Fair Chase. High Fences & Feeders (Stirring the Hornet Nest)

[Christian_Redraider]

To each his own. I would like to see people be less defensive about the whole thing, though. If someone criticizes your position, smile, be polite, and just be logical. Don't get emotional. It solves nothing.

/applause

Well put

[BoneDigger]

:^) I just wanted to see if I could get a reaction. In all honesty, I don't have a problem with it. In fact, if I had the money I might try it. But then, I'm not rich so I probably won't get that option. Sounds like fair enough chase on an area that is big enough to hold a good population.

Todd

[mesquitecountry]

My family and I ended up buying a 2600 acre place in zavala county that was high fenced and it was nice knowing that we could hunt our deer without wondering whether or not our neighbors were going to shoot a 4.5 yr old scoring 160 so that it can get to 180 and spread his genes around. It's been great for us we went from seeing deer scoring on the average of 135 to now about 155 4.5 and up. Plus protein and feeding has been great help increasing body size to 180 average field dress on bucks. Yet still i never know what i am going to see next. The previous owners high fenced because farmers would bring their friends out to shoot every deer that would walk into their spinach and cabbage fields. however there's nothing like the chance of killing a buck that will make the buck. By the way i believe the legality of it is if you have more than one thousand feet of fence lower than 7 feet it is fair chase i think. which equates to only around 350 yds.

[Bloodhound]

Bone Digger, you can hunt a high-fenced ranch the poor man's way. Apply for TPWD draw hunts like I do. A few of them are high-fenced such as the Kerr and Chapparal WMA's. There are some others, too. Chapparal has some giant bucks I have been told.

[double lung]

you need to make more sausage and get off the computer. high fence, low fence, corn, no corn. who cares as long as you have a bow,a couple of arrows, and a cold beer at the camp.

see you at czhilispiel mesquite country

[Bloodhound]

bltiger, there's no need to be rude. This topic is obviously very important to you or you wouldn't get so emotional. Please don't feel threatened by others who hunt differently than you. People have a right to their opinions and to hunt how they choose. Quit insulting your fellow hunters.

[WCB]

Well, if it's legal and ethical to you, then go for it.
I won't hunt a high fench ranch because I'd like to put a P&Y in the book. After that...

[txrattler]

I didn't read all of these posts on this subject but some of us are just as bad as the guys up north that were argueing about us using feeders and hunting behind high fences. Anyone who thinks every piece of huntable land up north has a corn field and "30" acres of woods for cover has not hunted northern Pa. and is just as misinformed as those up north about us.

I grew up hunting the hardwoods of Pa. Yep...there were corn fields and other grain fields along with wild grape vine areas around old strip mines but I never ran into any corn field that was only seperated by 30 acres. More like a half mile minimum between farms with lots of hemlock, pine and hardwoods inbetween. On a 160 acre corn field the deer may have 20 access routes to it depending on the wind and other variables so comparing that to hunting over a feeder is like comparing apples and oranges. Learning how to hunt trails to and from corn fields is much the same as figuring out the best place to set up feeders and hunting setups.

When I started hunting deer in Texas it was a learning experience. Just like someone born and raised in Texas moving to Pa. and hunting deer there for the first time. Good hunters learn and adapt...unsucessful ones don't!

[bltiger]

bltiger, there's no need to be rude. This topic is obviously very important to you or you wouldn't get so emotional. Please don't feel threatened by others who hunt differently than you. People have a right to their opinions and to hunt how they choose. Quit insulting your fellow hunters.

BH,

Believe me when I say I do not care either way...But this topic has been presented for no other reason than to "Stir the Hornet's Nest"...This post should be removed but I understand there are no searches about this topic on the new TBH and my response was much like everyone else; this topic has been beaten to death for years on this site, new or not...

[bltiger]

BH,

Believe me when I say I do not care either way...But this topic has been presented for no other reason than to "Stir the Hornet's Nest"...This post should be removed but I understand there are no searches about this topic on the new TBH and my response was much like everyone else; this topic has been beaten to death for years on this site, new or not...

Not trying to be rude BH, might have come off like it but I could care less if you hunt behind a high fence, low fence, etc....And I'm not getting emotional believe me nor do I feel threatened! You sure did extract a ton of "emotional" qualities out of such a short post...This is MY opinion about this post, kind of funny how you are allowed to have an opinion about this post but I'm not??? And I didn't insult any hunters, I insulted the topic...I even told everyone to get along at the end!!!

[Bloodhound]

bltiger, I realize that this topic is a hornet's nest and that it has been and always will be raked over the coals. I don't think we should pretend the topic doesn't exist. If I get tired of the topic, I'll simply ignore any threads on it. I've only been bowhunting for 3 years now so I'm not burned out on any issues yet. Plus, there are always new hunters coming on the scene so there will always be people that are new to the topic. They will need to hear all sides to the debate. Hopefully they will be respected regardless of where they come down on the issue. [smiley face inserted here if I knew how on this new forum]

[bltiger]

I understand what you are saying BH about the debate! (I'm still learning the smiley face thing myself!) :-)

[J-DAWG]

As long as folks keep hunting a part of their lives and pass the tradition on to the young, I don't care how you hunt!

[Ricky T]

I hunt and help guide on a relatively small 1200 acre high fenced piece of the Hill Country that has a very rough portion with no roads and is hunted hard, mostly for hogs. We document, photograph and video every deer we can, and have learned that when a buck reaches four years old we seldom see him again.

I'd bet a large portion of my retirement it would be easier to pattern and kill a mature whitetail buck in the cornfield country of the midwest or the riverbottom country of the mountains than it would the brush country of South Texas. The relatively small woodlots (like Jamie said) of those locales are way more confining than a high fence surrounding anything over about 300 acres of Texas brush.

Most critics of high fences have never hunted high fences.

[Rattler]

Apply for TPWD draw hunts like I do. A few of them are high-fenced such as the Kerr and Chapparal WMA's. There are some others, too. Chapparal has some giant bucks I have been told.

I didnt know Chaparral was high fenced!!!! Cool I am going there in Jan! After 15yrs of putting in I hope i get to fling or squeeze the trigger!