My view is that high fence operations are farming. Privately owned elk or deer are livestock. The farmer can breed, raise, and butcher his own livestock in whatever manner is most profitable.
Elk fed hay and/or grain from feeders will become as tame as cattle. OTOH, range cattle can be as wild as wild elk, although a whole lot noisier when they run. A large fenced range where the elk are never handled or hand fed can produce elk as wild as those outside the fence.

These abnormally large antlered elk are the product of carefully controlled breeding programs and won't be found in the wild. The rancher has a pile of money invested in his breeding program and deserves to get the biggest return possible on his investment. It's no different than any other businessman who develops a product and tries for the biggest possible return in the market.
It's not my cup of tea but I have no problem with anyone who has the money to spend on it.

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
― George Orwell

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