Thoughts on High Fence Hunting

[Deltamud77]

We have had this discussion before. Just wanted to get fresh takes. If one looks at land for sale in MS, there are an alarming number of high fence properties for sale.

This tells me that there are apparently more men with means willing to fence their property than I would have believed. It tells me there must be many other such encampments I don't know about with people willing to hunt them.

What are your thoughts on the subject? Would you ever hunt in a fence? Would you hunt one, but only if it were a certain size? If so, what acreage? What if no outside animals were brought into the fence?

Let's get some chatter going.

[stang67]

Well, I'll bite. It's something I can't abide, though I do support a landowner's right to fence his property. And it's not because the fence makes the bigger animals easier to kill, although it does, if only for the simple fact that it's easier to have bigger animals inside a fence. I've never once heard a defense of high-fence hunting that made me even come close to questioning my stance, either.

There was a guy from Central LA that posted on the QDMA forums. He and a neighbor had fenced a few thousand acres and gotten religious with their habitat enhancements. The guy also hunted some primo ranches in Mexico, but his poor ol LA dirt was growing some absolutely world class animals, like 3-year olds pushing 200". And these were all native deer. I had a ton of respect for the guy. He knew more about habitat management than most professional biologists -- I felt like he had come closer than anyone I knew of to fencing for the right reasons. However, following what Grant Woods is doing in SW MO on his rocky old free range Ozark dirt is much more interesting to me. Funny thing is, I'm not really one of those "every deer is a trophy" types. I LOVE deer antlers -- bigger the better -- I won't lie. I guess I'm just very convicted in where I draw the line. I can't see ever being proud of an animal I killed that lived inside a fence; it's just too unnatural for me to look past.

Now, if someone wants to turn me loose on some pigs inside a fence, I'm game.

[greenheadsonly]

not a fan at all.........hunting at the Zoo

[DuckBoat]

Would never hunt one.

My parents have a high fence that borders their property and the deer seem tame. They have the breeder pens and all. Although they claim they haven't imported any deer they sure don't look like deer around here, short wide bodies with big racks.

[mshunter77]

I used to be hard core against it. I have come around on it some, if it is done on large tracts. Not sure exactly how large of a tract it takes to keep it sporting, but I would say at least 3,000. Just don't think I could ever hunt on 400 or 500 acres fenced in. I am not for the whole artificial breeding thing. By the way what are the bat sites to look for land for sale?

[peewee]

I have always been against high fences although after joining some MS deer facebook pages I can definitely understand why someone who invest $ in a piece of property would want to fence it in to have quality hunting. What makes matters even worse is the elected people don't care about the MDWFP ability to gain sound harvest data to make informed decisions.

[bigoak]

Against it 100%! I agree that a landowner has the right to fence their property but don't call it hunting. When you can select a buck out of a photo album and then the next morning that buck walks out, how is that hunting? That deer is not wild. They are raised in pens and turned out to go feed at the same time every day. Also, the deer farms that collect urine for deer scent companies sell their biggest bucks to these outfits. These bucks have been hand fed since birth. Turns my stomach to see this! Now fencing 10,000 acres in Texas is different but I still don't think their 100% wild.

[420 racin]

No PeeWee, While some high fences may be like that, how bout them boys in LA you and the old grumpy basterd here in the office used to go deal with, 30k acres under fence...they didn't release them from feed pens or anything like that.

At some point the area under fence has to come into play, I mean damn we are all hunting them right now on a damn island, a rather large island, actually a continent, but they are trapped right. I don't know what the right acerage is, but 200-500 or so is to small, 10k, 30k ??? who gives a damn if there's a fence going around it, it aint gonna matter as far as the deer goes.

[Deltamud77]

Against it 100%! I agree that a landowner has the right to fence their property but don't call it hunting. When you can select a buck out of a photo album and then the next morning that buck walks out, how is that hunting? That deer is not wild. They are raised in pens and turned out to go feed at the same time every day. Also, the deer farms that collect urine for deer scent companies sell their biggest bucks to these outfits. These bucks have been hand fed since birth. Turns my stomach to see this! Now fencing 10,000 acres in Texas is different but I still don't think their 100% wild.

I get it and agree. However, what about the places that are fenced to keep outlaws out. Some on here would know better than I but I believe Oxberry high-fenced to keep outlaws out. I don't think they ever hand breed pens and the like. Heard they fenced up a lot of hogs too in the process.

[Wildfowler]

It's just a danged deer. Why should I care what someone thinks they need to do on their own property to be able to kill them?

Heck, I saw a dead deer on the steed road overpass on I-55 in Madison this morning. That deer had to walk across a lot of concrete to get dead up there. It's not like there is a shortage of them.

People should be able to do whatever they want do to kill a deer on their own property as long as it does not pose a hazard to their neighbors. By hazard I mean a stray bullet kind of hazard. If John Q landowner is conducting himself in a safe manner, we should mind our own business.

If someone thinks they are "hunting" an animal in a cage who am I to judge this?

[DanP]

Different folks have different intentions when it comes to putting up a high fence from what I have observed. For some, it really is about "deer farming". For others, they want to practice QDM but can't because of outlaws/neighbors, and they have the means to build an enclosure so that they can achieve their management objectives. Folks that we work with generally fall in the second group and get more enjoyment from growing big bucks through proper management than they do the actual harvest.

[LawDawg]

why doesn't anyone ever equate a high fence to a private pond? seems like the two should relate, and I'm all about fishing in a well managed private pond.

[hntrpat1]

It's just a danged deer. Why should I care what someone thinks they need to do on their own property to be able to kill them?

Heck, I saw a dead deer on the steed road overpass on I-55 in Madison this morning. That deer had to walk across a lot of concrete to get dead up there. It's not like there is a shortage of them.

People should be able to do whatever they want do to kill a deer on their own property as long as it does not pose a hazard to their neighbors. By hazard I mean a stray bullet kind of hazard. If John Q landowner is conducting himself in a safe manner, we should mind our own business.

If someone thinks they are "hunting" an animal in a cage who am I to judge this?

Thats right!!! High fence is like breeding cows and shooting them for sport. Like most of deer hunting, its stupid

[hntrpat1]

High fence should be illegal anyways. Yes you own the land but you don't own the deer

[stang67]

why doesn't anyone ever equate a high fence to a private pond? seems like the two should relate, and I'm all about fishing in a well managed private pond.

Apples and oranges -- the worst example of it. Deer command a little more respect than a fish. Don't believe me, post a YouTube video of capturing a deer with a giant hook and see what the outcry is like.