Free Range Hunts Vs. High Fence

[Oscare66]

Hunting high fence as we speak and no action here !!!! SMH

 

[NeedForSpeed]

I had a friend of mine that went to Africa. He wanted a Cape buffalo bad. I told him some options. He did everything right I'm my opinion. He went to DSC, talked to a lot of folks, weighing his options. Before he plunked down his money. I warned him the area he was headed too was water sensitive, and if dry he could see very little game. I told him about the area in Zambia--I hunted--he would see plenty of Buffalo but the cost was about 7k more...I gave him the guys name in South Africa that has 7,100 hectares ( approx 15,000 ac)under a fence. When I had my family there we saw Buffalo almost everyday. He told him he limits to 2 Buffalo a year and does not "drop off"..and he was 1,000 cheaper than the hunt he was booking. My friend told me he was going to Africa once--so this was his chance to see the real Africa... it was dry, in 14 days of hunting he killed one marginal kudu, and saw one impala female, and a Buffalo cow and calf. It cost him $11,950 for the privilege of riding around in the back of a truck for 14 days looking for something that was not there...do they owe him any money back...absolutely not. He planned this hunt almost 2 years in advance, and its hunting...but he will never go back, and his hunt experience was very poor. All I'm saying is when you have plenty of time, you own it--live there then it really doesn't matter--but when you get 5 days off work and family to be successful then I sure see the value of having the animals in the area...

I can relate. Flew to the Cape Verde islands 600 miles of the west coast of Africa last yr. Lot of traveling and staying in sketchy lodging to supposedly have 6-10 shots at Blue marlin every day. But the fish weren't there in numbers and three of us only caught 4 blue marlin in 6 days of very rough water fishing. Another time I fished 3 days in Madeira for grander marlin and never raised one fish. I don't regret it but won't go back. Too much time away from family and work, money and travel when I can fish 5-10 mins from my home. There are no offshore " fish in a barrel" to compare to high fence ranches but regardless it's disappointing and frustrating when you don't find the targeted species after investing the time and money.

 

[SP101]

I appreciate both sides of this discussion. I am relatively new to hunting but I have fished in Florida for 27 years. I have two boats and tons of rods and tackle. I mostly swordfish which is technically challenging and requires expensive tackle, fresh baits and a lot of experience. We also do fishing trips to remote parts of the Bahamas. I rig all my lures and baits and make virtually everything that goes in the water. I'm a perfectionist and spend countless hrs in my garage and backyard preparing for these trips. My friends show up, we go fishing, have a great time with buddies, catch fish and they all bring home dinner happily. None would have that experience without my gear and experience and they all acknowledge that, but it doesn't take away from their sense of enjoyment and achievement. They have family and friends that envy their experience, and would love to get fresh fish like we bring home. So they couldn't do this on their own- does that really lessen the experience of seeing a blue marlin jumping and pulling drag. Or eating wahoo sashimi from a fish that was swimming an hr ago? Or being a small part of the team that caught a 300 lb swordfish? They had fun and spent quality time with good friends- what's more important than that?
I live in Florida and am fortunate to be friends with someone who has his own low fence ranch. If I didn't , I'd have to travel to hunt and I'd be sure to have a guide and a reasonable chance of success prior to investing valuable vacation time. And I wouldn't feel guilty about it. Different strokes and all that

But you aren't fishing in an aquarium

 

[SP101]

I can relate. Flew to the Cape Verde islands 600 miles of the west coast of Africa last yr. Lot of traveling and staying in sketchy lodging to supposedly have 6-10 shots at Blue marlin every day. But the fish weren't there in numbers and three of us only caught 4 blue marlin in 6 days of very rough water fishing. Another time I fished 3 days in Madeira for grander marlin and never raised one fish. I don't regret it but won't go back. Too much time away from family and work, money and travel when I can fish 5-10 mins from my home. There are no offshore " fish in a barrel" to compare to high fence ranches but regardless it's disappointing and frustrating when you don't find the targeted species after investing the time and money.

That's what makes them such a prized trophy. There is a lot of chance and luck that have to cross paths with skill and ability to land one. I've fished for 30 years and only ever seen personally 2 Granders and they weren't landed on my boat. Seen others that I thought might be, but either broke off or released unverified.
Here is one of them:

 

[NeedForSpeed]

But you aren't fishing in an aquarium

No it's not an aquarium but going fishing with me or chartering a fishing boat is a lot like hunting scouted areas with a guide and some on here even disparage that

 

[Barrelnut]

Is that all the cost you incur? I got into this a year ago and between rifles, scopes, shooting accessories, safe, ammo, reloading gear, and trips to the ranges I could have bought that $15,000 trophy hunt and had most of the money for a second one

Don't have to make things needlessly complicated. Sure this is all it cost me when I was young. I know folks today that make it that simple too. I enjoy hunting with them.

 

[FlGunner]

I've never hunted a high fence. I have hunted a ton of public and private land. Small tracts to large farms. I'm a member of 99,000 acre hunting club in North Florida and also hunt another 3,200 acre private tract. From my experience, I take pride in hunting and taking animals that I've put the work in to get. I don't think there's anything wrong with hunting high fenced animals... It's kinda what I hear from folks that don't have the privilege of hunting on places like the 3200 acre tract I hunt. They say " oh, well anyone can kill a good deer on private ground that you don't have to compete with anyone on." It's all a matter of perception and that varies from man to man. The private tract I hunt is way smaller than the club, but I kill better deer there.... But that don't mean it's easier. They're just bigger because they are older and to be completely honest.... They're more spookier than the club deer, which is a dog hunting club. And I believe that any legal form of hunting should be supported by hunters.... Once we're divided and lose one form, guess what... They're coming after the next and then the next. I've checked out some fence hunts online and some reaches are 20,000 acres and larger. That's plenty of range to a deer to be "free". I've ran cameras a long time on the 3,200 acre tract and got deer that our neighboring properties never see or get pictures of and they got more acreage and better food/habitat. We just bother them less through out the year as far as traffic in and out and don't beat the place down.

 

[1Moose]

Oh and this is spot on...

I happened to be working in the area when mossback was hunting the spider bull...down in Richfield UT. TheY had about 8 guys combing the countryside keeping up with him. Doyle and his client were successful they had him on camera had 8 guys glassing etc..etc

Ask yourself...the days of wondering out and finding the Chadwick ram have passed.

Ed

I find that sad somehow. If 9 people were chasing one bull, the shooter got far less than 1/9th of it in the end. Next time they should just take it out with the drones.

 

[Jr1972]

Please quit saying that shooting animals in pens is hunting. It's not. It's shooting animals in pens. It's raising genetic mutants and charging by the inch with 100 percent success guarantees. Sorry folks, but that ain't hunting.

 

[NeedForSpeed]

Please quit saying that shooting animals in pens is hunting. It's not. It's shooting animals in pens. It's raising genetic mutants and charging by the inch with 100 percent success guarantees. Sorry folks, but that ain't hunting.

Does the size of the "pen " matter? In a way, isn't this entire planet earth a "pen"?

You make it sound like the animals are kept in dog runs and you pick the one you want and shoot it thru the fence.

 

[FlGunner]

Does the size of the "pen " matter? In a way, isn't this entire planet earth a "pen"?
I was thinking the same thing.... How about people who go hunt bears on....an island? Must not be "hunting" since they're basically penned. Lol. Places I've heard about in Alaska come to mind. What about Giles island hunts in Mississippi? No fences, free range, would this be considered hunting? I think defining hunting by a fence or lack of, or even by the size of a piece of land is not good way to define hunting. Should we start calling hunting by way of saying in treestand or waiting on a mountain side for animals to come by "waiting" ? Not trying to be a jerk so I hope people don't take it that way. But hunting different ways or in different places don't change it from hunting.... My friends who don't hunt out of state say my Ohio/Montana/Georgia hunts are not hunting cause it appears easy to them because I've been lucky and kill good bucks almost every trip. But I assure you, I work for them. In their minds it's just shooting.

 

[KyCarl]

Seems like a solid case of "Sour Grapes" to me?
Everyone who doesn't like it mentions PRICE? If you can't afford it Why knock it??
Sure they charge by the inch.. there has to be a standard..You know ..ounces, pounds feet.. inches.. yards ..miles..gallons. And like I said before if it's LEGAL it's none of your
concern! It's like Soccer I think it sucks! American Football is much better!
But I don't try to stop them from playing or do doughnuts on their fields with my truck.
I Mind my own Business!!

 

[Capt RB]

You can't compare animals taken from a high fence to the wild. You can compare a big high fence operation to free range hunting in some ways but you cannot compare the 2 when it comes to the animals themselves. In one instance you animals that can be feed high doses of antler building minerals and digestible proteins year round. Add in predator control to remove the stress constant awareness of human scent associated with feed. Sounds also associated with feed.
In the wild predators can move them out of the area weather same thing. Run you atv into a buck's bedroom on public land and it isn't close.
The argument of comparing big game fishing to fenced hunting high low doesn't matter isn't realistic. The only comparison would be fishing around/in the farming pens being used today. No matter what that tide is going to change with some species they will move about a mile with pelagics if the food source is good/great they move 9 miles. If it is marginal and they straightline the next time they feed will be about 24 miles from where you just caught them.
Using a guide for a fair chase hunt might be easy for the client to be successful but the work is being done. If public land is involved it's still a crap shoot. Private land with controlled access might seem easier however if the animals can leave. The guides don't babysit the client bad hunters can still screw it up. Weather can push them out of the area etc.
We have released bird hunts up here. Been to a bunch when I was younger. Not to shoot birds per say but to run/train the dogs. It's fun but it doesn't compare difficulty wise to hunting wild birds in most areas. Same with ducks did alot of duck hunting as a kid and learned from very good duck hunters. I went on a duck shoot competition I won at a sporting clays event. You were to shoot the pair released and keep shooting till a miss. I shot 24 ducks on 15 shells. Had I more shells I would have shot more ducks. Being raised they tended to fly in draft more than side by side like wild ducks. As soon as the rear duck would start to flare you shot and they folded. Wild mallards you need to wait till they cross for shoot twofers. Happens enough to do it. However you wouldn't fold up 2 dozen in a month of trying with 1 shot a pair

 

[Ndfarmer]

I know people who hunt by never leaving the pickup. They drive all day every day. To me that isn't hunting either. Point I'm trying to make is everyone hunts differently. If you don't like it don't do it. Long as it's legal we should support each other and our hunting heritage.