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How many acres Game fence? #1600627 08/16/10 07:51 PM
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the rattler Offline OP
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How much land should you have to game fence. I am really looking at the smaller end. What are the problems when you have a small place like 200 or 300 acres. What are the pros & cons?


Last edited by "The Rattler"; 08/16/10 07:53 PM.

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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: the rattler] #1600630 08/16/10 07:53 PM
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Justin T Offline
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The smaller you get, the more like a zoo it becomes. What type of terrain it is will really help with the decision.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: Justin T] #1600645 08/16/10 07:57 PM
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It is very flat. I am thinking of game fencing 200 acres but I wonder about the bucks fighting, horns breaking since on small acreage there is not a whole lot of room to hide. I found one for sale insouth Texas & it was only a 100 acres. My buddy is raising deer & locally the feed stores say they can sell as many hunts as we could offer.



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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: the rattler] #1600646 08/16/10 07:59 PM
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If it were me I would not HF a place under 1500 acres. but thats just me. otherwise you are actually ruining habitat. just my .02 cents though




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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: txhunter24] #1600671 08/16/10 08:05 PM
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If this is for a place to hunt, it is not my thing. I don't mind high fences, but less than 200 acres is not fair chase IMO. I wouldn't feel right unless the place was ~1000 acres in South Texas.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: Justin T] #1600724 08/16/10 08:27 PM
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200 acres equals 20 deer that the land could support depending on habitat,food plots,protein feeding etc.(could be more like 15 deer) You wouldn't want to carry more deer though with the use of the Supplemental feed. The size of the place won't affect the antlers as much as the sex ratio.

I would think long and hard before fencing this size of place. Our place is 670 acres of solid oaks. It hunts like it is 1000 with the cover and hills.

What are you trying to do with it?



Originally Posted By: AmoCuernos
If you shoot a young deer because a neighbor will shoot it, you are that neighbor.
Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: Tye] #1600739 08/16/10 08:32 PM
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It completely kills the surprise when you can literally identify every, single deer on the place.

If I had the money to buy a huge place, I personally probably wouldn't HF less than about 2000 acres.

Just personal preference though. Do as you will.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1601133 08/16/10 10:59 PM
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Originally Posted By: cameron00
It completely kills the surprise when you can literally identify every, single deer on the place.

If I had the money to buy a huge place, I personally probably wouldn't HF less than about 2000 acres.

Just personal preference though. Do as you will.


I agree to a point. I can recognize the more mature deer from year to year...which is maybe 8-10.

You do loose the surprise factor during the hunting season. Especially if you run night cameras. It would be totally different if you didn't.

The surprise part comes during the summer when you can see what your management decisions have done to the herd from the previous year.



Originally Posted By: AmoCuernos
If you shoot a young deer because a neighbor will shoot it, you are that neighbor.
Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: Tye] #1601162 08/16/10 11:07 PM
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don k Offline
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A lot has to do with you and your neighbors. If you have a 100 acre place in south Tx. you should probably not take more than 1 buck off it a year if it is low fenced. If your neighbors are doing the same you will be able to take that 1 buck. If not then maybe you are better off high fencing it. You still have to think of the cost of the fencing, feeding the deer, being there to do it and are you really going to be able to sell the deer. Remember, there is a lot of competition out there and most have been at it a long time. Just my 2 cents. Donald


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: don k] #1601265 08/16/10 11:37 PM
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Depending on what part of south Texas and how much rainfall you get......you can have a healthy herd of 100 deer on 300 acres if you plant at least 10-15% in high quality food plots (which should be fenced to let the forage mature) and supplemental feed year round, along with ample water and a few techniques of managing your brush. I definitely wouldn't go smaller than 200 acres.



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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: Eland Slayer] #1601425 08/17/10 12:34 AM
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we had 1200 acres high fenced, we recently sold off everything but 300 acres that remains high fence.

we have an estimated 80+ whitetail along with about 40 axis on the place, suprisingly, it is still fun, I haven't noticed the "zoo" factor, we are heavy brush, bottoms with plenty of places to hide.

we feed protien and also plant a 20 acre pivot field for more grocercies for the animals.

to be honest, I thought it would be like shooting fish in a barrel, but its just as fun hunting the 300 as it was when it was 1200. of course I wish we still had the whole ranch, but as far as hunting goes, it hasn't changed a bit. looking forward to being able to grow some bigger deer.




Last edited by txtrophy85; 08/17/10 12:35 AM.

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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1601449 08/17/10 12:43 AM
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Originally Posted By: cameron00
It completely kills the surprise when you can literally identify every, single deer on the place.

If I had the money to buy a huge place, I personally probably wouldn't HF less than about 2000 acres.

Just personal preference though. Do as you will.


I agree TOTALLY!!!



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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: 6InARowMakeItGo] #1601558 08/17/10 01:14 AM
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I have a friend with 300 acres under high fence in North Florida. The land is very thick and tough to see a specific deer. He has a high density of approximately 100 deer, but with the supplimental feeding, food plots, and prescribed burning he does, he has a very healthy deer herd. He has been under fence for four years now and was trying to get some of his trophy bucks to over age five. Last year he lost many of those bigger class bucks due to fighting. You can only have so many mature bucks per square mile, regardless of how thick the habitat is. He plans to start reducing the number of his bigger bucks to reduce that loss.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: CFR] #1601688 08/17/10 01:54 AM
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your land your decision just like they said though with 200 acres there's not a lot of room to hide on flat land now in the hill country like around kerr county you might never see those deer on 200 hundred acres deer proofed cause you'll have draws and cedar and hills.





Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: redseal] #1602055 08/17/10 03:49 AM
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IMO. 200-300 acres high-fenced is a joke. You will need to make sure you have water first of all. Then plenty of food sources. Only way I would do this is if I was going to buy specific bucks from breeders, for specific hunters and sell the "hunt". Make sure you have a nice lodge for the hunters to hang out at, cause it wont take long to tour the ranchette.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: SplitTimeHunter] #1602098 08/17/10 04:10 AM
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I wouldn't say it's a joke, but it would be a pen in my opinion.

You'd better have deep pockets to take care of your livestock because they will be dependent on you who fenced them in!




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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1602270 08/17/10 12:21 PM
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Originally Posted By: cameron00
It completely kills the surprise when you can literally identify every, single deer on the place.



that can almost be accomplished w/o the fence on that much acreage.

I really don't care what ppl fence as long as they are honest about it if they sell hunts.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: SplitTimeHunter] #1602277 08/17/10 12:27 PM
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Originally Posted By: SplitTimeHunter
IMO. 200-300 acres high-fenced is a joke.


to be quite honest, i thought the same thing, I didn't even want to hunt our place after it got split up.

I had to eat some crow after finding out that my hypothesis was wrong on the hunt not being/fun challenging.


If you had a 300 acre field then yeah, it would't be much of a challenge, but if you have 300 acres of good,solid habitat, then the deer have plenty of places to hide, all he has to do is make it into the brush and he's safe from a rifle or arrow, same as on a larger ranch, high or low fence.

I have access to hunt several ranches each year, from a few that are a few hundred acres low fence, to my place, to a couple that are 3000 acres +. they are all about the same as far challenging goes, some have more game, some less, but they all have enough game to shoot at and i still have to put the bullet where it needs to go




Last edited by txtrophy85; 08/17/10 12:30 PM.

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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: rifleman] #1602278 08/17/10 12:29 PM
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But without the fence, you're going to see a lot of new faces come the rut.

That's the big difference, in my opinion.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: redseal] #1602282 08/17/10 12:31 PM
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Originally Posted By: redseal
your land your decision just like they said though with 200 acres there's not a lot of room to hide on flat land now in the hill country like around kerr county you might never see those deer on 200 hundred acres deer proofed cause you'll have draws and cedar and hills.

I agree with you on this....many people can only afford a smaller place. I know of a minister who could only afford around a 100 acres in the late 1990's...he had bought it to hunt and try to manage for his family, but his efforts of letting bucks walk only to have everyone of them shot by his neighbors was not what he had invisioned for his property. So he high fenced it so his family could watch and enjoy their management efforts and managed only the deer he was able to catch in when he fenced which was not to many. He later on was able to afford to buy an additional 120 acres that joined him to add to his ranch. I guess it all boils down to your ethics and morals. If I were going to fence a smaller tract then I would make it an archery or crossbow only type of hunting place, but that is my choice. Like it was said your land, your choice. If you wanted to bulldoze it clear and plant nothing but grass for cattle it would still be your choice. I have seen larger ranches that did not have the cover of a smaller ranch has that were high fenced and the larger ranch was easier to hunt than the smaller one. Neighbors will never like it since they are hunting your management until you put the fence up. As for a being a pen or feedlot....any ranch will only support so many mouths unless you supplement them thru pellets or food plots. Most hunters do that now so they are supporting more game than that property would on it own, they just are not fenced. So if a hunters are doing it low fenced to hold the game you would be doing it only using the fence. I guess it all boils down to if it is good for the game then do what you want and not what other think you should. If you could afford more land then I think we would not be weighing in on this subject.



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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1602286 08/17/10 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted By: cameron00
It completely kills the surprise when you can literally identify every, single deer on the place.

If I had the money to buy a huge place, I personally probably wouldn't HF less than about 2000 acres.

Just personal preference though. Do as you will.


I think with the trail cameras today the suprise factor is gone from the hunt no matter what the fence type is or the size of the property.



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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1602287 08/17/10 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted By: cameron00
But without the fence, you're going to see a lot of new faces come the rut.

That's the big difference, in my opinion.


I guess that is true. I only saw two last year that were new to me...but I saw them a handful of times before season was over.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1602290 08/17/10 12:35 PM
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Originally Posted By: cameron00
But without the fence, you're going to see a lot of new faces come the rut.

That's the big difference, in my opinion.


this is true, to an extent.

I've had deer show up on my place that I've never seen before, see two or three times in december, then never see them again. maybe their nocturnal, i don't know. several years this has happend. all mature bucks, some small racked, others carrying some pretty serious headgear.

its naive to think, just because you have 300 acres high fence, that your going to be able to name every one of your deer, if you have a decent sized herd. we have a herd of 40ish something axis, we went the whole season last year and didn't see ONE during hunting hours. the only time we saw them was in november when we had to go turn the well off at 2am and there were 20 something in the pivot field.


one downside to the thing is inbreeding, but if you buy a few does now and then, you take care of that problem



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Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: txtrophy85] #1602322 08/17/10 12:47 PM
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txtrophy85 - The ranch manager at my buddy's 2500 acre place is very, very rarely suprised by a deer he hasn't seen either in person or via camera. South Texas, heavily brushed, a 200+ B&C managed ranch. Granted, he lives there full time.

Maybe if you don't spend much time there. But on 300 acres? Maybe 1 or 2 a year that really surprise you.

I got 6 bucks on my 40 acres that no one around me had seen prior to last weekend, and we have a ridiculous amount of cameras set in a fairly small amount of surrounding property.

That's half the allure to me. And close to zero of my bucks would even open eyes in South Texas.


Re: How much acreage to game fence? [Re: cameron00] #1602333 08/17/10 12:51 PM
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I guess what I'm saying is the possibility of the great unknown is what draws me to both hunting and fishing. I prefer rivers and the oceans to ponds, even large ponds. Because there's really no limit to what just might swim up.

Same thing with fences. On 300 acres, if you really work it, you could almost or totally eradicate your hog population. Even though they're destructive, I like seeing various nomadic boars show up on my cameras from time to time.

All the fence does is eliminate the unknown to an extent. And yes, I'm sure I'd still have the time of my life hunting a heavily brushed 300 acres. It's not a big deal in my mind, just a personal preference.


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