Ok I'm sure this has been discussed before but this is something that is really got me thinking. So no one get mad at me I just want your input. So growing up in Texas I never thought twice about hunting feeders or even high fences for the most part. It's pretty common place here in the lone star state. About 3 years ago I would have defended that method of hunting deer but I'm starting to think differently. HERE'S WHY. So the AIr Force sent me to North Dakota. As you can guess they hunt and fish a little differently up here than down in Texas. For two years now I have taken full advantage of the outdoor opportunity these frozen lakes and snow covered prarries have to offer. And it's been a tremendous experience. Now all my hunting and fishing buddies up here are from the north ( Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Alaska) and they are some tremendous outdoorsmen. For them growing up hunting feeders and or high fences was either illegal or cheating and not something they did. So you can imagine how much we butted heads on this subject. But my view has changed on this after this hunting season I think. On Christmas evening up here in North Dakota on public land with no fences, feeders, stands or blinds I dropped my first archery deer, a 125 9 point.I was just sitting in the snow under a tree on a deer trail. Now if I had bait, stands ect. It would have saved me about 40 of the hunting trips I made this year. Trust me, I wasn't freezing my [censored] off that many times by choice but closing the deal on a buck or doe just hadn't worked out all season until that day.Heck the day before I was so frustrated due to the long and disspointing season I was on the verge of throwing my bow away and saying I would never hunt again. So it hadn't been easy to say the least. From prior to season starting and all the scouting and homework we did to a lot of 4 am mornings and late nights and hunting in blizzard conditions with temps well below zero this season challenged the outdoorsman in us and tested patience and commitment. Now looking back I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. After so much time, work and effort that deer was something more than just a nice buck. It was the greatest trophy I have ever received,and it wasn't the antlers that made it a trophy. Those were just a sweet bonus. So i say all that to get to this. When I look at that deer I think I did that, I put in the work to get that, no luck just hard work. To me that was hunting. Now I wonder when I come back to Texas if I will ever be able just to sit on a feeder again or hunt high fences. It doesn't seem like hunting as much anymore. I even question if it is hunting. Is it hunting? Is it ethical? Thougts please.

Ethics are gray and will never be black and white. The good news is you can continue your new zest for hunting the natural way when you return to Texas. I enjoy spot and stalk much more than hunting a feeder. I have sets with feeders that I enjoy hunting especially with guests. Their time is limited and most are not very good spot and stalk hunters. I find the feeders combined with cameras give me a good idea what type of animals are frequenting the area I hunt, but once the hunting activity picks up I rarely see the really good mature bucks at the feeder that I have pictures of from before the season starts. Most mature bucks I've harvested have been away from feeders on travel routes between bedding and feeding areas and around water sources. I think everyone has there own ideas on hunting ethics and I respect their opinions and methods. Even high fenced operations that are very small are not for me, but they are still a better place for the animals and their eventual harvest than livestock waiting to be slaughtered.

Well said Marc. Feeders give you a shot at a deer that is stationary as opposed to one that is moving through, making for a more ethical shot IMO. Lots of areas in Texas are overpopulated and deer need to be removed. Also, with antler restrictions in a lot of counties, it gives you time to "size up" your quarry, resulting in less law violations.

Ethics in hunting is up to each individual.

IMO, not ethics on this one. Completely different animals when talking about Mid-West and Texas hunting, for the most part. Lots of open country in Mid-West hunting over entries to food plots or better yet actual farming crops. They use this as a opportunity to get the deer out to these open areas just as we in Texas use feeders or corned senderos to get deer out from abundant brush cover. Having hunted South Texas for nearly 40 years, I can almost assure you that without being able to corn roads or set up feeders, you wouldn't have a chance to ever see probably 70% of your deer or more. This same concern with extensive brush is not as pronounced in the Mid-West. Personally for me, I see absolutely no real difference whether baiting or hunting food plots or crops; the goal is basically the same, "Get the deer out in the open". The unique terrains and cover dictate the state approved hunting tactics. If it was completely unfair, it wouldn't be authorized by the state as is the case in many states in the U.S.

Exactly, hunting in south Texas since i was born and there is no way you can hunt without senderos and corning roads. If i hunted in mid-west i would hunt with different methods, but in Texas we bait them because there is no way to move through the brush country without bleeding out lol. Appreciate your post its a good one.

Hunting a mesquite flat and without these senderos it would be impossible to wakl through and still hunt.

Great post by DQ Kid - hit it right on the head.

For the OP, it's great that you had such a rewarding experience, and you are rightfully proud of all the time and work you put into getting your buck. But most hunters don't have the luxury of 40 hunts in a season, and some don't have the physical stamina (whether by age or physical ability or other) to put in all the 4am's & late nights & braving blizzard conditions like you did.

To me, it's akin to discovering the challenge of flyrod fishing, and then questioning whether that might be the only "real" fishing there is and whether other methods are even ethical.

I see the point on feeders but what about high fences? Thanks for the input so far.

Putting up a feeder doesn't guarantee a good buck. If you just wanted to go shoot an animal, it can be done at a feeder, but is just as easy on a wheat field.

DQ nailed it IMO. I hunt Kansas and hunt Texas. In Kansas, the deer act, react, travel, feed, and pretty much seem like a completely different animal than the Texas deer. Hunting pressure, terrain, and climate dictate much of the movement. Just because I have to hunt different in Kansas, doesn't mean that I think less of another tactic. The ag fields and shelter belts laid out in the open country make the hunting much different also.

There is no doubt that certain types or styles of hunting are more rewarding, but I don't think that should make the other styles any less ethical or changes the definition of hunting. I prefer bow hunting. Just because it is more difficult and more rewarding to me to take a deer with a bow, it doesn't mean that shooting one with a rifle is unethical.

Our ranch is high fenced in South Texas because neighbors could not control the trigger finger on young bucks. IMO it was ethical to build 8ft fence around perimeter. We now have a thriving well managed deer population since we put up the fence. before the fence it was amazing to see a 3.5yr old pencil horned 8 pointer. If everyone was responsible and trustworthy i would love to be low fenced, but its not the case. Humans have antler greed where low fences exist and they will shoot anything so the neighbor wont get the young spike. Its a horrible thing! So again it was ethical to actually put up an 8 ft fence for our situation.

I can see both sides of this argument and it goes in circles time and time again. I do have to say, driving down certain roadways now and seeing HF after HF is a little discerning. As you said though, not everyone's goals are the same...but the antler greed could be said about the LF place that shoots anything so the neighbor won't get it, or the HF place that puts up a game fence so the neighbor won't shoot it.

There is nothing unethical about shooting a deer for meat, any deer. There is nothing unethical about not shooting a deer to allow it to mature and grow the largest antlers possible. Just two different mindsets.

One factor I used to get across to my bud's in the Rockies that is mega differetn when they'd rag on me about hunting feeders...what is HUMAN x Game Critter Population density and access to Public Land differences in the No Feeders Allowed areas.

Same song same story...go find 2 legged female friendship in Dallas, x LA x NYC and see how many chances are in what location...

In Texas we have only 3% of the Land Mass total as Publicly Owned Land, and only a small percentage of that is available to hunt...and compare that to the Rockies and Upper Plains states in Federal, State, & County holdings.

When In Rome, in order to get it done whatever the endeavor is, Ya gotta do like the Romans...
JMHO & YMMV
Ron

Now what about high fences and bringing in deer from other locations and "growing" bucks? Seems artificial to me. And I'm not saying all ppl who hunt high fences do that.

Very true on the public land opportunities

Exactly, two different goals/mindsets. I do see what your saying about the ranch that chooses to put up high fence as "antler greed" and really the same desire as the loose trigger fingered low fence people. I do believe if you are only hunting for meat one should still harvest with intelligence for the improvement of the land, but it is all situational and like you said, "goes in circles." The main reason we put up an 8 ft fence was because while we were practicing self- control and deer management the neighbors all around were not. And if you wanna see that as greed you can and I too can see that in the decision to game proof, but there is also a lot of time and work and $ that go into this so there is a true conversationalist approach in game proofing as well for our situation. I love seeing a good age structure and harvesting old mature bucks, its rewarding.

I'd 'rather' sit and hunt a game trail leading to a feeding area, but where I hunt we have to deal with cattle, horses and NO fields so it's hard to pattern deer or even pick out a trail.

I used to love hunting around Sheffield you could sit in some place and see for miles. I'd hunt the draws and valleys. I didn't even know people used feeders or blinds back then.

The buck in the video above was only possible because we game proofed our land. would be very challenging to produce old mature bucks if we did not game proof. This experience and the patience it takes to raise all-natural genetics is why I say there is more to it than greed, but no doubt that greed element is also in there, we are human. So I think game proof fences in our case is actually ethical, but i am bias of course. what do y'all think?

I don't support HF hunting for all the reasons I have stated on here many times. It's a game-changer I cannot accept when an animal is enclosed and cannot travel as it pleases. Many of the HF operations cannot rightfully be called hunting IMO.

As for all the rest, I generally agree with what most have said. No doubt your experience enhanced your satisfaction, and justifiably so. Congratulations!

The idea of a fence stopping animals from freely walking somewhere else as being "bad" and against their natural flow is a bit unreasonable. If your against HF's then your also have to be against cities, drilling for gas and oil. basically all things humanity. what would you do about the situation i stated above? with the neighbors having no self control and shooting anything that moves? I do agree that some HF operations do things very questionable. usually the places selling hunts want their clients to easily and quickly get their trophy. but what about a family operation that put a HF to actually be able to enjoy hunting and manage properly? for the benefit of animal and hunter? What mindset do you come from Nogalus? You have to be able to explain your own assumptions and views before saying "Hf operations are not hunting" I disagree obviously. We have two ranches one is high fenced and one is low fenced. So i know both sides.

My mindset is just what I stated. Search past HF threads for VERY detailed back and forth on the issue including mine. If you want the short version, go to the Boone and Crockett Club's website and read their Statement On Fair Chase. There is a reason B&C and P&Y do not accept HF entries.

"If you are against high fences then you also have to be against cities,drilling for gas and oil, basically all things humanity."

Do I have to be against puppies and baby kittens too?

There is no middle ground... left or right NP...

My stance on HF's are different than NP's, but it would be tough IMO to argue that fences do not restrict deer. A city is a little different than putting a fence around a section of land. I hunt on 6500 acres and see deer travel 3-4 miles on a regular basis. HF's do restrict deer movement. There are natural and man made barriers that restrict deer movement, but they are on a much larger scale and unavoidable in most cases.

Would your view on this be any different if that 9 pt would have stepped out and you shot him the first hunt you went on?

Sitting at a blind/feeder doesn't guarantee a darn thing but that you will sit in a blind and see a feeder.

I do enjoy getting out of the blinds and hunting without feeders, but don't think ethics has a lot to do with it.