It makes no sense to me to limit trophy book animals to only public land. The animals are free to come and go as they please on most private land.

I'm real hard on this one..
I don't care how big an area they have it's all a MONEY ISSUE. The people with 20 or 30k a year to dump on shooting (notice i did not say hunting). Shame on you!

I think evey body needs to ask them self a question. If elk, deer , sheep, goats and the rest of those horned critters all had the same horns ,racks and even the same wieght how many of you would still hunt in the same maner you do now ? Hmmmm And to the guys who say they pass up critters looking for that BBBBIIIGGGG one. IF this was the case would hunting still have the same magic or not? Food for thought.

It's unethical plain and simple. These landowners by some perverted law are within their rights but it does not make it right. We are not growing Cattle its supposed to be "Wildlife". No animal shot on one of these things should be allowed to be entered in any sort of record book since its not "Wildlife" in the strictest sense of the word . We are living in an age where the deer population is exploding everywhere and yet some individuals have to fence off areas to grow bigger deer because we don't like the way the "public" deer are growing or we don't want adjoining landowners taking our "Special Deer". Oh and the beauty that all this High fencing adds to nature ... just a very nice touch.

If the definition of "high" is that the animal cannot jump it, then NO WAY should they be considered for the books. Absolutely not!! I have a hard enough time beleiving that as many deer get in the books with tons and tons of food plots, mineral suppliments and any other supplimental feeding. Look at some of the ads for some of this stuff..."grow your own trophies", "gather deer on to your own property", "grow your own field of dreams"...the list goes on and on.

Too many people are worried about inches........

I know a few good old boys that have harvested some awesome whitetail bucks over the years in the deep woods of the far northern part of this state. Several of them "could" easily be in the books, but they are just as content to not having their names in print, and just "hunt".......

All of my deer hunting is on private land where I have permission to hunt or on my own land. Does this mean I am not a hunter? Its a good thing that I think the record books are silly and couldn't care less about them. Well I quess I will go sit down and feel quilty because I have access to so much private land to hunt deer on.

You dang right! In my mind, if you work hard and put in the time, any animal you shoot is a trophy. I've never harvested anything that is "book class", as far as I know... I've never submitted anything. In mid-October, I spotted and stalked a button buck on private land here in MN. I dropped my quiver, kept one arrow, and belly crawling, I close the distance from 75 yards to about 15. I have more pride in that deer than the one I shot in (I'm gonna get ripped on for this) Texas at a feeder. It was the only deer I shot in Texas. Why? Here's how it worked: Near sunset, the feeder went off, and the deer came running. All I had to do is lay my gun down and shoot. Where is the challenge in that? I wouldn't have even hunted at a feeder, but that was my only choice at the time... I just HAD to hunt (I was in the Air Force at the time). On the other hand, I had to work hard hunting hogs down in Texas, we didn't do it "feeder style", it was spot and stalk.
To get back to my original point: It seems sometimes that the more money you have, the better chances you have of taking a "book" animal. If I had big money, I could have a record book animal too... but I don't believe I could look upon that mount with much pride. To me it would always be just like buying a nice mount at a garage sale. But, that's just my opinion.

Don't sit and feel guilty! I too have harvested lots of game on private land. I still feel it is "fair chase" because the animals are allowed to come and go as they please. Here in MN, it is illegal to use feeders, which I am thankful for. I would also like to respond to the deal about food plots and the like: I don't use them myself. I have considered planting in an area where I hunt in Wisconsin though. To be fair to those who use food plots... it's a helluva lot of work! Last year I constructed a watering hole but I never got a chance to hunt it. If I had taken a deer off of it, I would feel as though I earned it. I busted my a** with a pick and shovel every weekend in spring to get the thing dug. So my feeling is this: If you do the work yourself, the hard way without using a ton of motorized equipment, then: Yes, you earned any animal you take.

John. Very good points. I agree.

if the owner can let the land go unhunted and the bulls and bucks get bigger, i think no they are farmed, so no. a wild one can mone to new land year to year