hunting in an uncertain economy

[mdwatts]

Guns are material things.  Hunts are memories.  Which do you prefer?

[Mo. Huntin]

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.

[Whip]

Memories are a great investment!  They can never be taken away and will grow in value as you get older.   :cool:

[hunt it]

Life is short! If it was your last $300.00 I'd say stay home with family. If not go hunting!

[Diamondback59]

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

[Kevin Bahr]

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.

[Greyfox54]

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

[highpoint forge]

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.....

[tradtusker]

go hunting mate!

[Mike Byrge@home]

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!!!

[Otto]

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.

[longbowman]

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.

[Jerry Wald]

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

[mdwatts]

Jerry,    

[Onehair]

I think Dear Leader Oboma has a plan for that. I know for sure he has called alot of hogs to the trough already.

[Scott J. Williams]

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.

[George D. Stout]

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.

[Ted Fry]

Well put Biggie

[john fletch]

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!

[Paul J.]

life is more uncertain than the economy!!! Go huntin!!

                                Paul J.