Hunting is becoming more and more expensive as each day passes. Fuel, equipment, gear, licenses and tags and possible lease fees and other charges are bogging down most of the hunting community and making it harder and harder for the average hunter to afford. Here are some ways to help finance your hunting with your hunting-related activities.
Think taxidermy
Taxidermy is more popular today than ever before as there seems to be a taxidermist in every decent sized town in America. Good taxidermists are good business people and they always need extra capes and skins to replace those of unlucky customers. Too often someone will cut a cape wrong or damage it while in the field and they need it replaced if they want to have a specimen mounted.
If you can take care of your cape and you don’t need it, you can sell it to a local taxidermist. Or, you can sell it online on eBay or on the couple of taxidermy-related websites out there. A decent whitetail cape can fetch anywhere between $25.00-200.00. A unique colored cape or a double white throat patch can bring top dollar.
Another proven method of making money from your own hunting in regards to taxidermy is to buy a dermestid beetle colony to clean your own skulls and bones. Beetle colonies are cheap to get into, but the beetles need to eat year round. Why not feed them other people’s skull meat for a small fee? Just make sure to check your state laws and be properly licensed if needed.
Share your lease
I know a few guys who lease more ground than they need just so they can sell hunts (where legal) or offer a substantial trespass fee to help pay for their ground. The beauty of this tactic is that you don’t have to let other hunters hunt on your prime ground. You can set them up in alternative hunt areas that you won’t be hunting and if your ground is large enough, they will stay out of your way and not bother your targeted animals. Just make sure to have a written agreement on your arrangement and all should be well.
Another method to make money off of your own lease is to offer doe hunts or turkey hunts, if possible, during off-peak parts of the seasons. Get your turkey and let others hunt to pay for your lease. You can also offer shed hunting in the spring and maybe some late season squirrel hunting too. Possibilities are endless and if you use your imagination, you can let others pay for your hunting.
