RE: how is this "hunting"
You know gentlemen; I knew I was going to take a whole lot of heat when I responded to this thread. If you think less of me for doing so, well, I cannot change that. I have tried to hunt in as many places and situations as possible. I have learned a lot along the way. The foremost is keeping an open mind. Nothing, and I do mean nothing, is always what it appears on the surface. I do not support canned hunts (“size” does matter). On the other hand, I support high fence hunting- providing high degrees of difficulty and elements of fair chase are introduced. Despite what many of you may think, it is an incredible tool for preserving our various animal species. It’s not always about the “killing”.
Oam,
You are comparing apples to oranges. One is legal and the other illegal.
Sex between consenting adults is legal. Doing it before you’re married is considered immoral. And yet it is happening everywhere. Should we ban sex?
In my opinion, each of us has the right to our own privacy and way of life (providing we stay within the limits of the law. I’m sure you know the difference between “sex” and “rape”). Again, I do not tell you how to hunt. I respectfully ask that you do not tell me how to hunt.
Many of the African safaris outfits operate on concessions consisting of 60 to 120 thousand acres. This is especially the case in Namibia. The fences are not always intended to keep the animals in. They are there to keep riff raff out! They delineate where one should be and where one shouldn’t be. Yet, Poachers still fall heavily on African wildlife.
A lot of fine folks on this forum will be staying home when they find out the majority of Africa is behind fence. Their loss…
And yes, I would love to be the contractor who provides the fence for a ranch that large!
Outdoorslover
I beg to differ! I enjoy nature to the nth degree. I can show you plenty of photographs if you do not believe me. High fence hunting provides me with the opportunity to be out there all year long in amongst the animals I truly love! My hunting season never ends!
How does killing a two year old cow buffalo constitute “showing off” a rack? I simply wanted the meat! It tastes great-beyond belief actually! It’s lean, low in cholesterols and a heck of a lot cheaper than buying beef from the store. I do not believe that’s “stooping”. I believe that’s “prudent”. More importantly, my wife will eat it! I found my cow on a 100 square miles Wyoming ranch. The whole perimeter was fenced. The hunt itself was nothing like running the buffs around the corral ten times and then shooting them. There was an extreme amount of difficulty! I even shot some great photos-one being of a mountain lion. You should try it!
I do not need to “prove” anything. I know exactly where my accomplishments lie. My trophies are my trophies (many of them are a joke-but they’re mine). I could careless if you look upon them! I do not hunt for others, I hunt for myself. Now, I’m beginning to share my passion for the outdoors with my children (one of which is physically handicapped…again, I have first hand experience with regard to accessibility). I look forward to many new adventures and discoveries…high fenced or free ranging!
Kevin,
I hear you, and I agree. That isn’t much of a hunt. But, the examples you are mentioning in your state are not representations of the entire industry! You might want to do a little more homework. Some of these high fence operations are huge!
There is a difference between fair chase and free ranging. Many people get those two confused. I would love to take you to Texas and onto the Bar E Ranch. I guarantee you’ll see the difference. There’s an axis deer there that is very near 40 inches. I’ve seen him twice and have hunted him two times (other proficient bow hunters have battled this buck as well). To my knowledge, he's still standing! The Bar E goes through hundreds of hunter each year. The cover is thick and the animals there are given ample opportunity to evade their pursuers. It’s funny; I’ve hunted on a 66 acre low fence farm in Ohio and killed a 164 inch whitetail. It took me 15 minutes to do so. I’ve hunted a total of eight days on the Bar E (400 acres) and the one buck I truly desired is still running. Hmmm….I should do something about that!
As we sit here pondering all this information, I cannot help but to bring up that old adage:
“its not the size, it’s how you use it”. Having sex with a whore is easy. Doing it with a class act…a whole other realm! Open your minds guys!