bearklr

OK. I know this may start a debate but I have an honest question about hunting high fences. Personally I would never hunt one because I enjoy scouting my own land and the fact that it's more of a fair chace in the wild but that's besides the point. What I was wondering is if those of you who are against high fence hunting feel that it's OK to take a kid there to get them interested in the sport. I ask because my cousin is taking his daughter for her first hunt to a high fence game farm. Personally I think it's a good idea because here in Pa it could be awhile before she even gets a shot at an animal in the wild and we need to get our children interested and keep them interested in this sport. Where does everyone else stand on this?

lhook7

Two years ago I would have said, "No way!", but I have been hunting exotics behind high fence the last few years, and have changed my views on high fence hunting. I think it would be a good safe place for a child to be introduced to hunting, and, in a large enclosure it is definately a challenging hunt. I have not hunted whitetail behind a high fence, and do not plan to do so. If I kill something large enough to make the book, I want it to be eligible for entry.

If they have exotics in your area, you might look into taking your child on an exotic hunt. Here in Texas they are more affordable than a whitetail hunt, and it would be good experience.

kshunter

If the only place I had to take my daughter to go hunting was to pay to go to a high-fenced area, then I don't think it's a bad idea. But that is only if I lost every single deer hunting spot I currently have. It can not be bad to get a new kid involved. Personally I just think there's better ways to do it. Just my 2 cents, eveybody has that.

bearklr

Yeah, she can hunt pretty much anything she wants here. It's deffinately not going to be whitetail but rather something non' native to the area. He said it will probably be a pig or ram. Just something that will get her interested in the sport. He asked me to go along and videotape.

bearklr

kshunter, I understand your point. I know if I lived in a state with a whitetail reputation like Kansas I probably wouldn't do it either. However here in Pa it can be pretty tough to get a deer. Normally it's tough to get a kid out of school, take off work and still be successful in harvesting one in the short amount of time you have. I know it took me alot of years when I first started to get a deer. Now granted this isn't always the case but it's quite a possibility.

timbercruiser

IMHO, no problem. Just like starting a kid fishing, you would usually start with something like bream that bite easily.

bearklr

yeah timber, that's kind of the way i looked at it. This is a once and done thing just te get her pumped up about hunting. he's just afraid if he starts her off on deer around here it could take quite awhile for her to get one and she'd lose interest.

skeeter 7MM

Just to play the devil advocate, lets say she goes to the game farm shoots her animal and loves it. So the next hunt is deer in PA and from your information it can be far and few in between. How long will she continue to love the sport if the reward is longer than the effort? Not saying that a fenced hunt isn't any challenge but if her area is going to be lots of trips with little opportunity, would still be right to cut her teeth on hunt that doesn't mirror what she'll be doing in the future?

Again I don't know anything about Pa and hunting, so I just pose these questions based on your info, my thought is it may set up a false expectation to the sport. I certainly know about taking them to where the keep interest like in fishing, but I also think it is of importance to show, stress and teach the entire aspect of the sport/activity. If I took my girls only fishing perch they would think it was a yard em up and throw em back sport, which we all know isn't true. Instead I prefer to show them what is entailed and mix it up so the attention isn't gone but reality is still involved.

bearklr

skeeter, this thought did cross my mind. The way I see it is that if she goes hunting in Pa she may hunt for lets say three years without harvesting a deer. However, she loses interest quickly due to the fact that she doesn't realize how rewarding it can be when you finally are successful. On the other hand if she goes on a high fence hunt she knows what it's like to be successful and the feeling that we all get when we harvest an animal. (granted, I don't think a high fence hunt is that rewarding but she's only 12 so it will be different for her.) This way when she is out in the woods later this year or the following, even though she doesn't fill a tag she still remembers that feeling and sticks with it so she can do it again. You make a good point though and I have thought about that point of view for awhile before coming up with this train of thought.

p.s. Pa hunting isn't that bad. I usually get 1 or 2 a year but then again I can hunt at my parents after work all archery season, take off for deer camp and have all my saturdays so I can put time in on good land. My cousin (as well as his daughter) doesn't have this luxary and is very constricted as far as getting quality time in the woods on productive land.

IL-Cornfed

I think it OK as long as the emphasis is still putting on having FUN and NOT the KILL. Good luck to her.