Maybe a hobby for some....but being a hunter has paid off for me....and from my experience, it's not cheaper to buy it at the store. And the meat at the store is low quality. I got a buck this year, and got about 70 lbs of meat. It's not much but I paid $20 for my deer tag (I'm a disabled vet) and I've had my bow and other gear for years....I don't spend hundreds on arrows or anything. In all I spent about 60 bucks for 70 lbs of meat this year.....couldn't get that much healthy meat for that price at the store. I'm gonna be buying a house next year and plan on buying some land with it. I'll raise my own animals too and harvest them....but until that happens, hunting is still a viable option for me. At least for deer! haha Elk is a bit harder for me.