Guys, I know most of you mean well, but lets get the facts straight...

The deer we own are ours. We do not take wild deer and contain them. Through years of captive selective breeding we have desirable attributes bred into deer that we purchase. There might be exceptions, but generally speaking, we are selective as to whats in and whats out.

This idea that guys could always hunt so and so's land and now its tied up with leases/enclosures/other hunters priviledge, look, its usage. If you own the land, you get to choose how to use it. If you dont, you have no say. It stinks, but thats the way it goes.

Why is it always a rich doctor who lives in NY that doesnt know how to hunt? Kansas, for example, recently opened non resident hunting. Just for more rich doctors from NY, Ill bet...

Like it or not, captive herds and the records of their movement are the only tool that agencies have to look at trace back records. CWD and other disease is in the wild and has spread more due to other means than the captive herd programs. Im tired of defending this one based on other's accusations based on heresay. In fact, captive herds have done more to HELP control EHD, by way of breeding for resistence.

As far as losing land (land you never owned to begin with) for hunting, you had better get out there and make development illegal too, while youre at it. And take a look at who can and cant sell their land too. Horse farms? Illegal, you cant hunt on those either. Seem silly? Of course it is. All these things are taking away prime hunting opportunities for you and I. Large leases are not exclusive to just rich docs. Enclosures might not be your cup of tea either. But, when the rest of the land is developed, and permanently lost, who will you blame then? What should be illegal then? We cant buy up all the land to keep for hunting, thats why so many landowners are selling off. Maybe leasing or at least setting aside land long-term IS the last resort.

Ive had some nice PMs with guys in here thats been pretty civil, I hope this thread can do the same...