x2

Then again, maybe they spent too much $$ on their vehicles?

Alot of people are leasing there own property & staying away from the clubs..I've seen this coming for a few years,folks are getting tired of crap associated with clubs now days..

The truth is there is only so much money on given person's pay check. A lot of that money each month is now taken up by cell phone bills, Internet bills, and TV bills. When you stop and think, it's crazy how much we pay for technology these days that we didn't pay for 30 years ago. On top of that, I personally think a lot people extend themselves too far financially. At the end of the day, for some people, hunting club dues end up at the bottom of the priority list.

This! With Groceries being the bigger of the 2. They have gone up at least 50 % over the last 5 years and that adds up big time when the economy is flat and no one is getting raises. Someone also mentioned healthcare costs. There is at least a post a week of people talking about their insurance costs rising exponentially.

Bingo!



That is my thinking. I am so thankful that I am in a small close-knit club where basically there aren't many rules but we run more off gentleman's agreement.

Between my two jobs and my wife's one we have a decent income. But nowadays we have NO what you would call 'disposable' income. The price of TAXES, energy, insurance, groceries, medical costs themselves, vehicle parts and maintenance have all gone through the roof! Crap you can't even buy a car battery these days for under a hundred bucks! Tires, UGH! Clothing hasn't gone up much, but who can afford more than they absolutely need? And get ready, its coming, mandated taxes on all internet purchases. We are already headed down that road.

If it weren't for dear friends and family members with land I wouldn't hunt. For one it ain't enough sugar for a dime and for second to much BS with clubs.

When I got back home to Bama in 2006 I instantly joined a club. I completed the year and never looked back. Too many rules, the kids were not having fun with all the point restrictions and such. The club prez couldn't even understand why his kids had lost interest in hunting as well. Board members tried to cheat the rules and so on, and so on. I restricted myself to a friends 113 acres in Washington county the next 3 years and enjoyed every bit of it. I let the boy do as he pleased, I passed on several bucks but, it was 100% more enjoyable. I also would never pay $1000 or more to be in a club. There are so many hunts I could do from $1000-$2000 dollars that I don't see the benefits. Maybe part of my thinking stems from my hunt experiences all over the country and the total number of whitetail I've taken, not sure. I do know that if I move back home, I'll lease my own land or just do the public thing...

I have not seen a decrease in my area , I have sold more tree stands and cameras this year than I ever have.

I do agree it is getting a little easier to pick up new leases .

I live on the Tuscaloosa- Greene county line and I've seen about 200 trucks pulling 4 wheelers and side by sides today headed out to hunt tomorrow. Seems pretty good to me

Things seem busy today because opening day is tomorrow. However, overall things are down in general because the middle class has far less recreational money than it did before 2008. The tourism industry has had to make big adjustments.

There are deer hunters and then there are DEER HUNTERS, the ones that truly love it and live for it find a way to do it, when the economy is tough then the ones that just call themselves hunters fade away.

You got a hunting supply store? Where is your area?

The 3 buck limit also makes it harder to justify spending $1000-2000 on club dues when you can only kill 3 bucks. Add in all the other expenses and it makes each buck worth thousands of dollars.

Do you mount three bucks every year?

maybe if they werent driving $60k plus vehicles, they'd have a little more spending money

I am in Troy/luverne. No I do not have a hunting store at the moment , I have a furniture store and restaurant and use my business license to dabble in tree stands and trail cameras and a few other things .

I bought the last 30 m100's millennium had a two weeks ago and have sold 24 of them in that time .

I agree with both of you. And yet there's not a single mention of inflation on the news.