Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Opinions on high fence hunting

What's the point?

To have a trophy deer to hang on the wall?

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Why shouldn't it be allowed? As long as the land owner isn't breaking any laws, isn't it his/her property to do with as he/she pleases?

Not hunting

Perhaps they're trying some intensive management, or breeding. Perhaps they want to keep the neighbors or other riffraff out. It’s very difficult to keep private land private in some places, and also local authorities are loath to spend much time enforcing trespass laws.

Some years back I read a piece about how difficult it was to keep people off one’s hunting property. I hunted a friend’s spot a bit some years ago, and the neighbor’s young relative had an apple pile on it, and tried to run me off. Other neighbors thought it was their three-wheeler track. People suck.

As far as the deer are concerned, studies have shown they are quite able to evade hunters in even very small spaces, given ordinary cover. A high fence doesn’t mean the hunting isn’t being done in a sporting manner. Since it’s legal in your state, I think the owner’s conscience should be his guide.

If you ever actually experience large enclosure hunting, you may change your view on that.

I have and don’t agree it’s not hunting. I’m not talking about a breeding pen but thousands of acres.

DF

Still waiting to hear the answer.

Also like to hear some details about the Management plan on your side of the fence.

Correct.

You can't paint any of it with too broad a brush. There are huge low fence ranches in Texas where the tameness of the deer would astound you. You can stand 25 yards away from 170 class bucks that just stare at you. I hunted for many years a ranch of 3000 acres that was half surrounded by high fenced ranches of similar size. Twice I observed mature bucks jump INTO the high fence neighbors. It's like a box of chocolates.

About how tall was that high fence? Ones I’ve seen were too tall for a deer to clear.

DF

Most high fence in Texas is 8'6" or more. Rio7

Mike Biggs has some impressive pictures of whitetail deer jumping high fences.

This morning i saw 4 does go under a high fence, it's not unusual to see deer and pigs cross under high fences, I have seen Deer jump a 8'6" high fence when pushed into a corner, a Kudu will hop over a high fence like it's 2' high, most of the people that Bitch about high fence don't have any idea what they are talking about. Rio7

Good info. Thanks.

Agree with your statement that those who put down the high fence concept are not fully informed.

Seems to me some of that angst is no more or no less than envy against those who can afford such. If I can’t afford it, you shouldn’t be allowed to participate. Am I wrong?

DF

Nope.

IMHO high fence ain't hunting. Hunting out of box stands over feeders sitting on shooting lanes ain't hunting. I call that stuff harvesting.

How bout treestands over acorns or big ag fields beans/corn kinda thing? How bout deer drives in other parts of the country or runnin em down with dogs? How bout riding around in the pickup out west or killin em LR from one mountain to another etc etc
Are any of these options huntin or harvestin?
We are our own worst enemy

Hunting, harvesting, whatever.

All looks the same at the skinning shed. And at the dinner table.

It's what the hunter prefers, not what someone else thinks he (or she) should be doing or not doing. As long as it's legal, (or you don't get caught...)

See how politically correct I can be, including dudettes with the dudes...?

Ha!

DF

I don't care what someone does if it's legal and with modern sensibilities even the legal/illegal distinction doesn't mean to me what it once did. However, there is a difference in hunting high fences, low fences, private property, public land, and wilderness areas. To suggest hunting everywhere is as challenging as the next place or that it is the same at the end of the day is naive and foolish. It seems reasonable that most high fence hunters select the high fence operation due to the increased difficulty and challenge presented by the fences...

While I substantially live in the land of high fences I have never hunted within one. That said, I have zero issues with anyone choosing where/how they legally hunt.

I’ve hunted a high fence one time for blackbucks a fairly large place 2000 acres or so, I didn’t care for it. I haven’t looked in years but last I heard Boone and Crockett didn’t allow trophies from high fence properties. I guess their thinking being regardless of size it still restricts movement.