Critr-Gitr

Just as food for thought, research shows that most deer live and die within 1 mile of where they were born. So, theoretically, if you take a circle with a 2 mile diameter, that calculates to 3.1416 square miles, which is 2010 acres. So on a 2000 to 4000 acre high fence ranch, chances are the fence will influence the deers lifestyle very little, if at all. Get up to 10 or 15 thousand acres, and most of the deer don't even know the fence exists.

The question at that point mainly comes down to the genetic alterations that occur within high fence and the money you want to pay to hunt there. Also on highly fragmented lands there is the distinct possibility of spooking the deer off of the particular 40 acre tract that you have permission to hunt. On a 25000 acre low fence ranch you can pursue the deer wherever he wishes to go. The fact is, that if he is in the middle of that area, he will never go off the boundaries of that land, and how high the fence is has absoultely nothing to do with it, because he will never get far enough away from his core area to find out if he can jump the fence or not. It is no different that vast rtracts of public hunting land.

Dang, how did I endbeing the poster boy forhigh fence, when I don't really care one way or the other? High fence doesn't really bother me, I just don't want to see the whole country covered with it.

121553

Critr, what happens when that deer is born along the fence line? Do all deer go to the middle of the lease and give birth? Also, a buck in the rut will venture further than two miles and then what happens when he gets to the fence line and takes a whiff and can't get that doe on the other side teaseing him.
Also, is the fence used to keep game in or people out?

Bobby

RIStrutStopper

1000 acres is alot of land... bigger than any private parcel I have permission to hunt on right now... If the herd is wild and not trucked in or pen raised, I'd call it hunting. Especially if it isnt high fence...

bowtech die hard

I just don't agree with anything being fenced. Now if other guys want to hunt there that's fine, this is America what the hell right. But as far as I'm concerned I don't believe in it. I hunt animals that are free ranging, no fences, no worries. It's the only way that I feel like I don't have any sort of advantage besides my weapon. For me shooting an animal that's fenced is like picking out a cool shirt from your favorite clothing store. It's just not the same for me. But that's just me.

rybohunter

Take any of you here and have you hunt a 1000 acre parcel of land, Give you 2 days to scout, 5 to hunt.

Take that same parcel of land and put a fence on it and the same 2/5 scout/hunt restriction and I bet the odds of success don't increase any.

BareBack Jack

Well judging from the results it's about a even split.
You need to define "FENCED".I live in Montana and about every animal I have killedhas been killed behind a fence,yep thats right a 4 strand Barbed wire fence.It ain't desinged to hold the deer/elk/antelope,but cows,horses or sheep.
When you are on your next guided hunt in thewest count all the fences you see.Heck even the WMA have a fence around it,evreything is behind a fence some where.

Now if you say a 20 ft chain link fence,no thats not hunting.
BBJ

Critr-Gitr

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to talk anyone into high fence (BTW, I assume we MUST be talking about high fence, because low fence doen't stop ANY game from moving), as I've said before I don't care for it myself, but I will say this. On that 10,000 acre ranch I was talking about earlier that burned, if you think you can take your bow and go walk down the buck of your dreams in those canyons and draws, relying on that fence to provide you the opportunity, then you are greatly mistaken. The deer that live along it know where it is much better than you do, and will not let themselves get penned up by it, not when there are thousands of acres to roam on. You could have a month, or two , or three, and without being a good hunter or being very lucky, it just ain't gonna happen. You will learn alot about deer and deer movement though. Every year they find sheds from deer they have never seen before, just like the rest of us do in deer country everywhere.

raging_bull

May I remind everyone that most of hunting in Africa today is done behind fences, and for me an African safari is definitely as wild as it gets. It all depends on the size of thefenced area,I guess.

Rob/PA Bowyer

The other thing to consider is some of the big Texas ranches that are indeed fenced are fenced to keep deer out of the established genetics rather than only to keep deer in....also, the deer may be a wild free roaming(?) species and the fences are for the exotics.....it's a catch 22....the deer can be as wild as any in the country however, the deer can't leave the fenced area....that's where the controversy lies.

I do however have a problem with small enclosures and those that think it's hunting. Example is Nascar's Wally Dallenbach...he hunted our local 100 acre enclosure....he wanted a droptine buck..they found him one, they release it and he shot it with a rifle after they pushed it by him several times to get the right camera angle.....sad...you should see the pics of him beaming over his "trophy". It was a great tame buck tho. [&:] At the time, Dave Watson hunted with him and passed a 170 class because he never offered the natural camera shot. They were hunting for a scent company and needed the buck to stop at the scent but it never did instead it ran by with it's tongue out from being pushed.....Now mind you, I like Dave Watson and enjoy what he does for hunting but just don't always be fooled.

HAZCON7

Is this "hunt" over 1000 acres of desert with only shrubs and a tripod stand over the only water hole?
or is it 1000 acres of thick Illinois forest? Big difference.