I know there are mixed feelings on hunting high fence but id like to know what yall think about hunting exotics. The lil lady is really getting into hunting and id like to take her on a vacation somewhere to hunt something special. Sadly I cant afford to go out west and do it the way id like to. I was thinking of a three day deal at a comfortable lodge hunting something inexpensive like corsican ram or something to that effect. What are yalls experiences or thoughts on this? I am by no means a high fence advocate im just considering giving it a try.

I wouldn't ever do it personally.
If you're looking at a cheap out of season hunt, why not do something like pigs in California?

fair chase, relatively cheap, abundant game, and good accommodations.

I already have more pigs than I know what to do with in florida. I was wanting to get her onto something different and travel for vacation at the same time. If I do go to a preserve i think well travel to tennesee or somewhere like it so we can see the mountains.

I'll bet you and your wife would enjoy such a hunting trip. There is nothing at all wrong with what you have in mind. BTW, the Tennessee mountains are beautiful. Several of the preserves around the Crossville, TN area can accommodate you.

Thats the main thing is going to the mountains. I have always bashed high fence hunting but the problem is its something ive never experienced. Im curious to see if its enjoyable or not. Im a DIY kinda guy myself and i would never go to a high fence area to shoot a north american game animal. But the exotic rams are inexpensive and im sure that it would be good to get the ol lady into different hunting surroundings.

i remember reading somewhere about water buffalo hunts in FL

I hunt high fence in Texas. Here, either you hunt a lease or you don't hunt. THe lease I am on is 5000 acres with numerous exotics. THere is nothing easy about chasing Axis bucks around 5000 acres or any other exotics for that matter. They don't just stand there and look at you.

A hunt is a hunt. It is what it is. Don't count yourself out until you have tried it.

Well im going at it with an open mind and i will definitely report back as to what i think about the experience.

Check out the Brady Ranch in Florida. I have several friends that hunted Axis Deer there & had a great time. To bad Brahma Island is no longer open to hunting it would be superb for exotics & is unfenced. I hunted the island for 20 years. Good hunting.

Ive been to brahma island on invite before running hog dogs and man you arent kidding. That place was wonderful.

podunkkennels

pm in bound

I'd be more worried about what my wife and kids thought about the trip than a bunch of strangers on the innunets.

Screw all of us, go have a good time.

If I find the right price i will. Sadly all the good high fence hunts are out in your neck of the woods and I wasnt planning on traveling that far.

It's easy enough to find low fence HUNT for Axis and then you can include a little high fence FUN for other critters, which is what I would consider it. Most important emphasis on 'I'

These hunts are a little more pricey than I thought.

I have hunted in Texas several times. Most of it has been fair chase for free ranging wild animals. But I have also harvested animals on high fence ranches. The two situations are not the same but each has it's pros and cons. In either case the hunt is what you make of it. If I lived in Texas, I would include a "hunt" on a high fence ranch in the curriculum of introducing new hunters to the sport.

KC

Im actually considering just letting my ol lady do the shooting and I go as a guest. Ive killed plenty of game so its not a big deal to me but it may do her some good.

Funny....so many people object to shooting animals on a ranch, but jump at the chance to catch an ass load of catfish from a pond.

But we ain't talking about fishing for catfish in an Antarctic pond.

a texas blackbuck my wife shot

Nice buck! i love those things!

thanks paul.

he's 17 and 3/4" and was shot with a tikka t3 lite in 6.5x55

Podunk, there are good and bad shooting preserves. Like most everyting. Some are just like shooting old bossy the milch cow in a pen and some you could hardly tell from so called "fair chase" hunting.

Where ever you go call some references before hand and talk to them about facilities.

Look into cull and surplus hunts. Most places will have them if not advertised. Usually a lot cheaper if you just want to take an animal.

BCR

Where did the one go of you and a blackbuck?

I don't know enough, or anything really about those critters but why aren't they black? Different variation or time of year?

Thats nice blackbuck. I think im gonna look into those cull hunts. Sadly florida wma's just dont offer the kind of hunting that really gets new hunters excited and hooked. Especially female hunters. I think im gonna take her on a half day quail hunt this summer and a preserve hunt towards the fall. Now just to find the surplus/ cull hunts.

Introducing her to hunting, I'd do whatever I could to make sure she enjoyed the whole experience. Not necessarily spending a bundle of bucks, just going out of your way to make her hunt a good one.

I suppose the hunting preserves are a viable option, and might make for a very nice weekend hunt. Why not?

Am just thinking that a good positive attitude, not worrying a lot about costs, just getting out and having fun would be the way to go. On the other hand I've been married almost 30 years and my wife has absolutely no interest in hunting with me. She doesn't mind at all that I go, and I don't try to force her to come along. It's worked out real well for us, for a long time now. We ski, hike and camp together. She likes to come along while I fly fish, but wants nothing to do with killing anything. That's okay by me.

Regards, Guy

All true Guy, My girlfriend loves the outdoors and loves to hunt. Sadly we have conflicting work schedules so it makes it hard for us to hunt a whole lot. Most of the time she gets to go with me is in the summer when all ive got to hunt is hogs and yotes. I really want her to kill something bigger that isnt a terrible hard hunt just to get her interested. Now im trying to find the right price at a preserve.

Remember, it's going to be your wife's hunt. She probably does not know the difference between high fence, low fence or no fence. Just take her and have a good time.

She does know the difference but unlike us men she doesnt feel the macho need to worry about such matters as bragging rights.

That's because some guys cater to them. A chick could shoot a tied up whitetail and the guys will say "That was great honey, good shot and great hunt"

They are actually the tan'ish color but the bucks have glands on their foreheads that when they become dominant they release an oil from the gland that turns the hair black.

Least that's how i understand it!

here's the two dad and i shot in argentina.



here's the boys from TX..

From what I can see the boys looks darker.

it is, less of a heard so younger bucks can mate.



here's one of dads from TX...

I reckon in some instances thats the case. Definitely not in mine, my girl is just glad to spend time with me and enjoys being in the outdoors. I dont know what she sees in me im an azzhole about hunting i dont cut her any slack at all.

Thinking I do remember hearing that before Paul.

I still think I'd take her on an Axis hunt, they can be pretty spooky from my limited time hunting them, are beautiful and taste fantastic.

They are very pretty Paul.

Did you get em mounted?

i agree! an axis hunt even on a preserve is pretty hard, unless you have it penned up on a leash. they are spooky..

oh ya! i have mine and my wife's up right now but i'm still waiting on my sons. i inherited my fathers trophies so i have to find room for those now too!

Cool,

steelhead,

still a little bashful i guess i took it off.

from what i was told same bucks go through a color phase and tan out. my was completely tan, and hers has some black streaks as you can see.

they were challenging. the axis on the other hand were like freaking ghost, and damn near impossible to stalk on the ranch we hunted.

As it was mentioned previously, I think it really varies on where you are. A thousand acres or more of fenced in property probably would be a pretty fair chase hunt.

Some of these places have a few hundred acres and it wouldn't be much of a challenge and also depends on the animals themselves and how they've been treated or what they've been exposed to.


I was in a place in Tennessee a few years back. The boars were quite challenging and even more so since I was using a bow. You'd have to be a piss poor shot with a rifle though to not connect with one.

All of the exotics you could very easily get within a 100 yards. I chased around one black buck and a couple Aoudads and never could get within 80-100 yards and they were smart enough to always keep some cover between themselves and me.


The first day there before I was out a couple guys were hooting and hollering over some Red Stags they took and what a great hunt it was. I later found out that you could damn near walk up to them and pet them. I'd personally feel ashamed to put such an animal on my wall, much less claim I hunted them.

Pod,

In 1983 I went with a couple pards to a joint in PA. Large pigs where on the menu and my bore came in at 300lbs. That was the only time I have ever been inside a fence.

I took some photo's of some Elk they had there. I was 10 feet away!!! great for a picture but not a chance I would "hunt" there.

Other than that 1983 pig, all else I want to shoot I have to be able to find in the wild.

CLB

Thats why I dont want to hunt myself just let my girlfriend give it a try and see what she thinks.

I'm not a proponent of hunting behind a fence, but I have hunted turkeys on the YO Ranch in Texas. Other than some of the sheep the game seemed as difficult to hunt as free roaming. Another take on high fence hunting is that with our diminished numbers each year if someone chooses to hunt behind a fence & it keeps him or her involved in our sport of hunting I'm all for it. I'm not talking about some postage stamp preserve, but a substantial amount of land. Just because we don't choose to participate in this type of hunting I don't believe we should humiliate someone that does. I have hunted vast fenced & unfenced concessions in Africa & can't tell the difference. In Africa fencing a concession is more about preventing poaching than confining the animals. I'm all for getting anyone involved in any type of legal hunting. Many of the large preserves like the YO Ranch also donate substantially to hunting organizations.

I agree tbear, in the end we are all hunters and should start acting accordingly. With public land hunting as pressured as it is it makes it hard for a new hunter to get to like it.

I'm not a fan of high fences either, but if you want to take her on a hunt then more power to you, and it doesn't really matter what we think. Go have fun with it.

Maybe it will be just the ticket to get the GF her 1st kill and see what she really thinks. I'd take the kids if they wanted to shoot more pork! It's really the only thing I'll pay to hunt in a fence.

Some hunt in huge 5k acre leases with high fences. This is vastly different than 300 acres in PA....

Hoping you get her out and she enjoys it!.

Thanks fellas.

yeah, just take her. But if you wanna get out of FL., TX. is your best option.

maddog

Building fences is EXPENSIVE, not to mention the cost of raising the animals. It's a business that must return a profit.

This is true, I meant to say trophy hunts are expensive. Looks like Mrs Podunk will be taking a doe or ewe of some sort.

I've hunted both high and low fence for exotics.
The two high fence deals were with two differnet "outfitters".

Killed a blackbuck on a 900 acre "pasture" (very little cover) which was not really a challenge. The only challenging part was getting the little bugger to stop for a shot...which he never did. I did connect though, and he hangs on the wall.

The axis hunt I went on was a hunt. 1600 acres of high fence with no cross fence. Lots of cover.
Axis are a bit spooky and get moreso with age.
We passed a couple before i shot this one.
My goal was a minimum of 32" mains which is what this one is. Would of let this one go but the width intrigued me and he had me pegged. Was a quick decision but none that I regret.


My deer lease in the hill country has a lot of axis. We stopped shooting the does @ 4 years ago and the herd has grown nicely. I see them almost every day while hunting. There have been a few good ones taken (@ 1/year) but I have only shot meat-dinks on the lease. We also have the occasional fallow and blackbuck wander through.

This photo is my high-fence deer on the left and a nice free-range off my lease that a buddy shot. Picked them up from the taxidermist the same day.




My thoughts on high fence deals.....check references of past clients, hunt larger properties if the fence thing bothers you, know what will satisfy you before you go, and have fun.

It takes 4-6 years for them to turn black. You know they are mature when they all of their orange turns to black. The oldest ones will have a white ring around one or both of their eyes.

In the end, it will not be the anti-hunters who destroy hunting, it will be hunters who do it. The ones who think their way is the only way and if you don't do it my way; you're not a hunter.

I've never been to a high fence preserve and don't know the first thing about them.

Of course I know people here in Georgia and in other states who would NEVER go to a high fence preserve but will pay thousands of dollars every year and go to places that have NO fences, but because the animals are fed and given supplements; become accustom to living in the general area and of course they grow huge racks, it's then up to the hunter to sit in his 40 foot high tower stand and look through his 24X scope and shoot an animal at 300 yards that weighs 150 pounds with a cartridge designed for moose and grizzly bear.

I believe they call it being a hypocrite.

If it's legal where you hunt, then do it. My ethics are what my state places on me legally and what I place on myself personally. I'm no better and no smarter than anyone else. But noone is better or smarter than me either.

It's that kind of attitude and that kind of mind set that will destroy our sport long before Ingrid Newkirk will.

ive been listening to this high fence no fence argument for years,i have hunted all over north amercia, for almost every game animal and varmit there is,there are good hunts and bad hunts no matter where you go.in the last 10 yrs we have put a lot of work in educating lady hunters and its been a great expireance,and we have developed some wonderful hunters that have a great time,i think as hunters we get a wrapped up guns calibers, scopes, ballistics,and all the blah-blah, that goes with shooting, and dont think about the thrill of the hunt.i have people come in from a hunt that never fired a shot, and tell me it was a wonderful hunt, watching the sun come up listening to the birds seeing all the animals. the smells, they are excited and had a wonderful time, and say next time ill find that big one, i tell them thats why we call it hunting not shooting. when they do get an animal, you can bet its the animal of their dreams, and the picture taking seems to last almost as long as the storys. most of the hunters we guide are not novice hunters, but the novice hunters a lots of times more fun to guide.

Some of the exotic places in Texas are just like cattle operations. It's basically a harvest. I have been on some of these and they are fun but not sporting and really not hunting. I hunted on a 3,000 acre place in central Texas a few years back that was kind of a high fenced deer farm. They had feeders that went off in the morning and you would see at least 50 bucks of every size and description and maybe 1 or 2 does. It was not a very sporting situation either. It was the first time I ever set in a box blind with someone else that was not a kid I was taking on a hunt. These "guides" were young farm boys making extra money and mine was just back from the sand box. They are basically there to pick out a deer for you that you paid for and not shoot anything bigger or smaller. I kid around a lot and I noticed he was very country and shy and very stand offish. The second time I sat with him I said, "You know...this is the first time I ever sat in a deer stand with a man with my clothes on!" You should have seen how fast he left! it was a hoot! Don't take the little lady on something like this and tell her this is hunting.

Good morning laugh there BlowTorch