Ya'lls opinions on high fence hunting or "whitetail preserves"

It's not hunting. It's being guaranteed to be put in close proximity to game. I could go hunt an entire mountain in Idaho to find out that no elk are there at the time. It might take a weeks hunt to find that out. I could go hunt a 5000 acre enclosure in Idaho and know for a fact that there are "X" amount of trophy bulls present. BIG difference. Hunting is never a guarantee to be put in the presence of game. Walking into an enclosure is a guarantee that you have a chance.

I don't begrudge anyone of shooting game in an enclosure, but it should never be confused with the true definition of hunting.

 

Thats what people do to kill a mature buck wow i can go on public game land and kill a good buck thats mature.

 

Wrong! If you went to Idaho to hunt elk you would have been issued a permit for an area that was known for a fact to hold elk and not only that, you would know approximately how many elk are in that hunting area. Those elk numbers are managed wherever you hunt them. If you did go there not knowing if there were elk there, you might want to do some homework the next time you want to go elk hunting.

 

The difference in the words approximately and exactly determine whether or not it is a hunt. The fence provides and traps the exact amount of farm animals for the buyer to pretend he is hunting.

 

This thread jus keeps goin in circles.

How about some of these outfitters that provide "trophy" hunts at a higher price then regular hunts. Theres those out there that guarantee you they'll put you on a animal that will score "x" amount.

Obviously we all agree its not the same as what many of us do when goin to the woods, but I honestly can't believe how sickening this is to some peole. If there's people out there willing to pay the type of money that gets thrown out, who cares. The owner found a way to capitalize on his property. Call it hunting or killing or whatever, if that's what somebody wants to do to be happy, I say go for it.

 

I'm in TX. High fence operations are big business and expanding rapidly. I can understand the business side of it. After all, I'm a sales guy... Landowners usually say they build the fence to keep I get it deer out. We all know that's BS. I've passed on several opportunities to hunt high fence. Just not for me. Not sporting at all. More like deer shopping.

 

Outfitting is a service. Outfitting can take place in the wild or behind a fence.
I don't care what they do if it is legal, I just do not want it referred to as hunting, because it is farming. In most places the department of agriculture oversees the high fence operation, not the dnr.

 

I laughed.

There would be absolutely no guarantee that there would be a huntable number of elk throughout the zone. You even helped prove my point with your snide little "homework" comment. To HUNT in Idaho, I would need to do my homework. To "hunt" in an enclosure in Texas, I would only need to write a check. BIG difference. It's not hunting in the true sense. I have done both.

 

Your reading to much into it. Understand the point he (Fletch) was trying to make.

 

sooo does using a guide in the wild count as hunting?

Ill have to agree, this thread will keep going in circles.

 

I have bear hunted for almost 25 years. You make it sound easy. Not the case my friend, not even close.

As for my take on this subject, It is what it is. I'm not a fan of it but so be it. The only thing that really irks me is at times it kinda makes the rest of the non hi fence hunters look bad. I've heard non hunters talk about people shooting animals in an enclosure and they say that's not fair and then they throw every hunter into the mix. Kinda hard to argue with that I guess. None the less it is what it is.

 

I get where you're going, I dont agree with the high fenced places where they basically roll out an animal that has been raised by humans it's whole life. But what you're saying about non hunters saying about non high fence hunters, rings the same for high fence hunters that actually have a challenge and have it no easier than the wild.

Im sure it's not as easy to hunt over bait, and im sure its not so easy hunting with dogs, but everyone here is making deductions about high fence like I just did about the baiting. Wild raised animals in 50k acre ranch will have the same instincts as any other animal in the wild. 50k is huge.

I just dont understand how a line is drawn at high fence when baiting, hunting with dogs, night vision, kill plots, tree stands, guides, isn't. Its subjective and all the same in my book. Of course again referring to high acreage animals.

 

I too get where your coming from. By the way, I'm a little under 50% success rate bear hunting here in Minnesota. If I didn't use bait I guarantee that number would be MUCH lower, maybe even 0%. My deer hunting success rate smokes that as will most other deer hunters. I have yet to knock anyone who chooses to hunt in a fence but just call it what it is.

 

Using a guide or an outfitter in the wild is hunting. You are paying for a service. There are many different uses of a guide or an outfitter, some have the objective of harvesting wild game only and others are new to the area and want to gain the the knowlede of the animals and the environment in that certain area, etc.

The thread is a very good one and many aspects have been debated.

It might be going in circles, because of excuses made, but the truth remains that deer farming is not hunting. Animals that are fenced in and are trapped are not wild game they are livestock. I have no problem with farming. It's when someone claims they are hunting farm animals.

 

Truth eh. Tell me how much hunting you do when someone scouts and does all the research for you and you just follow him and shoot. Thats real hunting isn't it?

Excuses made, you should look at your own posts, you are providing excuses too.

 

It really is hunting. The whole hunt is divided among legal hunters. Instead of one person, it is more than one, but the process is legal and a hunt.

I always stand 100% behind what I post. I have no excuses or regrets.

 

There is no guarantee of harvest when you use a guide.

When you hunt behind a fence the harvest is guaranteed.

 

Guaranteed eh? Goose, I will gladly give you the opportunity to bow hunt, via spot and stalk, an axis deer on an 800 acre high fence operation of my choosing. If you are successful within three days, I will pay your entire expenses. If you fail, you pay only my airfare. I would like to bear witness to your prowess.

Too many of you haven't a clue what you're talking about! My bet has been open since 2003. I still haven't had one taker. I guess people are afraid of getting delicious free meat! Who cares how you come by it, right?

 

I have hunted a 3000 acre enclosure. It still was not what I call hunting. We knew when we started exactly what game was inside the fence. No guarantee of kill, but there is a guarantee that game is present. The OP was asking about whitetails. I guess we could also argue that you might struggle to kill a pheasant with a slingshot in a 10 acre fenced parking lot, but that is not what this debate is about. I am sure that an Axis deer is a worthy opponent with a bow in an enclosure of good size. However, I would like my odds on a Texas fenced ranch far better than chasing them in Pakistan or Nepal.

Again, I have no problem with anyone doing it. The problem I have are the egos that need stroked after killing a pen raised deer in an enclosure. THAT, is not hunting and never will be. Its harvesting an animal that was put there for that very purpose.

 

I have to agree with Iamyourhuckleberry that the harvest is often NOT guaranteed. The guarantee is that you will be in proximity to the game you are after.