High Fence vs Night or Road Hunting

Okay fellas, I have a question and am curios to see all the different answers. Shooting deer from the road or at night, or over bait for that matter is illegal because it's not "fair chase" to the animal. But I just want to know how hunting a deer in a 500-1000 (just throwing a number out) acre high fence is considered "fair chase" and legal, when the deer only have a certain range they can travel. They only have the places that are planted within the fence to eat and the does within the fence to breed. Just say a 700 acre high fence has 20 green fields planted, and 1 person Is in every field on one day of hunting. The deer have nowhere at all safe to eat that day (except whatever little bit of woods the 20 fields don't take up on 700 acres, but it won't be much) and bucks can roam well over a mile when in rut, but in the high fence are restricted to those boundaries. How is that any more "fair chase" than someone piling a buck up over a pile of corn, or on the road at night? I'm not knocking anyone's way of hunting, just simply asking what other fellow hunters think. I'm assuming their will be 1000 diff definitions of fair on this one!

Don't really know..........I aint a night or road hunter or high fence hunter. But I'd suspect a big buck shot at night on the road is a lot cheaper than a high fence buck.

I'll start. I only hunt at night behind a high fence over corn.

Double if you can't tell I'm joking

One cost money one don't. One is legal one ain't.
Only differences I can think of.

Its not "fair chase" I'm pretty sure high fence deals can hunt year round no license needed etc. Its not technically hunting more like farming....

Your not even gonna bait the hook, huh? Just gonna get right to snag fishing.

High fence = cattle

Road hunting is messing over whoever actually owns the land.

If you're worried about the poor deer having a fair chance, you need to go on a high fence hunt. I've been (just to observe) on 1600 acres, and it's 100% a joke. 20-30 deer in a field 5 mins after you just blew their buddy away (still lying in the field). It's an interesting way of killing a herd of "cattle".

High fences are awesome mines 50 acres with a 49 acre green field that has a 1000 pound pile of corn in the middle, and I have staidium lights all aroud it so I can see em at night.

I'm just gonna sit back and watch this thread.

Not a fan of high fences. They have ruined many neighbors hunting land. They change the natural movement from the different types of habitat. What if you worked your tail off to purchase a 400 acre farm then your neighbor fences his 800 acres joining you. Don't think you'd like it. Some people think they own the deer just because they walked across their property so they high fence it so the neighbor can't shoot "their deer".

I went on a management hunt in Texas a few years ago, it was a sight to see all the deer in a high fence. It's not really what we consider hunting. It was just like a tv show. Only Time I have ever really seen rattling work, and really big bucks come running. It was interesting when the guide sat us out on the stand then drove his truck down the road with the feeder throwing corn and by the time he got back there was deer in the road. It was fun but not really hunting to me.

I love these new guys.

I've never been a fan of high fence hunting, I can't see how it's any more fair chase than the reasons I mentioned above. I think every single deer that's trapped in a high fence when it's built should be trapped and released out of the fence, then when the owner has to purchase and manage a herd of deer from the ground up, they can call them their deer.

75% of the bucks on my property never leave 200 acres. Summer, fall, winter, Rut or not.

So even if they were in 1000 acres fence they'd never know it.

The difference is, one cost money up front and the other only cost if you get caught!

I have a close friend that had a high fence hunting operation in Franklin County. He had "X" number of deer on the property and knew each one by a specific name. When a hunter showed up to harvest one of the deer, he was paired with a guide to make sure he shot the deer he was after. If they wanted to shoot another deer that was bigger-once they saw it hunting-the guide would be able to tell the shooter just what it would cost before pulling the trigger.

The surprising part of this high fence operation was their success rate which was just over 60%. Just because they were fenced in did not mean it was like shooting fish in a barrel. The biggest deer were almost never seen by hunters as they had learned how to avoid the fields, etc where hunters were set up. There were many hunters that had a great time hunting there, and went home without a deer. They were a lot harder to kill than anyone can imagine. The younger deer that were less than 2 years old would dare you to shoot them though because they knew they were safe.

I would have loved to have killed a couple of those deer, but my pockets were not deep enough to allow it. There were some absolute Giants in there that were never killed. I have no trouble with anyone hunting a high fence operation if they can afford it. I just don't have much interest in doing it myself.

I wish I had the funds to fence our place. Would do it in a heartbeat. Fences are awesome management tools.

I love my enclosure! Best money I ever spent!

60% success rate on trophy bucks that had names? Yep, sounds just like the tough hunting most of us non high fence hunters do.

60%+ success rate of shooting a mature buck over just a couple of hunts is like shooting fish in a barrel. I'm sure any free range place can't touch that in Alabama.

I wish the deer were like that where I hunt, That would be nice!

I think anyone that posts a comment about a HF should state:

1- whether or not they've hunted a HF
2- what state
3- # acres
4- private or commercial

Yes
Texas
2400
private/commercial

I've never hunted a high fence and don't have a desire; but, it appears that many on this site associate hunting HF with something negative. If someone wants to spend their money on hunting a HF or a guided hunt in Africa or elsewhere that the probability of success is almost guaranteed - why does that matter? Is it jealousy? If it's a trophy to the person, then why do so many choose to belittle their hunt?

However, back to the OP. Shooting from the road is illegal and dangerous on multiple levels. I've done it (numerous times when younger), but times have changed and so has my attitude towards illegal hunting. Personally, I think to poach and/or hunt from the road is probably the most selfish act a "hunter" can do and I wish they'd prosecute them to extent of mandatory jail time.

Hunting over bait - I couldn't care less one way or another. I view a greenfield as baiting and hunt over them regularly. I don't care for feeders (specifically trough type)only because of the chance of spreading disease throughout the herd. While I don't care whether someone hunts over bait or not, I am convinced that it is not good for the animal due to the possibility of the bait being contaminated with something that would be harmful to the animal (I have no scientific data that supports my stance, it is an opinion based on seeing livestock die from similar circumstances - specifically mold in cattle feed).

I figured the law was in place due to safety as opposed to fair chase.

I guess you would have to experience it for yourself. A place I hunt was cut off by a HF. The hunting was always great for everyone until someone decided to HF a large tract. Most of the time the people doung a HF care less about their neighbors. In this particular case I know this for a fact. No jealousy here. If someone wants to go spend 4k to 15k to shoot a deer in a HF then more power to them. I merely hate it for the adjoining landowners.

The only thing I say about it is, don't kill a high fence deer and pretend it's not one.


It's not that hard to throw a piglet or 8 over a fence....

Have you ever personally known anyone that did that?

I'm not trying to be a dick, but what's the difference in someone going to Alaska, being flown to the hunting grounds at the exact moment a large group of caribou are in the area, the guide leads him to an area that the animals will pass, and he kills a trophy?

There is an individual that frequently posts on this forum that offers guided hunts all over the world. I am sure that some are HF, some are as I described above, and some are straight fair chase in remote areas of the US and the world. When he posts pictures from some of these hunts (which I really enjoy) with the exotic animals and trophies that either he or his clients killed - I think it would be easy to say, "Well that's not a trophy, because of whatever reason." But, his clients paid for the opportunity to have a chance at the animal - obviously they are happy about being able to kill said animal, and probably more often than not - they consider that animal a prized trophy.

I think we (hunters) do more harm to our sport by judging the means by which others choose to hunt or by attempting to apply our morals to a situation that has little or no affect on our methods of hunting. There is a reason that I have had the signature line that has been on my account since the day I registered - because sometimes Aldeer takes a mob mentality towards pictures of deer that have been posted. More often than not someone states, "I bet that was killed in an enclosure."

Yeah, I have known some that have. And that wasn't supposed to come off as anti-fence. I'm not against it at all.

All that matters is that it's a trophy to you.... if someone's being a dick about it that's their problem.

We go to a high fence place every year to duck hunt and I love sitting in the stands in the PM and love just watching the deer (when you can see them).

I have hunted fences in Shelby, Cullman, and Tallapoosa co and never killed a buck in any killed several does though. Always amazed by how enclosure deer become as hard to kill as any free range deer once they get hunted. Enclosures ranged from 600 acres to 1500 acres.

BS Ben, you know they are dumb as cows.....

I think we need to get Obama all in this shucks, it aint fair for some to have fences and others not.

I prolly get sick of hearing this crying quicker than any other topic and I love how it starts with "I ain't never hunted no fence and don't want to but I know more about it than any other jack leg out there" or at least close to that.
It changes deer habits. Really, green fields don't
Deer are tame as cattle. Go catch one then and show me how tame
Screwed up my neighbors hunting Cause deer cant find there way around it no doubt.

How much bullshit can you stack on one subject

you left out...."they feed em steroids"

What if you worked your tail off to purchase a 400 acre farm then your neighbor fences his 800 acres joining you. Don't think you'd like it.

I would love it, means Id only have to spend money to fence 3 sides

High fence "hunting" is a total joke. I'm not for or against it, it's just a joke. I watched a 1600 acre enclosure in Alabama in the stand as my buddy shot 3 does and each time the dumb deer would filter back into the field.

You've never shot a deer off of a field and had other deer run off but come back out later?

I have. My son and I did it a few weeks ago. I shoot one, 15 minutes later, he shot one. We went to get the truck and when I drove up to the field, there were deer back out in it.

When we hunted the place I referenced in the "how many deer have you seen" thread, there were several times that I watched my Dad shoot a buck in the field. 40 or 50 deer may leave, but the other 40 or 50 would just look around. Sometimes, within minutes, they would be over there sniffing the dead one.

Exactly. I can't tell you how many times I've shot one, and the others came back out. And I've never even hunted in a high fence, go figure...

I have hunted a lot of low fence places. Don't think it made it any easier.

OK.....??? So why fence em in an enclosure to begin with? Just asking. Why?

-To keep the 2 year old 8 point that you want to let age/grow until he is 4+ from hopping the barbwire fence and getting shot by the neighbor.

-To keep the chow/bulldog mutts from the Non-swimmer yards from roaming about your property

-Because it is America, and by God, you can.


(P.S. - I've never hunted inside a fence. I did hunt in Ft. Depost for a few years though where our neighbor to the north was fenced in.)

I can take you any day and do the same thing on my place and it is not fenced

Nope I've never had that happen. Y'all's land must be much better than mine, which I'm sure it is. I just thought it was unreal to have multiple rack bucks and does coming persistently back into the field. Dang I need a black belt honey hole like y'all.

To make it easier to grow and kill mature bucks and sometimes to control and manipulate genetics to make it easier to grow and kill big bucks. Of course a fence is about making it easier just as joining a trophy club instead of hunting a wma
is about making it easier to kill a mature buck. I don't want to hunt a place, fenced or not, that I could expect to kill a mature buck every 2 or 3 hunts or even every week but I don't want to hunt somewhere that I only have the chance to kill one every 5 to 10 years , either. The point is we all have our own standards and it doesn't make one person right and the other wrong but don't expect everyone to think your idea of a trophy is their idea of a trophy. We shouldn't be hunting to please anyone but ourselves anyway, so who cares if someone hunts a high fence or a wma. To each his own.

pretty well said! speaking on how often i'd like the opportunity once or twice a year would be plenty. I love the hunt. For me, having a chance much more than that would make me much less appreciative!

also, for the record, i am lucky if i see a 110-130 every year, but it doesn't hurt my feelings to let those walk now a days!

Many people assume a high-fence operation means it's easy pickings. In some cases, it might be... but the one operation I know a little bit about is just as you describe. The biggest bucks in the 1,000 acre fence are rarely/never seen except on trail cameras. It's really not fair in the discussion to assume that all HF places are run the same way - because they're not.

dumb question . you're trying to mix what is legal with what is moral to each person . what is the difference ? what is legal is legal . the end !!!!!!!!!!!

I'm literally sleepy after reading this thread....

I don't have to stick my hand in the fire to know it's hot. And I know I don't have to pay for a HF deer to know it's not for me. But if you want to, go for it.