Txhunter58 let's not get carried away. No real sportsman wants to slaughter a "deer a day". And Dep214 don't attack people hunting there as "lazy" or that the cost is high. Don't forget the cost is more because of other things like accomodations, meals, guides, vehicles, butchering/freezing and even free extras like fishing and sporting clays. You don't have to invest in camping equipment or travel trailers, atv's or stands. So your money is spent one way and others spend perhaps the same amount to hunt differently. Remember too that not everyone has time to find land, scout, put up feed and stands or get there more than once a year. Life is busy not "lazy" for some people and getting a chance to go hunting for only a few days is all some people have because of work constraints so they choose the all inclusive option. Also some people only go once every 3 or 4 years saving their money to hunt once in awhile on a ranch with great bucks and not on an annual basis. It's not only rich folks who want to hunt like this.

You can't manage a deer herd effectively without tools. The biggest tool is age dynamics. I can't imagine a 140 class or above deer getting that big without being at least 3 1/2 years old. Most would have to be 4 1/2 or more actually. There's slim chances that with poachers on the prowl you could produce at least 10% of your herd with deer this old. The high fence is a tool to help keep poachers and neighbors who'll shoot anything that walks by at bay so these deer can grow old. It's wise to give dep214 credit and admit the other beneficial effect is to cull undesireable deer. He fails to recognize that this is also a tool for management. His logic is lost if you consider fishing. I guess he's above fishing in a pond with good artificial structure feeling it would be "unfair" and would prefer fishing in reservoirs. His only problem is that he and many other people feel the fence shoves deer into a corner and you'll never change their minds. Many smaller properties are unfortunately run like that on a "preserve" basis in nearly pen like conditions. However the original poster wasn't going to an operation like that. In fact lots of premium bucks on huge high fenced lands, like the 10,000 acres described, are never even seen until the rut and many of them are found dead of old age since the brush is almost impenetrable. The issue will always be very debatable of course but let's not forget that the anti's want us divided so let's unite under a unified hunting umbrella and not rip each other merely because of style over substance.

Edited by - soonershooter on 11/11/2002 12:38:32

Edited by - soonershooter on 11/11/2002 12:41:30