I think that there's other problems with using ham radio as the solution. Primarily, the requirement for a license is going to be stumbling block. I don't think the license is particularly difficult to get but it does require you to be interested in doing so. Some people just aren't going to be that interested, you can't just throw money at it and get one. It's not really possible to substitute ham radio for telephone type things all the time, I honestly don't know of a pizza joint that has a radio for ordering. (That's kind of a 'stretch', but you get the point, right?)
Ham radio, or CB radio, are certainly possibilities, but I don't think either would be all that reliable, or the 'best' solution in this instance.
As for the voip thingy. It isn't exactly the easiest, or the most 'frugal' method for communications while out hunting, or other circumstances. It introduces another level of complexity, which is something that really isn't needed, or wanted, or 'do-able' in certain circumstances. Still, it's a possibility.
Sometimes, there just are no easy/simple solutions to a problem. Sorry 'bout that.
- 'Doc