It doesn’t matter if you’re a bow hunter or you use a muzzleloader, we all love the sport of hunting. The amount of time you’ve devoted to becoming the skilled hunter that you are has probably paid off in some memorable harvests–maybe a 12-point in the spring or a 215-pound wild hog in the summer. But have you considered how hunting can pay off financially?
The internet has made professional and novice hunters famous and helped bring awareness to how important hunting is for our community. While you may not get rich hunting, you may be able to earn a little extra money doing what you love. All you need is a good and reliable internet connection, via any of the cox internet plans, for example, and you are in business.
If you make hunting knives, custom bows, or great gear, you can turn your hobby into a business using one the convenience of the internet. You can even sell your hunting pictures.
1. Become a Guide
You’ve probably thought about this before: How cool would it be to take other people out and show them the perfect spot on a perfect day, and let them harvest the perfect buck? It is amazing. If you’ve taught one of your kids how to hunt, you know how special it is to see their eyes light up on their first trip. If you haven’t taken your kids hunting–you need to. Being a fishing or hunting guide can give you that feeling time and time again.
You can become a guide at a lodge to learn the ropes a bit better or assist an established guide with some of his bigger hunting parties. Once you have a clear idea of what you’re doing, you can take groups out on your own. When you first start, you should expect to make between $1,000-$2,000 per month during the season, but once you get a good reputation, you can charge almost double!
2. Become an Outdoor or Adventure Blogger
All you have to do is create a blog name. It can be pretty straightforward, but the more unique, memorable names usually get more traffic and a longer lasting readership. Once you’re happy with your blog name, register for a domain and design your website layout. Most services have templates you can use.
Then start writing–be sure to include pictures and post your blog to Facebook. I know what you’re wondering…when do you make money? Well, after you have a decent blog following, you can earn money by becoming an affiliate website that recommends the best hunting or fishing gear or by charging for sponsored content. All you have to do is keep writing and keep hunting.
3. Sell Your Knives
If you have a knack for making or repairing hunting knives, you can always sell them online. You can also sell your custom-built sheaths or other handmade hunting accessories. And you don’t even have to waste your time posting to an auction site and waiting around for bids.
Creating an online shop is easy. You can find a hosting service that will help you with setting up your website and accepting payments. All you have to do is register a great domain name, then choose your template, and list your items. Then you can share your shop with your friends through social media, and package and ship items as they sell.
4. Take Great Photos and Sell Them
You don’t have to be a professional photographer to make money selling your pictures. If you have a quality camera, like a Canon Rebel, you can sell prints of your photographs from an online shop, but if you just have a smartphone, you can snap pictures to sell for blogs and websites.
You can sell framed photographs at your weekend crafts market or at consignment art shops. But the easiest way to sell your picture’s on stock photo websites. These websites will often pay you a royalty or a percentage of the price users pay to download these photos.
Photos of subjects that aren’t as common can usually fetch a higher dollar. Photo prints usually need exceptionally high resolution to look nice, but photos for web use don’t have to be quite as crisp. You will want to make sure your photos are high enough quality that users will want to use them, though.
If you’re wondering how you can make a profit while enjoying some fresh air and a good hunt, try one of these ideas. Being able to turn your hobby into a profitable side business or extra income can really be a bonus. Make sure you keep track of your expenses for tax time. Otherwise, get out there, have fun, and make some memories.