Hunting Forum

Depends on what the size of the fenced area is. 640 square acres is 1 sq mile so if the acreage is say 6400 acres you are talking about 10 sq miles which is more than fair chase. It's the small fenced areas that I have a problem with as there is no where the animals can run to and make it an actual hunt instead of simply shooting a standing animal with no means of avoiding you.

As far as Elk go, I don't think 10 sq miles, is big enough to be considered free ranging critters. Even in Washington on the coast, where Elk don't migrate much, they frequently moved in and out of any given 10 sq mile area. Rag horn bulls can move a hundred miles or more looking for cows and a new place to call home. A high fence is just that, a high fence. It prevents movement and inter breeding. They are captive animals, like at the zoo.

JMO
Dean
H2O

you might as well just pay some rancher to let you shoot one of his cows.just as sporting and IMHObetter eating

No high fence hunting in Montana. It was outlawed several years ago.

I am a big fan of free range. I have lived on a farm my entire life and the only things that are fenced in is livestock. Its just my opinion though. For me I want to tell people about a story of a great hunt that I went on and I cant imagine a good story being told with any mention of a high fence. Same goes for BAITING. Should be banned every where for all species.

Thanks for all the comments. I enjoyed reading all the high fence remarks..lol...I brought it up to see what kind of reaction I would get and I sure got some. I hope to go Elk hunting next Fall 2013 somewhere and hope to contact several of you as to what your thoughts are as to best locations. If any on you have an opinion on where you think the best place to go Elk hunting PLEASE let me know so I can start preparing. ALSO... I hunt SOUTHERN ILLINOIS Whitetail and would be willing to discuss sharing my farm that I lease with someone willing to share there Elk spot.

Everyone uses bait of some type if they hunt. It might consist of a watering hole, agricultural field, mast trees, ridge lines, fence rows, using attractor scents, calls, or hunting during the rut. Planting food plots or putting out corn isn't any different if it's legal and required to draw the animals out of areas where it's impossible to get into. Down in my area, we also use dogs as well, but that's a tradition that goes back to the native Americans who were here first.

As for the high fence operations, I am against the ones where you have tagged, pen raised animals released for someone to kill. Large acreages such as are located in Texas and other areas that have a natural animal population with plenty of land mass to roam and hide don't pose any problems in my view.