clothes at yard sales.
I like others started making my own equipment; bows from staves, arrows from boards, broadheads from used saw blades, and what not. Buy wool at surplus stores, not as pretty as the fancy stuff but works geat. Making my own leather goods, solo stalker, arm guards. When hunting go with at least one other hunter to share expense. Camp in location so as to be able to hunt right from camp not drive to other locations to start hunting from. Made my own shooting range in my yard dont have to drive anywhere to practice.
Ditto on the *make my own stuff* thing. Also end up making a lot of it for other family members. Been doing it for years but got started not so much to save as just cause I love to make this stuff myself.
I've made some bows for others as gifts and a few that I've sold to support the addiction. Getting ready to make two more for family members.
Going to start making my own shafts but wonder if it will be an economy measure or not!!
Guys I really enjoy listening to you. Hunting has gotten real expensive, even Traditional. I refinish arrows, trade stuff and watch local yard sales. Can't believe stuff people sell and don't know what its worth. I've bought a dozen mismatched arrows and refinished them, keep the ones I can use and trade or sell the rest. Oh, I too hunt public land, work a little harder and walk a little farther but the game is there, just find them.
----------MikeY
Yard sales are great to pick up used gear. I got a coleman lantern for $0.25. They had no idea if it worked. I just had to go get a new mantle, cause someone dropped it. Also got 2 fishing nets for an extra $0.75. My buddy got me a bear kids recurve for a buck at an auction.
Other than that, I am unemployed so there is no buying going on till I get a new job and pay off the student loans. But, I haunt the Cabelas bargain cave and wait until they have the employee days or just beg the manager to drop the price. I got a dozen 2018 Camo hunters for under $20. Apparently not many people shoot them. Good day for me. Wife also got a $150 cot for like $50 because they were missing a piece for the cross post that didn't even matter. Piece of wood fixed that.
I'm building a two piece osage flatbow. I just find it hard to part with 30 plus dollars for a sleeve and insert. So I've been racking my brain trying to come up with ideas.
BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Downstairs on the wall, hanging, are 6 - 15' long top bar steel pipe sections for the tops of fences. Picked it out of the trash on a construction site I was on. Started looking at it, one end is a female 1 1/8", the male is a 1" both round. Perfect......just saved 30 plus dollars.
While on a construction site yesterday, I ventured over to the knocked over tree area. Last visit, I found a beautiful 20' long straight cedar tree, 5" at base tapering up to less than an inch. Alright, I needed a new one pole tent post and it even smells good.
Well yesterday, I look over and there is this pretty straight elm tree, noticed a nice 70" long section. All I had was a pvc hand saw, so I got to work.
That's 4 nice bow stave this summer.
It's there, you just have to see it.
roger the dumpster diving and tree piles on construction site. my work truck is always full of stuff i find.
sell or trade everything i don't use or need.
look for a place to hunt within ten miles of home. i can walk to most of my hunting spots and i live in the "burbs"!
share anything and everything, buy as a last resort!
try to make it first before buying.
give things away -- it will come back in time! and just at the right time!
Always have kept a good supply of arrows, shafts, and arrow building components on hand. I'm good to go for years...