Hunting high fence

[ELKBUSTER]

High fence hunting, how do you feel about it. I have never been but have talked to several people who have. They say you generally never see a fence and it's just like every other hunt they have been on. There is just something inside me that says this is just wrong. It seems to me these are always designed to be a full proof way for someone to harvest a bull of thier satisfaction. The more you pay the more the bull will score. I am all for protecting our right to hunt. I am interested to hear from individuals that have gone on these hunts, or would like to and people that wouldn't. I not interested in attacking someone who likes to do this type of hunting, just intrigued to know how everyone feels about this.

 

[One Track]

I can't imagine myself ever paying to hunt a high fence operation. Just doesn't seem right to me. But, on the other hand. I can see how it would be fun to have 20,000 acres, fence it, and add a bunch of game and exotics. Kinda like having your own zoo. But, paying to hunt there. I don't know about that.

 

[bighorn67]

For me, it depends on how much ground the game has to move around on. If it is 600 acres, forget it. 20,000 and up would seem to offer more of a fair chase scenario. Especially with limited roads. It is still a fenced hunt with captive animals, though.

Dave

 

[Common Sense]

Nothing wrong with it; but I don't think it would be my cup of tea.

 

[SDHNTR]

BOOO! Give me land, lots of land! But don't fence me in!

IMO this just breeds more monetary influence into the hunting industry. Not to mention that it reduces a majestic wild animal to a mere prisioner.

 

[tmoniz]

600 acres is a fair sized piece of land. I did my best blacktail hunting in northern california on 80 acres. Trouble was we had to wait for them to jump the fence.
It wasn't a turkey shoot by any means. we had to wait them out for hours. most of the time they didn't come over, but when they did the stalk was in play.

A friend of mine went to Colorado some years back for a private land elk hunt.
He missed a nice bull. The bull selected decided to jump the fence and head for public ground. A week later the rancher/outfitter called him and told him they had located their bull. He jumped on a plane and went back to harvest the animal.

A high fence hunt takes hunting out of hunting. It's for the cash cows of the sport.
Not us average folk.

If I want a good bull elk, I'll hire a guide for a horseback wilderness hunt.
Not a ranch hunt. Everyone should go at least once on a guided wilderness hunt.
It's really quite an experience. You never forget it.

I am not opposed to private land fenced hunts, but it is not my cup of tea either.
I am oppposed to Canned hunts. Everytime I see a video of a Canned hunt I get a bit pissy.

 

[WrldWdHntr]

i agree with bighorn67, it depends on how much property, but still on those kinds of hunts they jack up prices for whatever you want to shoot so i wouldnt catch myself paying for a hunt like this either

 

[GreekDrake]

It's all canned hunting in my opinion. Of course I am against it. However, I do realize that with more and more public land shrinking at an alarming rate in the end it might be our only choice.

 

[BDB]

If you want to see what people think and don't get many responses to this thread do a search for "+high +fence" or some other variations and you will find a few threads that got very heated and were pages long.

I would say that 20,000 fenced would be fair chase on wild animals, they have plenty of room to evade you. Never been on one yet though.

 

[bpnclark]

Fenced in property is not fair chase and is not hunting. I’m not against it, but I will never do it. There is still a lot of good public land out there but you have to get of the road and do some walking.

 

[BDB]

Originally posted by bpnclark@Jan 9 2006, 01:54 PM
Fenced in property is not fair chase and is not hunting. I’m not against it, but I will never do it. There is still a lot of good public land out there but you have to get of the road and do some walking.

So, lets take an average whitetail buck who lives his entire live in a 4-5000 acre chuck of land, which as I understand it is about right or even a very large home range for a buck. Now put him in 20,000 acres fenced. You really think it will be any easier to get on that buck than if the fence (which he may never see) wasn't there?

Trust me I'm not for canned hunts but there are times that even though there is a fence the hunt is no easier.

 

[bpnclark]

Whats next, fishing in swimming pools or taking a traq gun to the zoo. If you cant walk up a couple of mountains and find a true wild animal in its home, spend the money to “hunt” in a fenced piece of property.

 

[inchr48]

If I recall correctly, there are 640 acres in a square mile. 20,000 acres would then be 31.25 square miles (roughly 5.5 miles on a side). Unless an animal in this range is penned up against the fence, I think it is a pretty fair chase.

 

[wingbone_2003]

I would not do a high fence hunt,and do not agree with them even though alot of the hunting shows on tv are done in that enviroment,we just dont see the fences,i have a friend in idaho he raises elk on a 640acre ranch,he sells the bulls to hunting ranches in colorado,utah!heres a picture of some spikers well they should be good genes!

Wingbone...I had a few extra minutes and edited your images for you. Don't take this wrong, but if you need to practice getting the size right, please use the test forum (at the bottom of the main page). These big pictures really screw things up for folks with slow connections.
Speckmisser

 

[wingbone_2003]

heres one more,sorry if the picture is to big im new at this!

 

[wingbone_2003]

the only thing i like about high fences,is so i can take pictures!

 

[wingbone_2003]

one more!

 

[Widux]

This question comes up about twice each year- i am not for or against Hi fence hunting- Have hunted AK for 25 yrs BUT then also hi fence in Texas-28,000 acres- nice sized ranch with no cross fencing or feeding of animals- it was fun and that's that- really not the same as a Dall's hunt in Brooks range--but i knew what it was before hand and had no illusions-Hunting hogs/turkey behind fences is like no fences as the go over(turkey) or under(hogs) as long as it's legal do it!!

 

[wmidbrook]

Seriously, for grins and giggles, I'd like to do the following hunt in Texas from my house in CA...

Okay, there's a little robot with a .270, video, heat sensor and night vision on a scaled down miniture Bradley/Argo that can go just about anywhere on a 10,000 acre game preserve in TX. It goes anywhere a quad or even horse can and then some.

I'm at the helm and have full real time control over it for an hour or so after I get off work for a few weeks each year or two.

After renting the unit about 30 hrs and traveling all over this ranch, I finally find what I want, and shoot it. The ranch hands use their GPS to find the downed game and robot, skin it out and process it for me. I get a shipment of meat in the a few days later.

I'd never do a penned archery or muzz hunt for elk though...

I've paid for planted pheasant and chukar before so what's the diff I guess. And if it weren't for pens, it's highly unlikely that I'd be doing any elk hunting for Tule Elk ever nor for Rocky Mt elk anywhere except maybe around yellowstone wyo.....so, in some regard, almost all elk I've been after (even in 'wild' public lands) have been decendants of penned elk....

So, without a high fence, how far can an elk roam? In some Mt. Ranges with habitat encroachment, elk have far less area to roam than say the High Fenced King's Ranch which is over 250,000 acres or the 400,000 acre Tejon....a few desert basin ranges come to mind like the Stansbury Range in Utah or the Deep Creek range where there is far less area than on the "High Fenced" King Ranch...

So, how much area is necessary for Fair Chase? I think that's the real question.

 

[Coues]

To each his own. As long as they are treated humanely and the meat is eaten. No different than going down to the supermarket and picking out a steak.