Have you ever sold something you really liked to fund a hunt? I am selling my favorite gun to pay for the deposit on a moose hunt with my dad. Feeling a little bummed out but I had to put my big boy pants on and do what is right for my family instead of robbing our emergency fund.
Nope. Never paid for a hunt.
But I did sell a sailboat to buy a house with 20 acres. :archer:
If I could hunt moose another way I would.
I have done it. I always ask myself "do I really need this item or can I sell it and not miss it".
I also have made it a point to never dip into the emergency fund to pay for archery related stuff or anything else. If I don't have something that I can sell I just keep saving. Maybe do some extra work etc.
Sold an elk rack once to finance a mule deer/elk hunt in Idaho (not guided). Didn't get either critter but would do it again in a second. I'd much rather be making the new memories then dwelling on the past.
Yes, yearly.
Time spent on a hunt with your dad is priceless, don't hesitate!!!!
This is a general statement not meant for anyone in particular....
I've never understood how some folks will complain about never getting to go away on a hunt, but they own 30 bows....and they don't shoot the majority of them!
While I'm at it....I really don't understand why guys make it seem like there's something wrong with paying for a hunt!
My experience is before something new comes in something old hits the road. Would not hesitate selling something to hunt with my dad-if he was still with us. The memories you will make on the hunt far outweigh any weapon and once made can't be sold. Won't hit family funds to buy anything, just my priority.
I have sold many things to finance hunts. In my book it is all about the adventure and the adventure is more important to me than the things. In my early 30s I sold a number of firearms and took out a loan to go on a grizzly hunt with my brother. One of the best things I ever did. We created memories we talk about 25 years later.
I am selling a bunch of bows and firearms right now to help finance a piece of property that will be the hunting camp for my family & friends. I am doing it gladly. Many memories will be made there.
D.P.
QuoteOriginally posted by Guru:
Time spent on a hunt with your dad is priceless, don't hesitate!!!!
This is a general statement not meant for anyone in particular....
I've never understood how some folks will complain about never getting to go away on a hunt, but they own 30 bows....and they don't shoot the majority of them!
While I'm at it....I really don't understand why guys make it seem like there's something wrong with paying for a hunt!
X2 well said.
Yep! Stuff is stuff and stays here on earth. Memories are the only thing you can take with you when you die.
Hunts cost money and it doesn't necessarily mean it's a fully guided hunt. I've been to Alaska on DIY hunts many times and trust me they cost money.
Walt Francis...Dave Pagel...IndianaBowman...
Absolutely! Memories don't need tangible objects. The 'doing' is far more important than the 'done'. My finest weapons are simply tools and I've never allowed myself to value an inanimate object more than another memory made.
Tim,one thing I learned long ago is to focus on what I have left...I had 17 guns at one time and am now down to about a half dozen...my favourite is one my dad, who now has dementia, stocked for me
DDave
Yeah, kind of. When I was a teenager I sold a Marlin 30-30 lever action rifle. I don't remember what model it was but it was a pretty fancy gun. I bought it with press route & lawn cutting money and I was really proud of it. I sold it to buy my first Black Widow recurve and while I haven't gun hunted in more than 30 years, I kind of wish I had kept that gun.
I've bought and sold a ton of bows since that time but never regretted any of those transactions. It's probably not so much the gun - probably because it was one of the first things I worked really hard for to buy and I was so proud of it.
Yep, last January I sold several items to pay the deposit for my first (and only?) moose hunt. The hunt was supposed to happen the first week of October (2013) but a cancer set-back for my hunting buddy post-poned the trip until same time (God willing), 2014.
I don't miss the stuff I sold but a couple were very nice recurves. One was a 1 of 4 ever made Bear Custom Kodiak TD.
Oh, and if a near-miracle occurs and I draw a MT Bighorn sheep tag in May I'll be selling a half-dozen more bows. I only "need" 2.
I would never hesitate to sell something if that is what it took for a new adventure. Especially one that involved family or good friends. When I look back at the great hunts I had it not about what gun or bow I was using but rather who I shared the experience with. I drew a Unit 2 Colorado archery Elk tag two years ago that took me 21 years to draw. My buddy could not make it so I went alone for 14 days. Was lucky to kill a 377" bull and the trip was very good. But to be honest I will never go on a solo trip again. 4 days to CO 14 days hunting and 4 days back. A long time and no one to share the memories. That trip taught me a lot.
I'm bad about keeping stuff I don't need, but I'm working on getting better at it. I look at these people who are a part of the small house movement (like less than 150 square feet!) and I am envious. I'm working hard on the buying less end of the spectrum. I just need to work on the getting rid of stuff side.
I would sell a bunch of stuff to fund an epic hunt though. Time is as scarce as money though in making those big hunts happen. I have a hard time getting extended time off during most seasons.
No, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't. I have done it to pay for a family vacation when our kids were younger.
Well, I hope it sells fast. Rip the Band-Aid off kind of deal.
No. Every time I sell off something, I later regret it. I save up until I can afford what I want.
I've never sold anything to pay for a hunt specifically but I've sold things that I thuoght at one time I need to get other things I'd use instead.
I try not to touch the emergency fund and will tpyically recycle (sell) stuff I'm not using to get things I will.
You can always buy another gun in the future--you won't always have your dad. Make memories while you can.
If I could have my dad back to go on a hunt I would gladly give my left ---. Well, you know what I mean and he has been gone thirty years.
Regards,
Rick
That is still my dream hunt to go call in a moose in the rut.... I'd gladly part with with a rifle to do a trip like that... only i want to go to the Yukon or Alaska to do it. I don't have any rifles that would pay for that trip though... :rolleyes:
Yep I've sold some things dear to me to get to go on adventures around the world. I'd trade almost anything to have one more with my dad as he's been gone nearly 25 years now.
Things are just things. Memories last forever.
Mike
As my wife says, I love to get rid of stuff. Occasionally I sell something I regret but I can only think of one bow and one gun that I still wish i had. As a poster above said, something old goes before something new comes in.
Sold two homes, two vehicles, two boats, an antique fishing reel collection, most of my Michigan steelhead gear, and a half dozen long guns to finance my current adventure.
No regrets! I now have an Alaskan born son and have acquired nearly everything I once sold back, exception of one home. Instead of House of Hardy ephemera I now own all these dang bows and all I really need is one.
It's the consumers circle of life. Once you take the plunge it really doesn't hurt as much as one thinks initially. It has given me confidence to dream and to understand that stuff is just that...
~CB
i'm going to sell my hunting rifle (and i've got only one lol ...) to buy a new bow , money is always the problem ......
I don't want to be an old man in my bed with no stories to tell.
Years ago, I sold a cedar strip canoe I made to finance a hunt. I was mostly OK with it until the lady told me what she was going to do with it... She somehow cut it up and turned it into a coffee table.
Now that one stung a little.
Tom
Well, lets see, Can't get to personal, but I didn't have anything left to sell, thanks to the better half, owed the lawyer over 10K, owed friends another 10K, got 4K from my company for back pay. Gave the better half 1k and took 3k elk hunting this past September, did manage to pay everyone off since then. Now I'm broke, but still had a blast in Idaho elk hunting. Probably go again this year too :pray:
I'd do it in a heartbeat. You won't regret it.
i wouldn't have sold my favorite gun, but i would do what i had to selling some other stuff or trying to get over time to pay for it.
good luck man hope you have a great hunt with your dad!!!
It has been my experience, that for the vast majority of us, there is never enough money. I save all year for deer season. I don't live in a "target rich environment", so I go to where the game is. This costs a lot of money, at least for me. I am a young man, on the downslope of my twenties, and I will say this. I have few memories fonder than those in the field with my family and friends. This thread has prompted me to drag out photo albums, thus reliving a lot of time spent in pursuit of game with the people I care about most. My opinion is that of many others that have replied. Things are replaceable, experiences and memories are not. While I don't ever condone financial irresponsibility, I must say that scratching up the funds for your dream hunt is likely something you will not regret. It's a simple matter of priorities. My house is small, and I drive a piece of crap truck, but I spend a lot of time in the woods with people that are important to me. Sell your rifle, or if you cannot part with it keep saving, but make the hunt. My money says you'll not regret it. Best of luck.
Jake
Sold the gun tonight. (SCAR 17 if you were wondering) I tried to think of something else to sell but there really wasn't anything else that was of value that I didn't absolutely need.
This will be only my third time getting to hunt with my dad since I didn't grow up with him around. Like many on here have said, you can't buy more time.
Here's to adventures in the making.
Better to own less and use it more...vs the alternative.
Go hunt with your Dad my Brother. Guns come and go, Dads don't. You will never regret selling the gun to make a hunt of a lifetime with your Dad. Good luck with your hunt!!!
I sold a bunch of stuff to go to Colorado Elk hunting. I'd do it again if I could.
I sold my Goldwing to pay for a hunt. Then turned around and bought a BMW for more than I sold the Goldwing for. Anybody need a BMW?