j3butch
WKR
I believe that mankind’s urge to hunt is primal. It is built into our DNA to hunt, and gather, to provide food and nourishment to ourselves and our families. This instinctual urge has driven me to hunt, and to cook for a living.* While on that path to nourish this deep, instinctual feeling, I discovered an even deeper passion and appreciation for the animals themselves.
This deep appreciation is the foundation behind my preference for public land, fair chase hunting.
If you are a non-hunter, (obviously not this group!!) you may question the ability to deeply appreciate and love the animals while at the same time take their lives. This question leads to a much deeper conversation about conservation and the ideologies and purpose behind land and animal conservation. That is not what this post is about. This is a post about my experience high fence hunting, the differences I have experienced between that and public land hunting, and the reasons for my preference for the latter.
In my 25 years of hunting I’ve primarily only had access to public land hunting so that has shaped my views and opinions. I like my hunts hard, that’s why I’ve gravitated toward pursuing game typically with a bow but no issue with rifle hunting. The reward and sense of accomplishment when the stars align is that much sweeter for me when the chase is truly free and fair. I’m very accustomed to the hunt ending in an unfilled tag and have found it is always about the journey and not the kill.
My first introduction to high fence hunting some 10 years ago was in South Texas. I can’t lie, it was an exciting hunt. The thrill of the chase was still there, and no doubt the animal encounters greatly increased. I learned about selective hunting, looking for the older aged animals that needed to be taken out of the heard, opposed to trying to shoot the first legal animal that presented itself. This can be called “trophy hunting” because yes, typically these animals have the biggest rack but that’s also coincidental. That said, while still exciting, at the end of the hunt I knew it was different. I did not feel the same sense of accomplishment; the “reward” was not as sweet as a public land hunt. Inside a high fence, the animals still behave like animals, they use their instincts to elude the hunter, and the hunt can still be very difficult. But to say that it is equal to a 100% natural environment, where the animals can elude the hunter onto inaccessible ground or private land or outside of your unit, would be false. To put it simply, when I reflect on all my hunts, I value my public land hunts more. Since that first high fence hunt I have been back to South Texas, will go again and have come to accept that style of hunting for what it is and can find joy in it-just a different kind of joy.
In the end, I’m a hunter and I can compartmentalize my hunting experiences.
When a New Zealand Stag hunt opportunity presented itself I did not fully understand what I was getting into. I had an inclination that it wasn’t truly a fair chase hunt based on the sheer size of the stags that I had seen on the Spey Creek social media feed. I went into the hunt with much anticipation and an open mind, and as usual, determined to hunt with my bow, but open to using a rifle if needed. Spey Creek Ranch, about an hour inland of Kaikoura on the E coast of the South Island, consists of 3,000 acres of some of the most stunning, exhilarating landscape I’ve ever hunted in. The estate grounds had rolling hills that led to steep canyons choked with dank, thick vegetation mixed with towering pines; scenery that was at times right out of The Lord of the Rings. Our mornings started up high on the mountain glassing until we would locate a stag in a good location for a stalk. We would check the wind and come up with a route that would put us into a position to hopefully be within comfortable bow range-sub 40 yards. These stalks more often than not would take an hour or two but one was over 8 hours, all depending on the terrain and what we encountered along the way. The hunts were challenging and certainly exciting; at times reminiscent of public land hunting. In the end, with four days of hunting I had two good shot opportunities with my bow. One at 20 yards but down an incredibly steep cliff face I was perched upon, my shot sailed just underneath the stag at last light after my bottom cam hit a rock. Ughh. The second opportunity two days later also went low due to misjudging the distance with no time to range the large stag at 42 yards.
So with 30-minutes left on my hunt as the sun was setting we decided to pull out the rifle to get my father-in-law his trophy. ** We luckily found a great stag while working back to the cabin and with one shot from 150 yards out, he was down. We got what we came for - a challenging and exhilarating hunt.
Years from now when I see that stag mount on the wall in his barn I will remember the effort, close encounters, sheer size of these beasts & stunning landscape. I will remember the world class hospitality we received by the owners of Spey Creek as well as the knowledge and dedication shown by my guide. Andrew was a stud!
Most importantly I will remember what I learned about myself. This hunt was important for me, writing this way too long post is also important for me.
As I reflect on the hunt I’m reminded of why I started hunting and where my passion lies. My heart will forever be in wild places…without fences.
*I feed my family and my friends with the animals that I kill. I field dress, pack out, butcher, prepare and cook the meat myself and take great pride in doing so. Combining my formal training, career long experience and passion for cooking with my passion for hunting is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. While we were unable to bring the NZ red stag meat home to the US due to travel logistics, the team at the ranch utilize the meat to feed themselves and future guests and I can personally attest to how delicious it is. We ate stag all week long.
**The New Zealand Stag hunt was purchased by my father-in-law at a charity auction, generously donated by the owners of Spey Creek, to benefit St. Judes Children’s Cancer Center and Research. $10,000 went directly to St. Judes for this hunt. He is not personally a big game hunter, so asked me to tag along to hunt the animal, and he will enjoy the trophy at his home. I will enjoy the memories and lessons learned about myself.
If you made it this far thanks for reading and thanks for reading with an open mind.
This deep appreciation is the foundation behind my preference for public land, fair chase hunting.
If you are a non-hunter, (obviously not this group!!) you may question the ability to deeply appreciate and love the animals while at the same time take their lives. This question leads to a much deeper conversation about conservation and the ideologies and purpose behind land and animal conservation. That is not what this post is about. This is a post about my experience high fence hunting, the differences I have experienced between that and public land hunting, and the reasons for my preference for the latter.
In my 25 years of hunting I’ve primarily only had access to public land hunting so that has shaped my views and opinions. I like my hunts hard, that’s why I’ve gravitated toward pursuing game typically with a bow but no issue with rifle hunting. The reward and sense of accomplishment when the stars align is that much sweeter for me when the chase is truly free and fair. I’m very accustomed to the hunt ending in an unfilled tag and have found it is always about the journey and not the kill.
My first introduction to high fence hunting some 10 years ago was in South Texas. I can’t lie, it was an exciting hunt. The thrill of the chase was still there, and no doubt the animal encounters greatly increased. I learned about selective hunting, looking for the older aged animals that needed to be taken out of the heard, opposed to trying to shoot the first legal animal that presented itself. This can be called “trophy hunting” because yes, typically these animals have the biggest rack but that’s also coincidental. That said, while still exciting, at the end of the hunt I knew it was different. I did not feel the same sense of accomplishment; the “reward” was not as sweet as a public land hunt. Inside a high fence, the animals still behave like animals, they use their instincts to elude the hunter, and the hunt can still be very difficult. But to say that it is equal to a 100% natural environment, where the animals can elude the hunter onto inaccessible ground or private land or outside of your unit, would be false. To put it simply, when I reflect on all my hunts, I value my public land hunts more. Since that first high fence hunt I have been back to South Texas, will go again and have come to accept that style of hunting for what it is and can find joy in it-just a different kind of joy.
In the end, I’m a hunter and I can compartmentalize my hunting experiences.
When a New Zealand Stag hunt opportunity presented itself I did not fully understand what I was getting into. I had an inclination that it wasn’t truly a fair chase hunt based on the sheer size of the stags that I had seen on the Spey Creek social media feed. I went into the hunt with much anticipation and an open mind, and as usual, determined to hunt with my bow, but open to using a rifle if needed. Spey Creek Ranch, about an hour inland of Kaikoura on the E coast of the South Island, consists of 3,000 acres of some of the most stunning, exhilarating landscape I’ve ever hunted in. The estate grounds had rolling hills that led to steep canyons choked with dank, thick vegetation mixed with towering pines; scenery that was at times right out of The Lord of the Rings. Our mornings started up high on the mountain glassing until we would locate a stag in a good location for a stalk. We would check the wind and come up with a route that would put us into a position to hopefully be within comfortable bow range-sub 40 yards. These stalks more often than not would take an hour or two but one was over 8 hours, all depending on the terrain and what we encountered along the way. The hunts were challenging and certainly exciting; at times reminiscent of public land hunting. In the end, with four days of hunting I had two good shot opportunities with my bow. One at 20 yards but down an incredibly steep cliff face I was perched upon, my shot sailed just underneath the stag at last light after my bottom cam hit a rock. Ughh. The second opportunity two days later also went low due to misjudging the distance with no time to range the large stag at 42 yards.
So with 30-minutes left on my hunt as the sun was setting we decided to pull out the rifle to get my father-in-law his trophy. ** We luckily found a great stag while working back to the cabin and with one shot from 150 yards out, he was down. We got what we came for - a challenging and exhilarating hunt.
Years from now when I see that stag mount on the wall in his barn I will remember the effort, close encounters, sheer size of these beasts & stunning landscape. I will remember the world class hospitality we received by the owners of Spey Creek as well as the knowledge and dedication shown by my guide. Andrew was a stud!
Most importantly I will remember what I learned about myself. This hunt was important for me, writing this way too long post is also important for me.
As I reflect on the hunt I’m reminded of why I started hunting and where my passion lies. My heart will forever be in wild places…without fences.
*I feed my family and my friends with the animals that I kill. I field dress, pack out, butcher, prepare and cook the meat myself and take great pride in doing so. Combining my formal training, career long experience and passion for cooking with my passion for hunting is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. While we were unable to bring the NZ red stag meat home to the US due to travel logistics, the team at the ranch utilize the meat to feed themselves and future guests and I can personally attest to how delicious it is. We ate stag all week long.
**The New Zealand Stag hunt was purchased by my father-in-law at a charity auction, generously donated by the owners of Spey Creek, to benefit St. Judes Children’s Cancer Center and Research. $10,000 went directly to St. Judes for this hunt. He is not personally a big game hunter, so asked me to tag along to hunt the animal, and he will enjoy the trophy at his home. I will enjoy the memories and lessons learned about myself.
If you made it this far thanks for reading and thanks for reading with an open mind.
