Then there are those that more than have the funds, they're problem is they don't have the time. They don't have the time to maintain a lease or the time to hunt it, they may only make one or two hunts a year. With that income and those limitations I'd be hunting some of the finest hi-fence operations I could find, sleep in great lodges eat fine meals with a chance of taking bucks bigger than most will ever see in a life time, I'm all over that! How a person spends they're money is none of my business.

I wonder how many here would jump at the chance to lease, lets say a 5000 acre hi-fence with lodge and all the eminities for 2000 a year with an 8 hunter max?


I'd take all 8 slots and hunt it by myself.

there are different classes of high fence hunting. some try and work the native deer to bring out the most potential, then there are some that have eliminated all native deer and have the pen raised deer. 2 totally different hunting experiences.

Sounds to me like your entire knowledge base on high fenced ranches comes from what you have seen on TV.


As exoticbob said, there are a lot of different types of "high-fenced ranches". Yes, some are like the ones you are bashing. But many are not. Painting all high fenced ranches with the same brush just shows your ignorance.

So its only real hunting if you stumble upon a deer you've never seen before?

based on this thread, i want to offer a buck hunt inside my new high fence...
guaranteed shot opportuntity, even better if you are a northener coming down for the "hunt of a lifetime"
i have got the deal for you.....

be sure and call today before the hunt is sold......



[/quote]

(if you cant read the sarcasm in my note, this is actually a pic of my protein feeder and the high fence i put around it to keep the elk from eating all the protein.)

not all high fences are there for commercial deer breeding. some of us just have them to make sure our mgmt plan will work for us and not for our neighbors when the deer cross the property line....

only part of a HF that I think sucks is when you get a deer outside of it along the road and there are miles of HF down the road. Sometimes they get excited and just can't quite clear it.

Open range low fence and public land on top of that. To me that's cool.

what a toad! how much did he weight?

Our ranch in Lavaca Co. is 1500 HF. We do not have deer in pens, or have deer with tags in their ears nor do we import other deer to improve genetics. Right now we want to see what our native deer can become with proper nutrition and maturity.

The reason we decided to go with the HF, is because before the HF we were feeding protein, planting food plots and practicing other habitat improvements and we were still not seeing enough pos. results. Even though we were in land co-op's for approx. 8 yrs., we were still not seeing many mature bucks.

He was 285lbs and scored 160. Bow kill.

this is a big buck in a low fence....lol ... j/k man there are some awesome bucks on this thread

that is one HEAVY deer!

very impressive. Where did you get him? (Don't the the GPS coordinates, just curious as to the general area! LOL)

I asked that on here one time and got my hand slapped. But I don't mind. This is a Central Kansas deer.

Freestone county in '05. Never did score him.
-john

that is a great photo.. he looks more like your drinking buddy than your prey...

Rifleman - I know you have in the past, but post the hunting condtions/situation behind the big 10. In my opinion, pretty amazing something that big was shot on that club. We have discussed this before in a PM, I worked Ryan's Lake check station one year.

HF discussion below, not directed at Rifleman.

High Fence Debates - HF myths, used to guide on one. The biggest deer we scouted, typically lived to see another year because they would disappear. Believe me, if I could have put a hunter on them I would have, my tip would have gone up. Usually killed deer we never saw before, and I lived on the place. The deer the manager wanted me to kill, saw one time at a distance with other bucks, never saw again. You would have thought since it was high fence that he would have eaten corn out of my hand and I could have hit him in the head with hammer. He was supposed to show up so I could shoot him!

I don't really get riled up about HF debates, but it kills me when people say you know every deer and when they show up, simply not true. I currently hunt LF, so I am really not biased one way or another.

this is a good point.

on our last game survey we saw a monster buck. probably 170 class mainframe 12 ptr and around 200lbs on the hoof. (the biologist had him at 180, but i am no expert) that is a toad for Kimble county.

the crazy thing is that we have probably had 100,000 game cam pics on our 1900 high fence acres and this guy has never been seen on camera or in person. (maybe someone saw him when he was a yearling, but not since he got big)

last year i spotted a cull 6 ptr with no brow tines who was on my place every morning for 4 straight weeks. but once hunting season came around, nobody saw him again. he has since reappeared on game cams and he is on my list again this year.

unless you are high fenced on small acreage, you can never really know all the animals that your land is holding or be able to find them on demand.

here is a small sampling...all low fence, hard work and patience.

thats a nice one^^^^^

hunted low fence pretty much everywhere except for two. And did not really notice any difference. The deer could hide from you and disappear just as easy. even watched them jump the high fence with ease in some cases.

low fence kimble county


low fence kendall county shot by my dad


low fence kendall county shot by my brother


low fence kendall county



on the hit list for this year



low fence mexico, biggest deer i've ever taken and it was low fence but would of been just as proud if he was behind a high fence, although i wouldn't have got to watch him come out of the neighbors pasture.

Duval co. 400 acres. Scored 151 at freer deer camp.

ok. amos... you win....
that is evidence of what the higher protein south texas vegetation can produce...

about every 8th year when fawn crops and rain line up...

I don't know about you... but I don't have that many "about every 8th year"'s left... that's why protein is so attractive...