Good point badshotbob!

There are a lot of differences between fenced in deer and free ranging deer. Yes the area they are fenced in may be large enough for a buck to have home area, but when a more dominant buck moves into his territory where does he go? He simply goes and runs off another buck out of his home turf, but he is still within the confines of the fence.

What if he, like a real free ranging deer wanted to move over to an area on the other side of a particular stream or river, could he go across the stream if the high fence was in his way like a real free ranging deer?

With real free roaming deer they do not receive special foods at feeders, if there are feeders they are free to go to them or not.

If I spook a free roaming deer there is a possibility that the deer will run onto property that I do not have permission to hunt on, with a high fence you can spook a deer until the cows come home and you know he will still be within the confines of your fence.

When I killed my biggest 8 pointer (A free roaming deer) his huge rack was not due to selective breeding or culling out the inferior bucks, nor was his rack due to being special foods, his huge rack was due to him and him alone, me killing him was not due to knowing he would spend his entire life in an area I knew he could never leave, it was due to the fact that I outsmarted him on his own terms as a wild and free roaming animal.

I am not saying that a deer confined to a 1,000-100,000 acre fenced in area is not wild, they are, nor am I saying that he is not hard to get a shot at, what I am pointing out is you will always know he is there! You never know when hunting free roaming deer if the buck you saw when scouting preseason will even be in the same county you are hunting little lone if he will be in the same 1,000 acres.

The point I am trying to make which no high fence hunter nor anyone who owns a high fence operation can dispute is this, unless the deer you saw in preseason died, that same deer will still be inside the high fence unlike a free roaming deer.

Tazman, you are correct, the deer will always be inside the fence. It is NOT the same as fairchase, freerange hunting.

Little place about 45 minutes from our pens called Dream Mountain. They have a 200 acre shooting pen. There is a big buck in there...over 200" gross. 40 hunters hunted that pen this year, not a single hunter ever caught a glimpse of that buck!

Well sad Taz as you can see if someone wants to high fence there place then they should, i have my limitations on what i will hunt and not hunt, here in ga. i hunt 300 acres and it sucks to see 15-25 different bucks come through where i hint knowing when they get next door over half get whacked, reason i say this is down here there are alot of deer no need in shooting the small buck let it grow, fenced in areas can do that

Come on we both know there are plenty of them in the books.

Ah Master choker, I understand, But why can't I seem to throw it away.

I really like seeing large racked deer in the woods, It used to be that when someone shot one it really meant something. The Monarch of the woods, smart old deer etc. It going to get where the size of the rack won't mean that much, because of supplementel feeding and everything else that is going on. When you can grow a huge rack in a few seasons what's the big deal? It's just like shooting a 7pt on some other land, that hasn't been eating high protein food.

What deer is more of a trophy a 3.5 yr old that lives on public land with a decent 8 pt rack or a 160 class 10 pt that lives behind a fence that hasn't seen any hunting pressure?

I don't think you can tell the ability of a hunter by the bucks on his wall anymore, you used to be able to. Not when you can order the class of deer you want before you hit the woods.

Charlie P

None of the deer in the books are behind a high fence, they may make 170 but dont go in the books, call B&C yourself, you can look at my wall anytime and judge me the texas deer are easy to tell from the others, only deer i have killed on a pay hunt

Come on you can't be serious no P&Y or B&C bucks where the hunter fudged the application just a little bit? Every one is honest? Not every deer from Texas comes from behind a fence so what's to stop a guy from saying he got down the road a piece,I think your underestimating other people's ego's.

all i can say is you are supposed to take a polygraph test, my friend had to on his deer he put in the book

Really ? I went to both sites B&C and P&Y and nothing was mentioned about a poly. Just filled out forms with a witness $25 dollar fee , score sheet and some photo's.

I'm not calling you liar, ok. Just never heard about a polygraph test having to be done.

Charlie that line took the cake!!! I laugh every time I read it!

Charlie that is a question that can be answered 2 ways, the first is by a hunter who will say the 3.5 yr old that lives on public land with a decent 8 pt rack. The second way that could be answered is either by an egotist or a non hunter which would state that the 160 class 10 pt that lives behind a fence that hasn't seen any hunting pressure is more of a trophy.

Do not get me wrong, the 160 certainly has the bigger rack, but to me and most hunters a trophy is more about the accomplishment than the size. Would you call a 210 inch 12 point a trophy that was shot in a pen? Of course not, where is the challenge?