high fenced "preserve" hunt

[carpsniperg2]

Like said it depends on the operation a lot. That sounds like a low class deal and not very good. There is many preserves and hunts that the animals are born inside the preserve and live there whole life there. Like starky and many places in texas and new zesland and many other places around the world.  There is a huge bad image by hunters when it comes to preserves and hunting in them. I can take you to some that you could not even hunt and cover all the ground in a month if you tried. A lot of people think of a flat open pen you walk into and shoot a animal. There is operations that are like that. They are junk! There is good and bad. I would rather see a person work his butt off to harvest a animal in a preserve then see a guy drive down the road and blast a free range elk out the window of his truck.

There is a few game farms that have brought in animals. I thought that in that case they would own them like livestock. Just like bison.

[JimmyHoffa]

let me ask you guys this...with these elk that they raise to ''trophy'' size and charge $20k+ to kill one...how wild are this things...if their raised in pens and let go around june or july when there 8 yrs old and mature animals...are dinner bells part of their hunting gear?...ding ding ding....get ready here he comes! hurry shoot  him before he gets to close i dont have any feed!

It doesn't have to be in a pen/fence for this to happen.  I've seen plenty of wild deer that wait for a feeder to go off.  Or the deer/elk that wait around in someone's yard for the apple pile to be refilled.  Or even the elk that chase the trailer when the rancher goes to hay the cattle.

[bearpaw]

let me ask you guys this...with these elk that they raise to ''trophy'' size and charge $20k+ to kill one...how wild are this things...if their raised in pens and let go around june or july when there 8 yrs old and mature animals...are dinner bells part of their hunting gear?...ding ding ding....get ready here he comes! hurry shoot  him before he gets to close i dont have any feed!

They only get $20,000 for extemely large bulls, like over 450. You can hunt a 350 class bull cheaper on a high fence ranch than with most outfitters.

I'm not at all saying pen raised bulls are the same as wild bulls. But if the owners are keeping their records and immunizing as required by the states where they operate, it's none of my business if a guy wants to go shoot one. No different than shooting a domesticly raised buffalo or pheasant, or fishing for hatchery raised fish. Yes, I know, some guys don't beleive in any of that either.

That's when I suggest people read the bottom of my signature.

[bearpaw]

I hunted a place in Australia that is over 200,000 acres, all high fenced, we had as much fun there as I've ever had anywhere. I will argue with anyone that many of those animals were wilder than animals on the outside that weren't hunted as much.

[carpsniperg2]

I agree 100% Dale, some people still think that is a canned hunt and not fair chase. You have to hunt for them and that is what makes the chase It is not what most people think when they have ideas about hunting a preserve. Let them have there ideas, who cares. To each there own, and divided we fall and united we stand. Remember that people

[deerhunter_98520]

I hunted a place in Australia that is over 200,000 acres, all high fenced, we had as much fun there as I've ever had anywhere. I will argue with anyone that many of those animals were wilder than animals on the outside that weren't hunted as much.

atleast with that much land the animals have a chance to survive and roam...i just didnt like that fact that they let the animals go a month or 2 before the hunt...they should be all wild runnin around...but thats just me...everyone has their own style of hunting and thats fine...if they want to spend 10-20grand to hunt thats their choice

[bearpaw]

No doubt it's a tough topic and there are abuses just like anything else. I have a friend who has an elk ranch in Idaho right in the mountains, you can shoot a 300 class bull for $4000. Not saying everyone should run and do that, just pointing out that its cheaper than many think. A lot of guys with limited mobility do these hunts, also a lot of guys take their wives and young kids. I've got a guy coming from Denmark to hunt cougar, then he's going to shoot a 400ish type bull. He has hunted all over the world for all types of game but never killed a big elk. I'm glad he is bringing some $$$ to our country.

I once took an older gentleman to shoot a big bull on a preserve, he was a decorated veteran, had written for numerous magazines, he was a past olympic shooter, a past state legislator, hunted all over north america, a very accomplished man. He had never killed a big bull and it was something he wanted to before he died after he was diagnosed with cancer. That was one of the most rewarding hunts I have ever done. The taxidermist got it done within 2 months and the guy had it in his home for a month before he passed away. It's hanging on my wall now and it reminds me of a special time.

One thing that does iritate me a little is when a guy kills a 450 class bull and tries to pass it off as a free range hunt. If that was really a wild hunt he would be featured in every major magazine. 

South Africa made it against the law to "release and shoot", I saw the law once but can't remember exactly how it reads. I think at least some animals have to be raised freely on the property to hunt them now. That might be lions....

[MtnMuley]

High fences The American way these days. All about the dollar. Hell with ethics. Bet Teddy Roosevelt would be impressed.

[bearpaw]

High fences The American way these days. All about the dollar. Hell with ethics. Bet Teddy Roosevelt would be impressed.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion as much as the next guy.   

[Arteman]

I really don't see the difference in these high fenced free ranging animals on these big ranches with thousands of acres than those eastside guys with huge no fenced ranches that hold tons of resident deer that only them, their families, and friends can hunt.  They can basically breed them as big as they want with plots and all then put them in the books. Not saying it isn't their right to, but you want to gripe about fair chase, only fair chase I know is on public land or private lands made accessible to all the public.  Trophies taken on these lands to me is more of a trophy than anything.  I agree with Carp, if its legal and their thing then so be it.  They dont get recognition in the books, just center pieces for the rich.  Let them do their thing.

[MtnMuley]

If they are such big ranches that the elk would never leave anyway, then why not pull the fences???

[bearpaw]

If they are such big ranches that the elk would never leave anyway, then why not pull the fences???

It's not legal to release privately owned elk into the wild in any state that I know of. 

[MtnMuley]

My point wasn't to let "domestic elk" out, but moreover to allow wild elk to come and go.  Basically, if they had a great ranch with prime habitat, then why have a high fence around it?  Would they be afraid their "canned" hunts would'nt pan out as well? The hunts wouldn't be a guarantee then?

[Camp David]

I went to Argentina last year to bow hunt red stag. The estancia offered high fences and free range hunting. We hunted the free range for the first 2 days. I was against going in to the high fence; I thought it was unfair. We saw Lots of animals in the free range area, but it was fairly open terrain. My guides were more of the mindset of rifle hunting and didn’t really have the patience and skills for putting on a good stalk.  Talked with my hunting partner and he agreed that we should give the high fence area a try especially after we realized it was over 200 square miles! The area was perfect for bow hunting with plenty of great areas to stalk. Yes we drove through a gate, but never saw the fence again once we left it behind us; we walked for miles each day. There was an outstanding amount of animals, but at no time did I feel that they were anything different than totally wild. My buddy tried for several day to take a stag with his bow after I got mine, but had to resort to taking one with a rifle on the last day. I know that there are many types of high fence hunts, but this changed my thoughts about hunting high fence.