High fence poll
 

I dont want to get in a disscussion. I want everyone to cast your vote, no disscussion unless you absolutely cannot hold back. But thats not what this thread is about. I just want the concensus. It a multiple pick

RE: High fence poll
 

Not to be overly critical, but it would be helpful if you could be a little more specific. For example, I doubt you would find much support for a 40 acre high fence operation, but folks may tend to be indifferent about a 50,000 acre ranch doing it.

RE: High fence poll
 

I voted that it's the land owners right becuase it is. If they're shelling out all kind of money for QDM, why would they want their investment to run off and get killed by other people. Or have other people sneaking into their land to poach their animals.

RE: High fence poll
 

I'll respect everyone's own opinion. But, in my mind fenced in hunting shouldn't be allowed if it's 10 acres or 50,000. I'm sorry but I just can't see the sport of killing a animal that is fenced in regardless how big the "pen" is.

RE: High fence poll
 

I picked that it's a landowner's right, because it is and I support that. As a landowner, you should have the right to do whatever you want on your land. If you want to "grow" deer that's fine butyou won't get much respect from me if you've killed a deer behind a high fence.

When I was about 15, I had a friend (he was in his late 50's) who wanted a big buck, and he didn't really care how he got it. So he looked around and found a high fence operation out of Ohio and booked a hunt. It sounded pretty good, they said it was a large area and had about 200 deer on it, and a flock or two of turkeys came around there during certain times of the year. I asked the guy if they had anything else on it, and he said "yes we have elk too", when I asked if they had any big ones he said they had a big 7X7 bull and if I wanted it, he would let me hunt it with his muzzleloader (I forget what kind it was but it was from one of their sponsors). They were supposed to have a lodge, and cook, and they were going to film the hunt to air on TV.

Well, it turned out to be 200 acres of open hardwoods with feeders scattered throughout the place. The 7x7 elk was the ONLY elk they had on the place (needless to say, I passed on it after seeing the conditions), the "lodge" was an old run downsingle wide trailer, there was no cook and that was fine because there were dead mice all around the kitchen, and the method of hunting was to do drives from one side of the property to the next.My friend eventually got a big non-typical buck after several days of "hunting", and they guy said it was a 160 class deer and wanted him to pay the trophy fee for a 160 class deer. Well, my buddy had it scored, and it only scored 135, so he only paid the guy for a 130 inch deer. The guy said it was a high fenced deer and you couldn't have it scored, but as we all know, you CAN have it scored but you just can't enter it into any record books. They ended up going to court and my buddy won. Needless to say, the hunt never made it on TV [8D].

That kind of left a bad taste in my mouth about high fenced hunting. I know this was kind of "worst case" and that the majority of high fenced places are much better, but it just isn't for me. It's probably the reason I can't stand to watch high fenced hunts on TV too.

RE: High fence poll
 

Land owner's right in my book.

As far as hunting inside, I have never done so, so I have no clue how that would work out. I would think that if the land enclosed was of sufficient size, I'd not be able to tell the difference from "free range". However, I would be at a loss to define "sufficient size".

RE: High fence poll
 

i think if you want to kill a deer get out there and do the leg work to find them, not pay some one to put one there for you, deer farms are cool to look at and see but not for killing.

RE: High fence poll
 

Yes, people have a right to fence their land. But, I'm still at a loss to understandhow it is someone's right to trap and restrict the movement of wild game, a public resource, for profit. If someone wants to buy deer and stock their fenced operation then it is hard to argue that it is not their right to do it. However, if someone simply encloses a couple thousand acres of "their" land, then they are now trying to control "our"resource.

RE: High fence poll
 

In my best Tony Montana voice " Bingo "
No question a large parcel and deer are free to escape. But thats not the issue. Whitetail deer are native to the states and thats where I have a problem. deer are a natural renewable resource andI dont see how its allowed to enclose and trap them. Say you owned a piece of land with a running creek or river on it, what if the neighbor upstream damned it up to make a lake ? well that wouldnt be allowed, this is against the law and thats exactly what a high fence is.
I grew up here in Texas and the high fences have become a never ending fence. I drove for miles the other day and it was just fence after fence. That is bull. People that own small acerage pay the price. Now its only the people with money that beneifit from it.
I dont think whitetail deer should be allowed under a high fence simply because they are native to this country, even if you bought them, which should be outlawed also. the only way I see it being legal is if you were to stock it with exotic animals and all native animals were removed.
Here in Texas redifish and trout cannot be comercialy fished, then why are deer allowed to be commercialized. All this needs to go away , high fences, buying and selling of deer, and most buying a deer to shoot. I think guiding should be outlawed as well, or at the very least given a limit on game taken. Our Texas coast is litered with guides that take clients out 365 days a year. Do realise just how many fish he pulls from the ocean, times all those guides. Thats a raping of those waters and who pays, the ordinary fisherman.

RE: High fence poll
 

I live in Texas as well as see a lot of high fences. I have a lot to say, but a lot of it will duplicate zrexpilot. But, on the other hand, where does it end? A lot of hogs are trapped, sold at auction and are hunted for a fee. Granted, not the kind of fee a deer is, but it's basically the same concept. Only I have yet to talk to or meet a land owner who wanted these renewable natural resources (hogs) on their land tearing up thier fields and destroying crops.

RE: High fence poll
 

x2

RE: High fence poll
 

This is a good topic with good posts. On both sides. However, IMO, i think the main issue is the fact that it is the whitetail deer! as posted hogs are inside HF ops, so are axis and other exotics yet for some reason the whitetail deer is in a different light.

I know that the deer is North Americas most hunted big game and perhaps that is why. I know that many places have catfish ponds stocked full of cats, and sold by the pound. Not many have barked about that, but fill a pond full of largemouths, watch out.

RE: High fence poll
 

I think that the issue with exotics is that they are imported for the purpose of stocking hunting operations, so it is not really an issue of a public resourse as with whitetails. I think that catfish have traditionally been veiwed as a market item in terms of commercial fishing and farming, whereas bass have always been thought of as a "sporting" fish.

RE: High fence poll
 

I am a firm believer that it is your land, you pay taxes, and you should be able to do dang near anything you want to on your own property. If you want to invest the money to build a fence, then go for it. Honestly if I had 2,000 + contiguous acres and the money I would consider doing it myself..

RE: High fence poll
 

Amen brother, I feel the same way about my ground. But, just get our deer off it beforeif youdecide to turn it into a pay for play operation.:D

RE: High fence poll
 

i think this same poll was floating around here about this time last year. i know a fella here in cent. wis. that owns a game farm. his web site says he has 220 acres(i think) but the part that is reserved for hunting(if u would call it hunting) is only like 55 or 60 acres. he actually owns 400 acres but he has some cranberry bogs on it. he's making plenty of money. i know he just bought another 120 acres across the road from his place, because i hunted it last gun season. it was not fenced in yet. he placed in forest crop through the state which makes it open to public hunting but his taxes are lower. my father works for a largepotato that gives this guy reject potatoes to feed his animals. in return a couple of guys get to go shoot a red deer cow(hine) every year. last year i got to go. i will admit i was kind of fun. but it is not something i would pay to do.

RE: High fence poll
 

We have Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in Wisconsin because of high fenced/bought-and-sold deer (I believe the infected deer came from Colorado if I'm not mistaken). And since fencescan and will fail at some point, some got out and passed it on to the wild deer population. Now we have a large swath of of the population who are either infected with it or at risk. So do I think that there are some inherent and tagic risks involved with high fences? You bet. We've got this disease that affects a very large portion of our hunters and we have high fence operations to thank for that. And don't think that it can't happen elsewhere. By the time that it was found here, it was too widespread and too late to eliminate it.

RE: High fence poll
 

i wouldn't consider it a large swath of the population. the eradication zone in southern wis isn't that big. but i do agree i think the game farms did bring cwd here. but these people have a right to make living. should every cattle/dairy farm because of mad cow. game farms didn't create cwd. but imo they help spead it.

RE: High fence poll
 

radlad31, do you honestly believe that crap? The only reason cwd is found inside a fence is because that is were it is easiest to trace. cwd is in less than 1% of the population and the high fence folks take the blame. Its to bad really.

As far as the main topic, I agree with it all the way. Would I do it, probably not. Would I charge you to do it.... HELL yea I would.

RE: High fence poll
 

I voted that it is the owner's right, because as someone mentioned before, they are responsible for maintaining their land and paying taxes, etc. As for getting "our" deer out of it, I would say that if they were trespassing on the property, they are now jailed in it.

RE: High fence poll
 

Not only jailed, but sentenced to execution by Joe Suburbs who is willing to shell out$4K for a 99.99% success rate hunt for a trophy buck[&:]

RE: High fence poll
 

I also grew up in Texas and understand the frustration but still agree it's the land owners right no matter how you slice it. That being said, I have not norwill I ever support high fence hunting.

RE: High fence poll
 

I've got an idea for a new high fence gig. Dig about a three acre pond on my land and then wait until Fall when a bunch of geese and ducks are on it.Then shoot one of those bignets (like on Wild Kingdom)over the pond and then rig it so thatthe netting is about 50 yards high and covers the pond and a few surrounding acres.I can then charge folks a couple hundred bucks apiece to go into the netting and shoot a couple waterfowl. It is pretty hard to hit a duck on the wing, soI may have tochange the rules to allow them to shoot the birds on the water or while sitting on the bank, so as to guarantee the same success rate that most folks get with a high fence deer hunt. I think this could be a real good deal. Anybody want to invest in my operation.[&:]

RE: High fence poll
 

That assumes that anyone who might high fence, does so for the purpose of pay for play. While I understand that in the abscence of a high fence the deer are free to migrate to neighboring land, my question is, would they? If a piece of land has everything a deer wants (food, protein and water year round) how far will they normally travel? I ask because I really don't know.

RE: High fence poll
 

HF ops were not to blame, not my opinion, state supported fact! It was found due to the care and attention the HF operators give to the deer, that how it was found

CWD is all over. however hf operations take great effort to keep the heards free and will move in to correct any issue. state wildlife solutions, kill them all.

RE: High fence poll
 

"Care and attention?" Sounds like someone raising a calf for the county fair. :D

RE: High fence poll
 

Breeders DO care for the deer.And in case you don'tknow, Breeder bucks are not hunted. And IMO breeders, have and do more for the advancement of wildlife than any other person who walked in the woods as a weekend warrior or some other "fair chase" fellow.

RE: High fence poll
 

You said no discussion, LOL!!!! Thats funny stuff

RE: High fence poll
 

1/4 mile unless a deer runs out of food, water, or is pushed out by man or other predators. that will increase when rut is on. but for the most part if the deer have, the deer stay. Whitetail deer that is, elk, mule, and other cervid species.

that is my understanding.. if someone has science to back them up, id like to read it.

RE: High fence poll
 

Let us not forget we live in the land of the free and brave. To many people forget this and want to have things their way. Don't like high fences, but its their land. Bad enoff theres property taxes, causing people to loss there homes.

RE: High fence poll
 

Fine, for deer killing.

RE: High fence poll
 

what about the story where the neighboring guy was hunting over a broken section of fence, shot a monster and was sued for killing "livestock"

RE: High fence poll
 

I don't believe in exotics, they should remain local to wherever they are.

I'm not into high fences, though I don't necessarily feel they should be banned, I'd rather see free ranging landowners ban together and practice some QDMA.

But if it ever got ridiculous where everyone had a high fance, that wouldn't be a good thing.

RE: High fence poll
 

You think I,m joking but its almost that way here in Texas. I "hunt" or should I say I get to harvest a few deer from one high fence ranch, free of charge, but we have to go through 3 high fence gates just to get on the property. my friend owns 90 acres, come to find out its part of a 2200 acre ranch that was parceled out. Well the whole 2200 acres is fenced out or in if you will. Not much activity anymore.

RE: High fence poll
 

I don't hunt high fence land. But there is a big difference between a 10 acre "pen" and 10,000 acres! 10 acres is a pen, 10,000 acres isover 15 square miles!
To each their own, as long as it's legal!But, to me 10,000 acres is no different than shooting a deer at 800+ yards! That deer has no idea that he's even being hunted! Again, if it's legal go for it if you want to!

RE: High fence poll
 

Huh!
It's already legal to shoot sitting ducks.

RE: High fence poll
 

yea were is the fare chase at when you go to a fence ranch a kill deer? thats like fishing out of a bucket!

RE: High fence poll
 

Actually, the issue of a deer's range came up a while back. Someone (NYBH?) posted a study that demonstrated that deer can commonly range miles and miles from where they were born. Elsewhere, I've always heard that deerusually stay within amileof where theywere born. However, I've seen a lot of bucks (notduring rut) that had to be further than a mile from any real source of cover.So i aminclined to think thatdeer certainlyrangea lot further than the area covered bymost high fence operations, except forthose in Texas that apparently areall the size of Rhode Island.

RE: High fence poll
 

It should not be allowed.Any one who would wan't to hunt be hind a fence is no hunter.

RE: High fence poll
 

I like shooting ducks on the water. Means you did everything right