Hunters differ on a lot of aspects of hunting – favorite game, trophies vs. meat, stalking or stand hunting – but one thing we can all agree on is: Geez, can hunting be expensive! Camo, guns, ammo, licenses, packs, knives, scopes, binoculars, boots, dogs, gas, duck stamps, guides – it all adds up quickly.

However, we’re all happy to have paid the price when we’re successful in the end. We all want to get value for our hunting expenditures. “Cheap” and “expensive” are relative terms – depending on how useful your purchase was and how much you love it – so as long as you get what you were expecting, you’re happy.

We asked some of our friends and followers to tell us what gear had given them a lot of value. That’s not to say they’re cheap – some are inexpensive – but rather that you’ll get more than your money’s worth from these products.

Tim Wagner: Federal Fusion Ammo

I began using Federal Fusion ammunition soon after it came out in 2005. I had always used Remington Core-Lokt ammo, but I had a couple of instances when I didn’t like its performance on deer. The marketing caught my attention – the lead core is bonded to the copper jacket and it is affordable. And, the performance proved it wasn’t just marketing. Most of my shots on deer passed completely through, and at the time I was using just a .243. When I did manage to dig one out of a deer, it was perfectly mushroomed and intact.

The performance was so good that rather than spend a lot of money on more expensive ammo for a safari to South Africa, I took Federal Fusion for my .30-06. I could afford to practice with it at the range beforehand, too. It performed flawlessly. The skinners brought me bullets from a close-in gemsbok shot and a 220-yard blesbok shot – both, again, had mushroomed perfectly and retained almost all their original weight. My professional hunter, like most PHs, was an advocate for the Swift A-frame bullet. However, that was the first time he had seen the Fusions, and he said he was impressed.

I’m still impressed, and that’s why I use the 120-grain Federal Fusions in my .25-06 for whitetails. Most of the common cartridges sell at retailers for between $20-$35 for a 20-round box.

Twitter user @sarahaustin110: Ozonics Scent Eliminator

From the Ozonics website: “Ozonics transforms oxygen molecules into ozone molecules and, with a silent fan, projects them downwind out over your scent zone where these unstable molecules bond with your scent molecules, rendering them unrecognizable to deer and other scent-savvy game.”

Mia Anstine: Leatherman Wave

With advances in technology and production, prices have dropped for many hunting items. With reduced prices, some products have also … (CLICK HERE to read more)

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Mia Anstine is an outdoor writer, licensed outfitter, hunting guide, life coach, keynote speaker, and range safety officer, firearms instructor, and archery instructor. She is the founder of MAC Outdoors and Host of the MAC Outdoors Podcast. 

Mia Anstine strives to encourage others to get outside, hunt, fish, shoot, and survive life with others in a positive way.

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Mia Anstine
MAC Outdoors LLC
PO Box 31
Ignacio, CO 81137-0031