High fence “private game preserve”!?

[TaperPin]

I stopped reading most gun magazines some time ago, so maybe I’m the only one here that didn’t realize deer and elk “hunting“ out west has changed so much. The large private ranches that surround their property with high fences and essentially raise captive trophies made my stomach turn a bit. Many of my clients over the years have stupid money and they are the target market of these ranches, so I get the economics. I consider stupid money the level when dropping $200k a year on hobbies is no big deal.

What states allow this for mule deer and elk? Moose? Bighorn sheep? Antelope? Shame on the state legislators who condone this for nothing more than political contributions.

 

[Billy Goat]

I stopped reading most gun magazines some time ago, so maybe I’m the only one here that didn’t realize deer and elk “hunting“ out west has changed so much. The large private ranches that surround their property with high fences and essentially raise captive trophies made my stomach turn a bit. Many of my clients over the years have stupid money and they are the target market of these ranches, so I get the economics. I consider stupid money the level when dropping $200k a year on hobbies is no big deal.

What states allow this for mule deer and elk? Moose? Bighorn sheep? Antelope? Shame on the state legislators who condone this for nothing more than political contributions.

Honestly, why is it different from any other farming?


It's certainly not my thing, but if people want to spend their money to go do it, I don't really care.

 

[dtrkyman]

I guided fishing on a ranch in Northern New Mexico, two guys flew in on their own plane, both shot bulls and came back to camp, we asked them if they wanted to go catch some fish, they said no we gotta go.

Were there 4 hrs max!

 

[aftriathlete]

I guided fishing on a ranch in Northern New Mexico, two guys flew in on their own plane, both shot bulls and came back to camp, we asked them if they wanted to go catch some fish, they said no we gotta go.

Were there 4 hrs max!

I’ll never understand that kind of thing. What’s the attraction if there’s no sport in it?

 

[dtrkyman]

They were just in it for the trophy, to each their own but i don't get it either! Of course they probably got home and made more money the next day than I have my whole life!

 

[Loo.wii]

I guided fishing on a ranch in Northern New Mexico, two guys flew in on their own plane, both shot bulls and came back to camp, we asked them if they wanted to go catch some fish, they said no we gotta go.

Were there 4 hrs max!

That doesn’t even sound fun

 

[Northpark]

I stopped reading most gun magazines some time ago, so maybe I’m the only one here that didn’t realize deer and elk “hunting“ out west has changed so much. The large private ranches that surround their property with high fences and essentially raise captive trophies made my stomach turn a bit. Many of my clients over the years have stupid money and they are the target market of these ranches, so I get the economics. I consider stupid money the level when dropping $200k a year on hobbies is no big deal.

What states allow this for mule deer and elk? Moose? Bighorn sheep? Antelope? Shame on the state legislators who condone this for nothing more than political contributions.

I think most states have elk and deer. I’ve heard moose don’t handle fences well and I’ve never heard of antelope being raised. I know desert bighorns are a thing in Mexico. I’ve seen high fence elk offered in CO and of course TX. I’ve seen high fence whitetail and mule deer offered in TX as well as all the exotics. Some places cater to the super rich where some dude with his drinking buddies comes and shoots a 300” whitetail and others cater to the blue collar guy that just wants to hunt something.

I wouldn’t judge anyone too harshly, this is best left as to each their own. Oh and for what’s it’s worth there are certain animals saved from the brink of extinction thanks to high fence hunting (ex. Scimitar horned Oryx).

 

[Wingnutty]

The problem is the diseases they spread into native populations. Also the high fences that fracture the landscape, cut off migration corridors and fence off critical winter range. To each his own but when it starts to impact our wild game populations that benefit all then I think a line needs to be drawn. Montana has done a good job limiting the spread of game farms

 

[TaperPin]

The problem is the diseases they spread into native populations. Also the high fences that fracture the landscape, cut off migration corridors and fence off critical winter range. To each his own but when it starts to impact our wild game populations that benefit all then I think a line needs to be drawn. Montana has done a good job limiting the spread of game farms

Isn‘t there a 600+ point elk from a Montana high fence ranch that’s headed for sci #1?

 

[Axlrod]

Montana outlawed them years ago.

 

[TaperPin]

I think most states have elk and deer. I’ve heard moose don’t handle fences well and I’ve never heard of antelope being raised. I know desert bighorns are a thing in Mexico. I’ve seen high fence elk offered in CO and of course TX. I’ve seen high fence whitetail and mule deer offered in TX as well as all the exotics. Some places cater to the super rich where some dude with his drinking buddies comes and shoots a 300” whitetail and others cater to the blue collar guy that just wants to hunt something.

I wouldn’t judge anyone too harshly, this is best left as to each their own. Oh and for what’s it’s worth there are certain animals saved from the brink of extinction thanks to high fence hunting (ex. Scimitar horned Oryx).

It’s the slow erosion of wildlife ownership - we don’t want the west to turn into a Texas exotic ranch.

Honestly, why is it different from any other farming?


It's certainly not my thing, but if people want to spend their money to go do it, I don't really care.

Traditionally in the Rocky Mountain states, wildlife belongs to the state, not to the rancher and wildlife farming wasn’t allowed. Colorado sold out early.

 

[Northpark]

It’s the slow erosion of wildlife ownership - we don’t want the west to turn into a Texas exotic ranch.


Traditionally in the Rocky Mountain states, wildlife belongs to the state, not to the rancher and wildlife farming wasn’t allowed. Colorado sold out early.

True. We as a country typically adhere to the North American model of conservation. Unlike other countries that have different models. It’s proven and it works. My point however was that there’s good and bad about everything. Is there negatives with wildlife ranching? Absolutely. Are there positives? Absolutely. So maybe we should just not judge people in general because I don’t care if the guy sitting next to me at a banquet hunts high fence or not. At the end of the night we both contribute to keeping yet another piece of ground from becoming a subdivision with no hunting allowed. And after living in a subdivision I dislike subdivisions above most other things in life.

 

[Billy Goat]

Traditionally in the Rocky Mountain states, wildlife belongs to the state, not to the rancher and wildlife farming wasn’t allowed. Colorado sold out early.

You are missing my point.

It's not wildlife in fences, it's livestock. But it's also people utilizing their ground. If they can raise a product of value, so be it.


I have way less of a problem with people having high fence ranches raising animals then I do with the factory farming that goes on.

 

[Billy Goat]

At the end of the night we both contribute to keeping yet another piece of ground from becoming a subdivision with no hunting allowed. And after living in a subdivision I dislike subdivisions above most other things in life.

This is along the lines of how I think. Conservation and preservation doesn't look the same to everyone, but preserving open ground in the end is my goal. Around here some guys think ground is a waste if it doesn't have corn or cattle on it, same time others just want to let it go back to nature (which doesn't exactly happen).


I just hate seeing things developed, but that's a necessary thing too. I'm just glad there's people who enjoy city living, gives some of us a little more space.

 

[def90]

I’ve never seen a high fence ranch in Colorado but I guess it’s a big state and I haven’t been to every corner.

That said, there is no law against putting up a big fence around your property and whatever ends up being in there is in there. It would be illegal to “capture” wildlife and purposely put them in there though.

 

[LongWayAround]

I might be living under a rock but I don't think those type of ranches are very common in the core western states. I have only heard of one in maybe Idaho or Utah and have never seen or heard of in Colorado or Wyoming. I am sure they are in many states but probably pretty rare.

I can't imagine high fencing moose or antelope. Sheep in Mexico is known. And deer, etcetera in Texas is not new.

Where did you get the idea that high fence ranches are so common?

 

[WKB]

There are high fence 300-400 acre farms all over the midwest and Appalachia that sell deer and elk "hunts". you literally choose the class of deer you want to kill (150-170, 170-190, 200+ etc) wait by a feeder, and when it goes off the deer come running in. you then kill the pet deer when it comes in to eat its regularly scheduled meal.

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

 

[Weldor]

The east and midwest has plenty of high fence hunting. Bison ,exotic's. Elk, deer, hogs you name they probably have it. They are quite abit cheaper than the western ranches. I don't think just applies to the west. I just read a add for Fallow deer on 80 acres of high fence right in the middle of suburbia. Like the man said, to each his own.

 

[Mike D Texas]

I stopped reading most gun magazines some time ago, so maybe I’m the only one here that didn’t realize deer and elk “hunting“ out west has changed so much. The large private ranches that surround their property with high fences and essentially raise captive trophies made my stomach turn a bit. Many of my clients over the years have stupid money and they are the target market of these ranches, so I get the economics. I consider stupid money the level when dropping $200k a year on hobbies is no big deal.

What states allow this for mule deer and elk? Moose? Bighorn sheep? Antelope? Shame on the state legislators who condone this for nothing more than political contributions.

So you want the government to regulate what a person can do with their own land?


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[TaperPin]

So you want the government to regulate what a person can do with their own land?


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Do what you want with the land, but the wildlife belongs to the state.