mammasboy:

Actually there is a "buffer zone" between fence lines that we share with neighbors. We dont erect any stands or feeders within eye sight of the neighbors roads or senderos. In most cases all of our stands and feeders are 1/4 mile from the neighbors fence. But we do this out of respect for the neighbor and they do the same for us.


There is a road that follows the perimeter fence all the way around the ranch. The clearing from the edge of the brush to the high fence is about 5-20 yards in most all places. If I'm driving around, or one of the guest are driving around,andifwe see a buck standing on that road then I (they) will shoot it. That buck knows the route he took to make it to the road, and he knows exactly how to get back to it. He dosent realize that 25-50% of his "escape" route is blocked, what he does realizes is that his escape route is completly open on one side and in one or two bouces he is back in the brush. Honestly most bucks that are spotted on the ranch roads are only seen for a brief second or two. Generally the only time the bucks stay on the road allowing for a shot is during the rut or if they are feeding away from us or at a long distance.

I dont limit any part ofmy ranch to hunting except for the Exxon Pasture, whichsurrounds the main headquarters and thereisa small oil & gas refinary in the area. Butthe way I look at it is simple. The bucks have thousands of acres to roam, if by chanceone should step out with in shooting distance then thats a mistake he made and I'm going to capatilize on it.

BigJ12:

The state dosent make any more money off of a high fenced hunt or ranch, then it does on a low fencedhunt or ranch. The only money the state makes from the hunt is from the hunters lic. sell and when the landowner pays property and income taxes.

Thats what public land is for.

There is currently several lobbies, landowners, and politicans who are trying to make deer in Texas PRIVATE property. Whos ever land the deer is/was standing on at the time in question, is who wouldown that deer. Private property rights, hunting, and deer are big bussiness in Texas. Most people in Tx agree that within 10 years the deer will be private property. Most people arent going to notice a difference, considering thats how it pretty much already is. But hey if somebody still wants to shoot "state owned" deer they could go to Iowa or Michigan or anyother state and try to fight for a spot to hunt.

The law they are trying to pass here in Texas has "NOTHING" to do with High fence ranches and the deer on the property. The new proposed law changes will pertain to deer farmsand genetic facilitys only, the law is short and simple, If a deer is born on a state permitted breeder facility it is the sole property of the owner and ownership will be tranferable through TTT permits issued byt the state..

Do you really think people will come to Texas and dish out thousands and thousands of dollarsfor any "high fence hunt" if the fences are only 4ft high and there is NO LONGER the probabilitythey will shoot a monster buck????? Come on get real, and what about the millions of dollars that the state generates from out of state hunters spending money in Texas that they will no longer see?? If you think the state cares about anything but the bottom line you are sorely mistaken. If the statedidn't make money those fences would come down faster than you could say JR Ewing.

NO, thats what public DEER are for....get it.


Well I guess that kinda puts a damper on your deer stealing parade.

Obviously I can't stop you from "penning" in state deer, I wish I could. But I can say that I feel by doing that you are commiting one of the most selfish acts any sportsman can do. You are taking "fair chase" out of the hunt.

So the buck knows how to escape but does not know there is a fence there?If he knows how to escape then he darn well knows whats around him.

So make up your mind does he know there is a fence or not???? in one breath you say he does not realize that 25-50% of his escape is blocked, then you say he DOES REALIZE that his escape route is completely open on one side. If he knows the one side is open then he knows the other is not, so he DOES REALIZE that there is a fence.

But what's MORE important is that YOU ALSO KNOW the only way the deer can escape and that in my opinion is not fair chase.

That's hunting???? pathetic.

You want to play high and mighty Mr. Texas big shot go right ahead ifit makes you feel better. But until you stop shooting deer in a "pen" you will never be a hunter in my eyes, and all the acreage in the world won't change that.

Apply that to any form of hunting that would allow you to hunt the big Texas whitetail without ever having to go there. I hate being played like harp, one of the reasons I'm scepticle when these guys mount a high horse. I know what makes the powerful tick.

This is why I'm glad I hunt rough, thick, steep, coal field mountains because most people are too lazy to hunt it, let alone put up a high fence!

IMHO, high fenced pens is not hunting!!!!

Yep......MONEY!

In my eyes there is onlytwo reasons why someone would "pen in" state deer with high fencesand they are
1. money, 2. selfishness

The moneyreason doesn't bother me as long as the land owner(s) BUYS and breedsthe deer. If the land owner(s) pays for and raises the deer and also abides by the states deer farmstand regulations,then they can put up any size fencethey want and sell "can hunts" till the cows come home, orpatrol in their truck till they see oneand shoot it.

But to pen in state deerso you cansell hunts or justbecause you want to be the only one hunting them is not only against all rules of fair chase it's also very selfish andas far as i'm concernedunethical and should be illegal.

Either way, it's NOT hunting.

BigJ12:

First of all a 4 foot fence is not considered a high fence, its just a standard barbwire fence that any deer can jump over. Secondly, YES people would and do still come to Texas and dish out thousands of dollards to hunt on ranches that are NOT high fenced. Take the King ranch for example, it is not high fenced yet the top deer on the ranch bring a $20-25,000 price tag. There are many ranches in the area that are NOT high fenced yet get $15-20,000 for the bigger bucks. Most ranches weather they are high fenced or NOT, get atleast $3,000 per deer hunt with most being in the $5,000 range.And lastly, even if your hunting on a high fenced ranch there is never a guarentee that you will see or kill the type of buck your hunting for. In south Texas killing a 140" or less buck is not that big a deal, its very common even on ranches that are NOT high fenced, but once you get into the true trophy size deer (160+) your chances of killing one is drastically reduced.

Not really. Like I said in an above post, the landowners in Texas carry a very big and powerful political stick and if they really want somethingthey will get it. And most of our elected officals are also landowners, most of them are large landowners. One of the gentlemen who is the chairman of Texas Parks & Wildlife is one of the largest landowners in the state and is also one of the richiest people in the country. The politicans for the most part are on our side.

Not all people high fence their ranch for money, I dont. I dont sell ANY hunts on the ranch. The only people who hunt on it are people that I invite. Saying its all about the MONEY is not true. Most people high fence their ranch because they want to and because they can. Its really that simple........

I never said it was....read my post.

Your right, there was another reason that you didn't even touch on, go figure....SELFISHNESS

Someone who wouldpurposely "pen in" STATE deer on their property so they can ride around in their truck and shoot them is (in my eyes) being selfish and unethical.

Correct me if i'm wrong but those deer belong to the people of the state and not anyone person correct? So what givesYOUthe right to "pen" them in?

Go ahead and spin it anyway you want but the truth is you "pen in" those deer so you and your buddies can shootthem and nobody else can. It's really that simple.....

You should be proud of yourself.

Wow...you call this hunting? So not only do you put up a giant pen to keep the deer in that you don't own, then you drive around the fence line and shoot one you like when you see it. But, I guess that's ok since its your property and you can do whatever you want on it.

If you want to put upa fence and raise deer so people can come in and shoot them, that's fine, I still think its a "canned" hunt, but as long as you purchase the deer then they are rightfully yours. But at least stay ethical about it and don't road hunt them or teach other people to road hunt.