Hunting for meat intake/trapping for income (2013, living)

[grouse789]

Actually, the fur trade is at and has been having record highs. The Chinese and Russian economies are doing well and all their new "middle class" are buying fur in high numbers. I've heard some guys are getting $15-20 for coon! That's not too shabby.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/07/05....html?referer=

""In fashion terms it's never been stronger," International Fur Trade Federation's chief executive Mark Oaten said. "We have very high production levels and I expect those will remain very strong in Europe and America."
Related: Chanel is the hottest luxury brand in China
A stronger economy, cold winters and fashion show exposure have fueled sales on America's east coast. Fur featured in about 70% of the major catwalks last season, Oaten said.
"

[Northern Maine Land Man]

TheKezarWoodsman reports:
"I dont consider it forest if each tree is a good distant apart, and thin."

In 1940, Maine had 6.5 milion acres of pasture and cultivated ground. Today we have just over a million. In my lifetime we have gained over 77,000 acres a year of forest. That is more than three townships at 23,040 acres per township. Yes, gained. Don't let anybody tell you we are losing our forests.

Walk out through the woods. You will find stone walls. Those walls were not put there during the night by elves. The were built by our grandfathers and their grandfathers when that ground was pasture or cultivated ground. This is not some legend. It is accurate history; data from the Maine Forest Service and the Department of Agriculture. Look it up.

[grouse789]

2014 pelt prices in maine . Prices seem to vary by state.
Beaver……..$13.90……….79
Bobcat……..$90.00………..1
Coyote……..$22.00……….42
Ermine……..$ 2.75……….10
Female fisher.$50.00……….13
​Male Fisher…$42.00………. 7
Gray fox……$25.00………. 2
Marten……..$22.00……….32
Mink (M&F)….$10.75………138
Muskrat…….$ 4.92……..1007
Otter………$52.00……….21
Raccoon…….$ 7.00……….39
Red Fox…….$29.75……….37
Beaver castor.$31.50/lb…….13-3/4 lbs

Prices seem to fluctuate wildly season to season.
The amount of time needed to seriously trap and how much you make doesn't make it a worthwhile business. However if you really enjoy it, then whT you earn doesn't matter.
People don't hunt to eat. It's far less expensive to buy porterhouse steaks every week when compared to time invested, cost of gear.

[TheKezarWoodsman]

I know about those walks, we got em here to. Infact one is not far from the street i live.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by grouse789

People don't hunt to eat. It's far less expensive to buy porterhouse steaks every week when compared to time invested, cost of gear.

Some of us do. There are a lot of reasons to hunt that have nothing to do with money.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by grouse789

... The amount of time needed to seriously trap and how much you make doesn't make it a worthwhile business. However if you really enjoy it, then whT you earn doesn't matter.

We just went from one team of trappers using our land, to a different trapper using our land. They seem to have motivation.

... People don't hunt to eat. It's far less expensive to buy porterhouse steaks every week when compared to time invested, cost of gear.

My observations are pretty much the opposite from your conjecture.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

I don't "go hunting". I just hunt. I walk out the door with my rifle and I hunt. My cost is zero. If I am successful it is the cost of one round. You can make your own ammunition, using a primer and powder. The rest is recycled brass and the bullet was formerly a wheel weight. What gramps used in the old "thutty thutty" works just as well today as it did in 1894.

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

The rest is recycled brass and the bullet was formerly a wheel weight.

Lead wheel weights have been banned in Maine since 2009. There might be some around somewhere, but I doubt there are many.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by kellysmith

Lead wheel weights have been banned in Maine since 2009. There might be some around somewhere, but I doubt there are many.

At the boatyard, we have to reeshape quite a few keels on the sailboats. It seems some of the owners find rocks out in the bay from time to time. It is easy to get lead for ballast.

[grouse789]

Sub, I hate to disagree with you, but maybe I'm missing something.

... People don't hunt to eat. It's far less expensive to buy porterhouse steaks every week when compared to time invested, cost of gear.
My observations are pretty much the opposite from your conjecture.

I base my statement off the OP's question. People who hunt for food and trap for a living.
I dunno man, if time is money I don't see how hunting ever trumps work.
A 320 pound side of beef runs about $1300. In many cases that's more beef than the average family will consume in a year.
One de-boned deer yields between 30-60 pounds depending on size. Up in maine you have larger deer than here, so maybe a few more pounds for the maine deer. That amount of meat gets used up pretty quick in a family of four.
I had a terrible season this year. I took one doe. Blew my chance at a nice buck a few weeks later. All in all I spent about 20 days in the field. (That's just deer hunting, not other pursuits such as waterfowling, small game hunting)
The average us salary is around 52,000. That's $1000 per week. 20 eight hour days in the field comes to $4000.
I hunt and fish because I love it, I love the outdoors. But when guys say they are hunting to put food on the table because it costs less, in my opinion they are fooling themselves.
So yes I believe I could eat porterhouse steak every week and come out far ahead than time, fuel, gear expenses. But life would be quite dull.