One of the most prohibitive barriers I’ve encountered as a new hunter is the cost of entry into the sport. Firearms and their accessories are at the top of the list, but a number of smaller items like clothing, gear, courses, certificates, and licenses can add up. Costs can vary depending on where and what you hunt, but regardless of quarry, if you’re completely new like me, you can probably expect a dollar range in the high hundreds to low thousands just to get started. To help get an idea of the overall cost, I’ll run through typical hunting-related expenses I’ve paid, or plan to pay.
Firearms
If you’ve seen my last post on firearms, you’ll know there are a few big-ticket items needed just to own a gun. Let’s assume you want to hunt ducks in CA like me, and don’t plan to get more than one firearm. That means you’ll need to buy an appropriate shotgun. On the low end, a very basic pump-action shotgun (like a Remington 870) could get the job done, and will cost on average about $330 before taxes and fees. But I have a little more saved up, and want a higher-performing gun, so I plan to purchase a Benelli M2 with a camo pattern, which I estimate to cost around $1,400 before taxes and fees.
You’ll then want a DOJ-approved safe to store that new shotgun. A Google and Amazon search showed I could get an entry-level, low-capacity (less than 10 guns) starter safe for about $200, but I start to question the quality of options at that price point. I’d rather not gamble with gun safety, so I went with the Winchester TS-9 10 Gun safe for a total of $550 after delivery and taxes. If you want features like fingerprint scanning or fire/water resistance, expect to pay a premium. For added safety, it’s advised to have a separate smaller safe to store your ammo away from your gun. I found a decent safe on Amazon for $150 for just this purpose.
Then you’ll need to get the actual ammunition (see Updates). I still don’t know as much as I’d like about guns and ammunition, but in California, it’s illegal to use lead ammunition for hunting, so let’s suppose we’ll be shooting standard 3″ 12 gauge steel loads. On a few sporting goods sites, it looks like I could get a cheap box of 25 shells for about $16. But how much ammunition would I actually need on a hunt? According to CDFW, I’m allowed a daily bag limit of 7 ducks during the season, so if I’m hunting two days over the weekend, the very minimum I’d want to have is 14 shells. Realistically I’d probably want at least 2-3 times that since I’m new to shooting and will probably miss a ton. I’m guessing that maybe one box of 25 shells for each day of duck hunting would be sufficient. I have no idea if this logic is correct, but it sounds reasonable in my head. I’ll probably want to stock up on extra ammunition too, so I don’t have to run down to San Jose every time I need ammo. To be safe, I’ll aim have 4 boxes just for hunting.
This is step optional but it’s a good idea to at least test the gun at a range and get the correct shot spread dialed-in prior to the actual hunt. The closest public shotgun range to me is the Coyote Valley Sporting Clay range down in Morgan Hill. I went there once for a birthday and spent maybe two hours learning how to handle and shoot a shotgun, probably shooting about 100 clay targets in total. Pricing on the site shows a cost of $0.44 per target, or $44 total for an average session. And don’t forget the additional 100 shells (4 boxes) you’ll be shooting at each target.
For the shotgun I want, two safes, 8 boxes of ammunition (for hunting and practice), and one practice session at the range, I’m looking to spend a little over $2,250, but you can certainly save if you decide to go with different gun and safe options.
Clothing and Other Gear
Clothing is the next crucial spending category required for a successful hunt. Again, what you wear will depend on where and what you hunt. For deer, camouflage is helpful but not required, as deer don’t rely as heavily on eyesight. Birds, on the other hand, generally have top-notch vision, which makes sense since they’re flying around all fast and need to spot food or water on the ground. According to my buddy, ducks are no exception, and can easily discern contrasting colors or slight movements down below. For this reason, it’s important to have the right camouflage for your clothing. Since I’ll be hunting out of my friend’s duck blind in late October, surrounded by dead grass and wet marshy conditions, he advised that I get a pair of thick boot waders, a warm parka/jacket, gloves, and a face mask, all in a light grassy camo pattern. Prices can really vary here, but a quick eyeball-average of different brands tells me I can probably pick up a quality pair of waders and jacket both for about $250 each, and snag some cheap gloves and a face mask on Amazon for around $40 total. I already own base and mid layers to wear underneath, but you’ll definitely want to pick some up if you don’t have any.
Other gear ranges too widely to accurately affix a price. It may include stuff like hand warmers, duck/game calling devices, a pack or bag to hold your stuff, a fabric gun sleeve (see Updates; I purchased a TangleFree shotgun case for $75), a skinning knife or game shears, a headlamp for early-morning setup, or other accessories to improve your outing. Because individual needs vary, and because I can borrow a lot of these items, I won’t include them in the final count. So just for clothing alone, I’m looking at close to $540.
Classes, Fees, and Certifications
Don’t forget about the cost of courses and little fees that are easily overlooked, but tend to add up. Hunter Education cost me $35 for a the online course plus the follow-up class. Taking the Firearm Safety Certificate test at Bass Pro Shop cost me $25. Buying the actual firearm will include paying $35 for the DROS, safety fees, and additional dealer fee. You may not need it, but I also took a private Firearm Instruction lesson when I visited Coyote Valley that cost $70. When I’m ready to hunt, I’ll need to purchase a general Resident Hunting License from DFW, which costs $50. Any adult taking waterfowl in CA is also required to purchase a CA Duck Validation for $22, as well as a Federal Duck Stamp for $25. Luckily I’ll be on private property, but there may be further fees if you plan to hunt special areas or wildlife preserves. In aggregate, I’ll have paid $262 for fees, licenses, and certifications by the time I head out on my first hunt.
The Final Tally
In sum, as a new hunter with essentially no gear, I can expect to pay about $3,050 just to start. This is my best guess for duck hunting, but if you’re a savvy shopper, or going after different game, you could bring that cost far below my estimate. And if you have friends who hunt, you could go even lower by borrowing gear. Despite the costs though, I imagine you can’t really put a price on the memories or experiences of an actual hunt, especially if you bag an animal. Steven Rinella said in a podcast that when you hunt, you’re combining both recreation and grocery shopping all on the same dollar, so it’s well worth the spend in my opinion.
Did I get these numbers right? Please let me know! As I continue on with my purchases, I’ll be sure to come back and update any estimates with actual amounts.
-UPDATES-
- Firearm safe purchased for $550 after taxes and delivery
- Shotgun purchased for $1,525.99 after taxes and fees
- Ammunition (4 boxes of Winchester steel shot shells at $13.99 each) purchased for $61.10 total after taxes
- Shotgun case purchased from Tanglefree for $75.04 after taxes and shipping
The Sunday Hunter 