How do you afford all this nice hunting stuff?

[Bitterroot Bulls]

How do you fund your hunting gear purchases?

There is no doubt the best stuff costs a premium, and also performs better in the field.

Here are some of the things I do.

1. Horsetrading: I use ebay a lot. Hunting gear holds its value quite well. I have bought stuff on sale, used it for years, and sold it on the bay for a profit. I have sold some stuff on forum classifieds and Craigslist as well.

2. Spread it out: I make an off-season list that is felxible and changes as I go. I then keep an eye out to find the best deals. Camofire, SteepandCheap, and other websites help a lot. I recently have taken a liking to Kuiu clothes, but they are hard to find used and almost impossible to find discounted, so I have bought one piece a month at retail prices (uuugh), as I can save the change.

3. Discontinued/Demo: This is a great way to save hundreds or even thousands on top-end optics especially.

4. Used: Forum classifieds, Craigslist, ebay all have some good deals if you are willing to look for them. I found a barely used Kuiu Icon 6000 backpack on a forum, and saved a substantial chunk of change.

5. Promotive: If you are a member of an emergency services group, professional or volunteer, you might be able to get into this pro-deal program, and get the best brand-new gear from top companies for discounts that range from OK to Holy Crap!

What about you guys?