Lots of variables. All in all, price per pound of wild game is generally much higher than that of similar products found in the store.
That's just ridiculous. Sure, if your hunting for trophy deer the cost is higher. Or flying around the country to hunt. But if you just want to go kill some does in your own state, on a resident license, the cost isn't high at all. Especially on the East coast where a resident big game licensee is going to include 6 or more deer tags with it. Butcher the deer yourself (ask someone to show you how) and you'll have plenty of meat to go around, for next to nothing.
now, of course, you also need to factor in the cost of a gun (go to a pawnshop, or buy a used mil surplus gun - an SKS is an excellent gun for hunting), ammo, and the practice rounds. As well as gas, sure. But you need not travel far to find deer. And if you tell folks your just hunting for meat, not antlers, most farmers will quickly give you permission to hunt for does.
Here's a cost breakdown, for me in Virginia.
My resident license small game and big game license cost a total of $46 (I also have a muzzleloader and archery tag, but I'm not inlcuding that here).
It comes with 6 deer tags, 1 bear tag, and 3 turkey tags. And we can shoot turkey's with a rifle.
Assuming you just shoot deer (and don't take a turkey or a bear) - it comes out to $7.6o per deer shot.
I figure the average doe around here will get me 40-50 pounds of meat. Lets go on the light side, and say its 40 pounds of meat. That comes out to $0.19 cents a pound. For venison.
Now, of course, your gun is going to have a cost. As will the ammo. But like I said, look for an old milsurp rifle, or even better, a shot gun. You can put slugs or buckshot in it and take deer - and then hunt turkeys with it in the spring with turkey shot. Assuming you spend another $150 on a used gun, that adds $25 to the cost of each deer shot (again, we are assuming you only take deer with it). And that's the cost for one season. After that, it is paid off and basically free in subsequent years. And it will last a long time.
$25 + $7.60 = $32.60
Again, assuming 40 pounds per deer (smaller does) is $1.23 per pound for venison. And that's a fully paid off gun in a single season. Most businesses would depreciate the cost of the gun over at least 3 years. And its not including the value of having a gun (protection, entertainment, fun) or the resale value (which should likely be what you paid for it, or more, assuming you don't misuse it).
Ammo, of course, has a cost. Maybe .25 a round (which is high). And so does travel (gas and time). But your not going to need to travel far, and presumably, those are costs you would have already incurred day to day anyway.
You can get a decent Buck 110 knife at Wal mart for under $30. That is all you need to gut and butcher your deer with ease.
