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Wholehog

That’s a good question. I like it when somebody asks my opinion then I don't feel like I'm giving unsolicited advice. This issue has people who feel pretty strongly about it on both sides. Since opinions have been asked for here's mine. In Texas there is almost no public land so many people don't get to hunt when, where or as often as they might like. Every hunting magazine cover they see has a huge B & C size buck on it. They think that hunting for deer means getting one like that. They go hunting and don't see anything like that and after a while get frustrated and after several or many of these hunting trips decide they really want a buck like the big ones they see on the magazines. Their chance of seeing a buck like that on public land or even private land that they have leased is slim to none. The reason is that lots of people want to shoot a good buck. Not many grow to any sort of trophy size in just a few years. Trophy size is in the eye of the beholder to some extent and many of these deer are harvested way too early and way too young to reach their potential. Some people have had enough and decided the only way they can insure these deer will reach their true potential is to control the harvest of them. That’s easy on your own land you just don't shoot any less than 5 or 6 years old right? Well yes that’s right except that deer don't know anything about property lines. As soon as they jump the fence they can land on property owned by someone who has little if any regard for antler size, trophy quality or maturity and sees them only as protein to be eaten or worse yet just a target to be shot. So what’s the solution? Who knows but one way is to put up high fence and totally control the herd's harvest and insure the maturity of all in the fence. After a while it’s natural to have a surplus of mature animals that need to be harvested. We've already talked about a high demand and low supply of mature trophy size deer so the logical thing for the rancher to do is sell a few deer and rather than just calling it that he sells the "hunts". That’s really what was asked was "are these hunts or are they shoots?" Cover and terrain as well as property size and hunt method are all involved in determining the answer to the question. I have been in high fence places in Texas that were at both extreme ends of the spectrum. I've seen places that looked like a golf course and then I've seen places that you'd need a GPS and maybe some good climbing gear to get around in. As far as keeping it sporting, I'm not a bow hunter but I can still make things more challenging and tip the odds further in the deer’s favor. I have been known to hunt with an old 30-30 with open sights that in my opinion limits a good clean killing shot to around 50 -75 yds. (I'm sure the weapon and cartridge are capable of more but with open sights I'm not willing to risk a wounded suffering animal so that’s my own self imposed limit) Some high fence ranches I've been on are so big and or so thick that the fence is only seen at the gate when you come in and not again until you leave that in my opinion is ideal for a high fenced ranch. I have found good sport on these places and have taken some very respectable (once again trophy quality is in the eye of the beholder) deer that were 5 and 6 year olds in the 150 class. To me it’s just fine to hunt at these places and I don't feel any sport has been taken out. As a matter of fact I sort of get a good feeling when I get to the processor and some yahoo is there turning in a 6 month old baby with 2 points on one side and 3 on the other and he asks me where one that big comes from. I tell him they come from all over Texas and the world for that matter you just have to let them grow up first. I'm sure there are guys out there and I've talked to some that would Never ever shoot inside any sort of fence no matter how many acres or thousands of acres were enclosed. I hold nothing against them but if they want mature deer they really have their work cut out for them. Not that it can't be done its just few and far between and you may only see one deer over 3 years old in a season. That’s not near enough for me. If I don't see at least one mature buck every time I go I'm disappointed and feel like trigger-happy yahoos have ripped me off.