ORIGINAL: davidmil
I think Kroll would have everyone do it like the Texas fenced in joints do. Most of his recent books have been on "Growing and Harvesting Big Bucks", Food plot production etc etc. Not all bad, but if he has everyone fencing and controlling the deer then everyone will end up behind walls. Well everyone with 10 or 20 thousand dollars to spend on a deer hunt. The minute people start talking about "Managing the herd" I see hunting going further from it's roots and further from the hunting I love. I know.... it's me, but I like it like it is in nature, not the way it is inside a fence with food plots, breeder stock and managing. Bag limits and all are a necessity, but we need biologist setting them, not some politician.
Obi Wan, you may have a very valid point. I'm not trying to slam Dr. Kroll and generally like what I've seen of him on t.v., but he has been the head biologist at a "hunting" ranch called Mustang Creek (
http://www.whitetailbuck.com/) for quite a while. I know of this place because one of my best friends has been given a free "hunt" for several years at said ranch. His description of the "hunt" is a guide usually accompanies each "hunter" to a stand where the guide will tell him what time the deer he can shoot should be coming through. If you see a different animal that you want to take other than the one covered in the paid "hunt" you can give the guide your credit card number which the guide calls in to the office and once it clears you can shoot a "trophy". Once the "hunt" is over, there are workers at the "ranch" that will "clean" your deer for you (gratuities are expected) which consists of them lopping off the parts you want with giant shears and chunking the rest. You can imagine how much meat is wasted. Now, my buddy doesn't really think its hunting but he loves the meat and has shot some other species. Once again, I'm not slamming Kroll but,
IMO, there's something distasteful about that operation and its a little suprising, or maybe disappointing that he is so involved with something like that. But I guess to each his own and everbody's got to make a living. I wonder if Charles Alsheimer is or would be involved with something like that? I wouldn't think so but I wouldn't have guessed Kroll would either. Sometimes it seems hunting is heading in a sad direction.