Does the price of fuel impact your hunting plans?

[npaden]

How much are you paying for petrol/diesel?
I guarantee it isn't as much as I'm paying!
$7.30/gallon diesel
Cheers
Richard

I paid $2.09 per gallon for diesel last last week when I filled up. Checking my app right now it is as low as $1.97 at Sams Club and as high as $2.55 elsewhere. (most places are around $2.09 - $2.15)

Amazing how much variation there is in fuel prices, that's a 58 cent spread. On a 30 gallon fillup that would be $17 difference.

 

[devon deer]

I paid $2.09 per gallon for diesel last last week when I filled up. Checking my app right now it is as low as $1.97 at Sams Club and as high as $2.55 elsewhere. (most places are around $2.09 - $2.15)

Amazing how much variation there is in fuel prices, that's a 58 cent spread. On a 30 gallon fillup that would be $17 difference.

That's so cheap!
Mind you I don't drive too far for my hunting so I don't mind paying what I do, it's been a lot more!
My truck does 33mpg on a run and 25mpg around the lanes.
Cheers
Richard

 

[LCH]

Indirectly. Fuel prices dictate what vehicles I own/drive. There are a lot of places I can't get an AWD crossover that I could get a high clearance 4x4. This not only affects the areas I get into, but there are some places I don't even apply for tags if roads or conditions are likely to be treacherous.

 

[MarvB]

Maybe now that I’m retired but doubt it. Put about 18k total miles max a year on my truck, that’s about $1200 per every $1/gal increase in fuel. It’d probably have to nearly triple to seriously get my attention for the hunting miles portion of that.

 

[Nameless Range]

For me, No.

Just thinking out loud.

Say you want to drive 500 miles round trip to hunt. Say your rig gets 10 mile per gallon.

Now, say gas is $2.50/gallon. At 50 gallons, you'll spend $125 in gas for that trip. Now double the price of gas, and you're spending $250.

So to be extreme, say gas more than doubled in price from the $2.50 it's around now, and a guy was driving 1,000 miles. If he did it today he'd spend $250. In an extremeish scenario
he'd spend $500.

In the big picture of license costs (for nonresidents), gear, grub, etc. A scenario where gas prices explode on a guy driving across multiple states for his once or twice a year trip,
is still only the cost of a backpack.

 

[The Hedgehog]

I put 12,250 miles on my truck from Sept - Nov. this year.

just saying - it is a thing.

 

[Deleted member 18333]

I put 12,250 miles on my truck from Sept - Nov. this year.

just saying - it is a thing.

Was that number affected by the price of fuel one way or the other?

 

[WestKyHunt]

@Nameless Range
I know its situation dependent, but for me $250 would be financially difficult.
After purchasing licenses and what not im already stretching my budget (and what my other half will allow)

That is the price of being a young homeowner and financing vehicles i dont really need.
When those purchases were made i never imagined id be able to hunt out west. I'm grateful for the ability to do so, even if its towards the edge of my budget.

To keep this post on track with OP, yes it would effect me but only with large rises in price.
Scouting for waterfowl is effected to a degree but not largely

 

[MNElkNut]

No. It may affect which vehicle tows the trailer but it won't affect my plans. Guestimating 6-8,000 miles per year hunting related.

 

[Nameless Range]

I put 12,250 miles on my truck from Sept - Nov. this year.

just saying - it is a thing.

That's a fair point, though I think when it comes to hunting season you put more miles on both boot and tire than most.If went up a buck or two, over 12,000 miles, that's a lot of scratch.

The real question would be what if HopZone doubled in price?

 

[BigHornRam]

I'm more concerned about getting fuel period than the price per gallon. Time to start hording.

 

[EYJONAS!]

im always game for a carpool as ong as someone is taking me to their honey hole

https://jimcarreying.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F86374936408

 

[Deleted member 28227]

For me, No.

Just thinking out loud.

Say you want to drive 500 miles round trip to hunt. Say your rig gets 10 mile per gallon.

Now, say gas is $2.50/gallon. At 50 gallons, you'll spend $125 in gas for that trip. Now double the price of gas, and you're spending $250.

So to be extreme, say gas more than doubled in price from the $2.50 it's around now, and a guy was driving 1,000 miles. If he did it today he'd spend $250. In an extremeish scenario
he'd spend $500.

In the big picture of license costs (for nonresidents), gear, grub, etc. A scenario where gas prices explode on a guy driving across multiple states for his once or twice a year trip,
is still only the cost of a backpack.

Anything that reduces my discretionary income effects my hunting plans.

If I spend an extra $1500 a year on gas I might apply in a couple less states, or pick cheaper hunts.

 

[QuazyQuinton]

It hasn't ever affected my plan for a trip, but it has occasionally affected my plan for paying the credit card bill when I got home.

QQ

 

[MThuntr]

No but I gotta be dramatic about it for like 2 hours after I get my credit card bill at the end of a busy season.

 

[thomas89]

Already planning for this next fall in Washington.

Word on the street is gas prices here are on the verge of another bit of gas tax to the tune of $.10 this year, another $.08 next. At current prices of around $2.80/gallon, this gets expensive for me quick. Especially “local” bird hunting. Thing gets about twice the gas mileage as my truck.

Thinking if I take my wife’s little Rav-4 we’d save on gas, but also lose the household harmony if I got her car filled with wet labrador, decoys, waders, blinds, etc.

 

[westbranch]

For our commutes, grocery store, wife going to the gym, etc. we put <6k miles/yr combined on our two vehicles. So if we end up putting on 10-15k miles hunting, fishing, hiking, general travel, and gas was $3/gallon it would have minimal impact on our plans. If it gets to >$4/gallon we would probably be bit more cautious. Not a lifestyle everyone can manage, but it is tough to beat.

 

[JLS]

I put 12,250 miles on my truck from Sept - Nov. this year.

just saying - it is a thing.

You beat me. I've put on 8,500 since September 1.

For me it will likely mean more PBR instead of IPAs, more overnight trips, a few more side job hours.

 

[Nameless Range]

Anything that reduces my discretionary income effects my hunting plans.

If I spend an extra $1500 a year on gas I might apply in a couple less states, or pick cheaper hunts.

I think that's fair, but you are a pretty rational guy. For most folks, I think gasoline costs are accepted as a matter of course and paying for them is an afterthought. I remember a discussion that revolved around this in a Planning class I took. The premise was, as gasoline prices rise, people will be more reluctant to build and live in places that require a more expensive commute. At the time, that hypothesis just didn't pan out and we discussed why.

I think there's a lot involved and a fair amount of moving parts. This study is now 12 years old, but I think it's the study we referenced in class:

https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/110th-congress-2007-2008/reports/01-14-gasolineprices.pdf

"Recent research suggests that consumers are not very responsive to changes in the price of gasoline, at least in the short run. (Increased expenditures on gasoline have, however, reduced consumers’ saving, real income growth, and probably other forms of consumption.)3 For a variety of reasons, consumers are currently only about one-fifth as responsive to short-run changes in gasoline prices as they were several decades ago. That decline in sensitivity has been attributed to growth in real income, which has rendered gasoline a smaller share of consumers’ purchases from disposable income"

I think that last sentence is what I was getting at, though I admit everyone may have unique situations in terms of the amount of miles they are putting on, or actual financial constraints. Another way I'd put it, if the decision were: you can forgo your hunting trip, or you can forgo putting any money in retirement for two months, or your gonna have to deal with a nasty CC bill in January, I'll see you in the woods.

 

[Deleted member 28227]

I think that last sentence is what I was getting at, though I admit everyone may have unique situations in terms of the amount of miles they are putting on, or actual financial constraints. Another way I'd put it, if the decision were: you can forgo your hunting trip, or you can forgo putting any money in retirement for two months, or your gonna have to deal with a nasty CC bill in January, I'll see you in the woods.

I absolutely think that's the reality for a lot of folks... and hence why Ramsey has a platform.

To greenhorn's question, for me... yeah I'm going to notice and switch it up plans. I'm not going to sit on a couch all fall, but I might get a couple doe tags close to home and skip that out of state elk hunt.