Ive hunted hf places and i prefer to do that than hunt on leases. I like being able to actually enjoy myself while hunting.

King ranch is not hunted like one ranch... It has a whole lot of private leases and including other areas that are outfitted on.. so it more like a normal LF ranch then you would think

I don't think anyone would argue that it is the exact same. But it is definitely impressive. No one else has done that in Texas. He did it without introducing genetics and shot it on a large HF place. That is impressive. Don't know why you're stealing his thunder. This was not a breeder buck. (Although it is big enough to be)

I have hunted on and managed ranches from 200 acres to 6,000 acres HF. The one thing a HF does is keep as many deer off a place as it does keep them on. Fencing is expensive as is the land that is bought. Fencing does not guarantee that you will have great deer. It only affords the deer inside the opportunity to show their genetics. It is up to the land owner to make the decisions on management to change how and what they will look like in the future. Same holds true on larger LF operations also. I have hunted large LF ranches also and the easiest hunts I have been on were LF. Deer on most LF ranches that I have hunted were not pressured as hard as the ones behind a HF. Once you fence a ranch you are bound to managing them since they cannot manage themselves. Just my .02

I have hunted both and it doesn't matter to me one way or another. If given the choice of hunting a well managed 2,000 acre lf ranch vs a 2,000 acre no-managed hf ranch, I'll go to the lf ranch. Bottom line is that I like to watch big, mature bucks in a herd that has a balanced age structure and sex ratio and couldn't care less what the fence looks like around it!

Here's a question for the B & C Club. What if brother A and brother B both inherit 5,000 acres each of a 10,000 acre ranch and the 10,000 was high-fenced. Now, each has a border fence to his other brother's 5,000 acre ranch that is a 5 strand barbed wire fence and it equals 1/4 of the perimeter of each ranch, are the deer they harvest now allowed into the book where before when the came off the original 10,000 were not????

x2 Its one of those deer that you may never see again,,, its like the perfect storm, grew over 80 inches in one year......

That about sums it up for me also

Bingo, we have a winner

Guys - LF or HF i'm indifferent. The funny thing is the hoopla and defense of high fenceing of properties such that all things are NOT equal. Therfore non-equal results and the fenced deer get to "...show their genetics".

As for stealing his thunder? I think ya'll overestimate the power of THF.

I have hunted 3 high fences. The biggest being 1600 acres the smallest being about 300. The animals ARE WILD and ARE DIFFICULT TO HUNT!

I believe there is around 200,000 acres that deer cannot be hunted on the King ranch. There have got to be some monsters on that track. I know they do hunt nilgai and other stuff there just not deer.

I have hunted two HF places. One in Mills County and one in Eastland County.

I've hunted high fences between 3 and 5 thousand acres. Some hunts I didn't see trophies (maybe I'm not a very good hunter), some I did. Hunting could be as hard as you wanted to make it. Difference being you knew the trophies were in there somewhere. If you don't have time to scout/hunt very much but still want to take a nice animal, HF is great. I sure wouldn't want the money that is spent on HF hunting spent on anti-hunting or anti-gun groups.

Once, on a ranch in Campwood in Real County - shot a nice Fallow buck there at no cost to me.

100% Agree!!!!

hunted one that was 4K acres, lyssey ranch in encinal. Great place, took a nice buck. it was hunting, pure and simple

I have hunted several high fence ranches some very tough hunting and some not so tough. 20,000 down to 200 smaller does not make them easier, i have been on small high fence ranches with some very educated deer.

never have, never will. It is not something I want to do.

Chaparral WMA - twice

I have been on a 1200 acre cotton field that was high fenced to keep the deer out of the cotton. It didn't work, the deer still get in to the cotton field.

This fence goes a long long way, notice on the pasture side there is low fence.

Sounds like my buddies 700 acre LF lease in Kent county. Turkey just walk by while dove hunting. Deer are everywhere starting late Oct to Jan hitting corn and wheat. I have seen more deer there than anywhere in S. Tex. West Texas can be a petting zoo but you can see a ton of game.

I forgot. I did hunt one, one time. It was real small, and all I saw was a dog.



OK, OK, it was a kennel.

I have been on, not hunted, a 9K HF place just a little north of where the most recent famous deer was shot and didn't see a single deer in the 6 hours I spent on it driving around and fishing. It was managed well and had a deer about 1 to 20-30 acres. I have hunted on partial HF about 12K acres not far from there and several hunts I would only catch a deer running across a sendero for about 1 second and that was it. Again, very managed. Some hunts young deer would walk right by you but only seen one mature deer at 250 yards and then he ran off. If I had my choice I rather hunt down there than my lease where I just hope to see a deer sometimes.

FWIW

I always hunted low fences, heck, I never even hunted over a feeder until about 5 years ago (still would prefer not to)

This year I am on a high fence place, not BECAUSE it's high fence, but because it all works out, the size (6500 acres) the location (1.5hrs from the house, year round access, cabins, cold storage, tanks to fish, plenty of hogs, dove, turkey, family friendly and I can bring out the occasional guest (except during the rut), I can put up and maintain my own stand or use the lease blinds and they handle the corn and protein, i.e., turnkey, show up and hunt.

it's a level 3MLD which means I have a longer season and use their tags, I still have access to a buddies place to go on a doe cull as well as the invites that pop up from other friends.

I am on it because of the overall package, yes, there are some nice very deer taken off the place, 150-160 class bucks.

I would not pay 4k just for the opportunity to shoot a really nice buck, I will pay it because I can go year round, take my kids, hog hunt, fish, etc.. and my brother is on it, that and my parents live 45 minutes from it and dad can come out and hang out with his sons and grandsons..

To me it has NOTHING do do with the height of the fence and EVERYTHING do to with the overall package.

We go out this weekend for the 1st hunt.
What I hope for more than a nice buck is a really good overall hunting experience and time in the woods with my family.

Now, that being said, I would trade it in a New York minute for my buddies families place just south of Goldwaithe, 350 acres, low fence, no feeders, but just beautiful land and a LOT of deer