With the rigs I see on the road in the fall, 3/4 ton truck loaded with a $2,000+ commercial blind, $800 feeder, $20,000 ATV on a trailer, who knows how many cellular trail cams, plus the cost of a lease, I think buying a side of beef might be the more economical option.
Then there’s the time & effort involved in setting everything up, keeping feeders loaded, maintaining all that equipment. That’s just tedious work to me.
I’d much rather spend my time & energy having fun exploring, even if I don’t shoot anything.
You're not wrong there.