I am from Tx... which I consider an HFH Mecca. Everywhere you turn, there is another high fenced operation selling "hunts". I used to be of the mindset that private landowners can do whatever they want with their land, regardless of implications to hunters around them. After dealing with the money grab they call hunting in some portions of Tx, I can see how this commercializations can lead to both better overall deer quality AND REDUCED hunter participation.
I simply can't afford to hunt deer here, and I am not alone. It is cheaper to chase public land elk out of state than to hunt here, which seems ridiculous. I'm not placing all of the blame on HF operations, but when big money starts playing that game, it turns into a battle of bank accounts. Animals go from being a renewable resource to a grocery item with a price tag. While I am new to the western hunting ideology and what the original founders of clubs like Boone and Crockett set out to accomplish, I can see how a system of commercialization could be a detriment to the long term wellbeing of the wildlife. To me, ethics and the debate around animal wellbeing is stemmed from the idea that we want species to proliferate and maintain a high standard of living. Seems like HFH more often falls on the negative side of this equation.
