High Fence Forum

[curtintex]

Well, it does cut down on those pesky "fence line" hunters that everyone seems to be so upset about.

[jdg13]

At this point, with as many subforums as we'd need for the repetitive "high fence, what tire, does X work, my neighbor did X" type arguments, we might as well just make a hunting subforum and leave ATC like it is.

[justindiehl7]

Curious as to how it’s bad for the ecosystem as stated above... all the ranches I know feed thousands of dollars of protein every year, in which most deer actually prefer the protein to corn. A fence is used to keep animals in, by keeping them in, it allows you to regulate populations, weed out bad genetics and to grow deer to their full potential. Why do gardeners protect their gardens with fences or nets? Oh that’s right to keep the “predators” away. Predators to the high fence being jack wads (not including young kids on theirs first buck) that shoot 2.5-4.5 year old deer. The population of big east Texas feet is slim because of this. In my opinion the fence doesn’t make your hunting more successful, the animals are still wild.


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[justindiehl7]

At this point, with as many subforums as we'd need for the repetitive "high fence, what tire, does X work, my neighbor did X" type arguments, we might as well just make a hunting subforum and leave ATC like it is.

Do you only talk about hunting at the campfire? No you don’t, it serves its purpose.


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[bgleaton]

I think high fencing is sometimes the only thing you can do to help improve your land or keep it from being overpopulated. We are thinking of high fencing our 400 acres just because we’ve been trying to work with our neighbors for the past 6 years on shooting the proper amount of deer to keep the numbers below the lands carrying capacity and their hunters don’t ever shoot enough does (not even 1/4 of what the biologist recommends). The biologist will recommend that they shoot around 20-25 does a year and the most they have shot over the last several years is around 6 or 7. They typically shoot more bucks than does every year. This causes bad buck to ratio, high recruitment numbers and high feed bills. We will have to high fence our place bc it will be the only way we can keep the population in check and improve both our land and deer herd. This causes us to really have to hammer the doe on our place which causes a lot of pressure on our ranch and makes it even harder to hunt mature bucks.

The ranch to the west of us high fenced his property several years before we purchased our to ensure his deer numbers were in check. His land now is some of the most beautiful land with all types of tall native grass prairies he has restored from plantings and control burns. He actually won the 2014 land steward of the year. I would bet that most people that high fence their property are wanting to improve both their land and the deer herd.

[BolilloLoco]

I think high fencing is sometimes the only thing you can do to help improve your land or keep it from being overpopulated. We are thinking of high fencing our 400 acres just because we’ve been trying to work with our neighbors for the past 6 years on shooting the proper amount of deer to keep the numbers below the lands carrying capacity and their hunters don’t ever shoot enough does (not even 1/4 of what the biologist recommends). The biologist will recommend that they shoot around 20-25 does a year and the most they have shot over the last several years is around 6 or 7. They typically shoot more bucks than does every year. This causes bad buck to ratio, high recruitment numbers and high feed bills. We will have to high fence our place bc it will be the only way we can keep the population in check and improve both our land and deer herd. This causes us to really have to hammer the doe on our place which causes a lot of pressure on our ranch and makes it even harder to hunt mature bucks.

The ranch to the west of us high fenced his property several years before we purchased our to ensure his deer numbers were in check. His land now is some of the most beautiful land with all types of tall native grass prairies he has restored from plantings and control burns. He actually won the 2014 land steward of the year. I would bet that most people that high fence their property are wanting to improve both their land and the deer herd.

Dead on. Exactly.
A fence is one of the most important tools landowners can purchase, if they are interested in high level management/control. Most cannot afford it or understand it. So we have these type threads.

[bullets13]

I might ask you then how much less would a lease be in west Texas without random exotics?

Substantially less. A chance at an animal that might cost anywhere from $3k-7.5k on a high fence drives the prices up considerably.

[Radar]

Substantially less. A chance at an animal that might cost anywhere from $3k-7.5k on a high fence drives the prices up considerably.

Leases are high where there are no exotics. I would think that’s a supply and demand issue.

[Smart]

I propose we create a nutkick forum for threads like these and the off the wall opinions to be placed in...


That way if I ever want a kick to the nuts for anything, I know where to go immediately..

[Lawhunter]

I'd be for it. Though I suppose I can typically tell the difference in a low and high fence deer... typically. I've debated the topic on here either, but i'll throw my two cents in.


I'm not against it at all, would be cool to get a chance one day. At the end of the day if the game CANNOT get away because it is physically trapped in a cage (no matter the size) it just takes a lot of the sport out of it to me. Not saying it isn't hard, just not as rewarding...


...TO Me

Your deer aren’t crossing oceans to escape anytime soon

[Lawhunter]

Well, it does cut down on those pesky "fence line" hunters that everyone seems to be so upset about.

Winner!

[Radar]

I propose we create a nutkick forum for threads like these and the off the wall opinions to be placed in...


That way if I ever want a kick to the nuts for anything, I know where to go immediately..

[emoji23][emoji13][emoji23]


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[Razrbk89]

Any research to support our belief?

Any biology textbook. Artificial barriers are bad for wildlife, and it’s not a theory. Game proof fencing prevents deer (and many other animals) from moving and interacting with their habitat in a natural manner.

I don’t claim to know much of anything about HF management. It’s not a thing where I live and hunt, but limiting the movement of any species through artificial means isn’t a sound (biological) practice.

Now on the big 5k acre places, it is somewhat different because those animals may never see the fence. I would even argue that it’s practically “fair chase” (whatever that is), hunting wise. BUT it’s still limiting movement over a wide range and creating barriers across large swaths of land.

What happens if/when the water sources on a small to medium place go dry? What happens to the habitat if the population grows artificially high due to lack of predators & natural balance? I’d imagine the results would not be good.