Yes, Pork and Chicken prices are getting ridiculous around here too.
The price of venison around my place has stayed stable.
Yup its 48 bucks in the Great State of Texas to hunt on public lands over 1 million acres scattered across our fine state. We have drawn hunts too for 3 bucks an entry some places are so remote that every entry gets drawn. Small game hunting is allowed in most of our Wildlife Management Areas for 20 bucks a day or free with the annual permit, kids 17 and under hunt free with an adult and their permit that’s 10 deer for a father son team using all 5 tags each per season more venison that one family can eat in a season. We get spring late spikeless in most of the state too for a second crack at Bambi.
For small game parts of Texas have an effective unlimited bag limit for squirrels and rabbits some places are 10 each per day per person, use a small rifle like a 17 HMR & 20gr FMJ which is legal in Tx for all small game and take the meat home. Feral hogs have no bag limits or closed season anywhere in the state and the little ones are quite delicious especially smoked whole over pecan and oak till fall off the bone tender. Again the 17HMR FMJ to the head leaves all the meat. The 17 is a sweet little tack driver my Mossberg shoots sub quarter sized groups at 100 meters off the bipod; to that distance its point and shoot for head shots on little edible critters. Ammo is cheap too ten bucks for 50 rounds lots of feral pork and rabbit for dinner at that rate. 5.56mm makes short work of feral hogs too but is too much gun for small game like rabbit or squirrels. When I small game hunt I carry my 17 and my Bushmaster flattop M4 with a Bushnell mildot on the rail in case something that legally needs a centerfire walks by. Like a deer or a turkey. 5.56 to the high neck or head for bambi or the wing joint ends the day every time for those critters too. FMJ again keeps the meat damage to a minimum an perfectly legal in Texas, shot placement shot placement slot placement is what hunting is all about.
There is no reason to pay 10 plus dollars a pound for beef or farm raised venison, or organic pork, shoot, clean, eat well.