RonM

I rode by there several years ago, I dont think the fences are all that tall , you could probably climb over them going from hog ranch to sheep ranch, to exotics without a lot of problem.....

wvhuntin4me

It is Ghetto way to easy

bowtruck

never hunted tioga preserve but just driving by lots of fenced animals

coach1299

I have hunted Tioga a few times and I thought that they were very good although they just raised their prices again, and it's becoming a question about being worth the money. Make no mistake about it; it is a (canned) controlled fenced area hunt, but it can be a lot fun if you don't kid yourself. I would not tell you that it's like a real fair chase open hunt because it's not. I went because I used it as a learning tool for my kids, and I used a revolver with open sights and took what I felt were very clean and sporting opportunities. My thought was that I wanted to provide my kids with a positive and enjoyable first big game hunt. I was careful to explain that it's not real fair chase hunting, but that I thought it would be fun for all us to get something on our first big game outing. We all took a hog. The kids and I have put our time in since then with open fair chase hunting and separate the difference. I didn't leave there telling them: Okay guys now you're real big game hunters, but we had a great time, all got something, and have great memories. I thought that the first big game outing can sometimes be disappointing and frustrating to a kid. Others will say: "but that's hunting", and I agree but I have no regrets about taking them to Tioga and having some fun as long as you don't kid yourself. The other factor is that I don't have any hog hunting areas within easy driving distance, so boar preserves in PA are an alternative. I will admit that I did take a doe there, but only because we already had our fill of boar, and he gave me a great deal on it, and it was a good opportunity for me to familiarize myself with a new gun without the high risk of blowing a shot at a trophy. It was fun, worth the price to me, tasted excellent, and allowed us a little table variety for a while. Nothing to brag about but very sensible as far as I'm concerned for my purposes. It's just a pleasant change from the hard earned time put in on all of those other fair chase hunts which I've been on. It's like miniature golf; no it's not the 18 hole full course, but it can still be fun and practical, just don't kid yourself. Talk to Mark or Rodney, they are both very nice and honest, but don't let them rush you either. As good as they are, I kind of thought that they might have a tendency to push you a little to take a shot because it's more money in less time for them. In their defense they would just say that they didn't want you to miss an opportunity, which might have some truth to it, but there will be plenty of opportunity, so don't let anyone hurry you because the price is the same whether you get your animal at 9 PM or 3 PM. Personally I'll compromise; I like to get situated, get a good feel of my surroundings and a good once over of the area and then pop my animal and be back around lunch time. That's the nice thing about Tioga, you can make it to be whatever you want it to be. Nothing will prohibit you from going one on one with a boar unarmed, or taking a shot at a deer running at 350 or 400 yards. It's entirely up to you. Just make sure you give them a little flack about the price because they're getting a good buck out of you, and I think they could of and should of held down their prices in this economy. Now I have to check with their competitors for better prices because they have raised them so much. Good luck!, and I wouldn't do the Island in the Susquehanna either. I looked into thoroughly and found and agree with the other post that it's purely put and take one animal per hunter on a daily basis, and I think they're putting a farm pig out there for you to shoot rather than a real wild boar. I'm not interested in that deal, but then again it may work for some people, and it's certainly a lot cheaper.

BarnesX.308

Coach - you summed it up perfectly.

I took my 7 year old on a ram hunt on a preserve for that very reason. I wanted him to get a big game animal just so he could get something. This was after he hunted every weekend in the PA big woods for deer in archery so he knew that hunting was not easy. I booked the hunt just in case he didn't get a deer his first year (buck only for mentored youth). A buck in archery is tough for anyone, let a lone a 7 year old. He surprised me and got his buck. I kept the ram hunt, though. I figured, by mid-Feb. we'd be bored and it would be fun.

We did do the island hunt and it was a pretty canned hunt. However, they had about 3 foot of snow on the ground and my son was about 4 feet tall. So he had to work his azz off to find a ram and that made it worth while. For the grown-ups shooting pigs with rifles, no challenge at all.

If he doesn't get a deer this year, I may go to a different place and get him another kind of ram. We'll see. Like coach said, it is what it is.

But hey, how many folks go fishing on opening day of trout season? And how many of them look up to see where the hatchery truck is going to be before deciding where to go? That's not fair chase. Going after native brookies or hitting the ocean is fair chase. Same thing with stocked pheasants.