# Ranches, Fenced in Hunts



## IR john (Sep 19, 2005)

*Ranches, Fenced in Hunts* 
Are we to blame?

With most of the TV shows on the air today being those on a GAME RANCH or FENCED IN HUNT are we to blame.

Is this the type of shows that hunter want to watch? I remember a show awhile back called The Do-It Yourself Hunter. This show traveled around hunting on state land, hunting different types of game. It showed average size animals, not monster game ranch game. Realistic, very much so, a show most hunters could relate too.

What happened to this show, not enough viewer support and it was cancelled. So I ask, why do we continue to watch and support shows highlighting GAME RANCHES and FENCED IN HUNTS?

Even most of the Big Shows based out of Michigan are traveling to these now.

*All Comments Welcome*


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## tallbear (May 18, 2005)

I've hunted "game ranch" animals in the past. Game not native to Michigan like red stag, fallow deer, russian hog, american bison, etc. If I don't hunt a ranch for these, I'm spending much more to hunt them in the wild. 

I'm not "trophy" hunting but want a nice mount when I'm done. More importantly, I want to take the meat home. If I hunted red stag in Europe, I'd have to leave the meat there. I think it's great to have places like Taxas that offer African game. Hope to be able to do that someday. 

Get on a good size piece of property and it's not easy ( or "canned" as some say) to get the animal you want.


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## One Eye (Sep 10, 2000)

IR john said:


> *Ranches, Fenced in Hunts*
> Are we to blame?
> 
> *All Comments Welcome*


Not me. I refuse to watch those shows for this very reason. This is not hunting, but rather the shooting of domestic cattle.

Dan


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## November Sunrise (Jan 12, 2006)

One Eye said:


> Not me. I refuse to watch those shows for this very reason. This is not hunting, but rather the shooting of domestic cattle.
> 
> Dan


Exactly. 

I don't watch any hunting shows, and even if I did, I wouldn't be "blamable". 

I'm an enthusiast of personal responsibility - I don't buy into the idea of collective responsibility for the actions of other hunters.


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## Mickey Finn (Jan 21, 2005)

When discussing game ranches, particularly in Texas. You have to specify low or high fence. There a lot of extremely large ranches in texas that have exotic game roaming free. This would be a different hunt then a smaller ranch that has to maintain a high fence to keep their game in one place.
The larger ranches may only have three or four strand wire fences. Or may use natural borders like rivers or mountains for a property line.

The game ranches here in Michigan are another case all together. These hunts are more for recreation and not to be confused with free range hunting.

With this in mind, a ranch hunt in the west where serious game management is practiced will allways produce quality animals. Which produces quality hunts for these shows. It must be alot cheaper to film a hunt here than in a poorly managed piece of public land where you may have to share the land with other outdoors people.

I suppose it is just makes more sense to film these hunts than take all the chances of filming on public land.

As for we hunters having to watch these shows. We don't. But they do show hunting in a good light for the non hunting public.

Thats what I think anyway.


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## ibthetrout (Sep 24, 2003)

Maybe it's just a lack of hunting shows that gets us to watch these canned hunts. I have very limited cable and watch anything I can find. Usually it's only on Sunday mornings.


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

I don't generally watch the hunting shows and as for the Game Ranches in Michigan, I don't have a problem with them, other then it shouldn't be called hunting.

If a guy wants to pay to shoot a Deer on a Game Ranch, more power to he or her, but just call it "Harvesting" and quit referring to it as hunting.

I do agree they are usually done professionally and are pretty good entertainment, possibly for the nonhunting public.


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## SgtSabre (May 15, 2004)

Could you imagine if a producer filmed a public-land hunt in Michigan? Let's think about how some of the narration would have to go:

"We hunted hard but saw nothing until 9am, when this group of hunters parked thier truck not three hundred yards from our stand, walked over to us and called aloud 'seeing anything?' We all got a good laugh as one of them tripped on a stump and spilled his beer"

*flip to shot of a hunter accross a field looking through his scope, rifle pointed right at the camera, and waving* "This gentleman didn't seem to be having any more luck than us"

*finally, a deer comes in* "On our second morning, this nice buck came in to our stand. We were awe-struck by this animal, truly a bruiser of a trophy for this area" *cut to shot of basket-rack six-point frantically running accross a field, shots ringing out in all directions and a few rounds snapping past our camera*

Ya, I'd buy that...


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## Mickey Finn (Jan 21, 2005)

Sgtsabre, I think your on too something. I bet that Video would sell big.

You'd be on easy street.


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## Michihunter (Jan 8, 2003)

Just curious as to how many of the nay sayers have actually been behind the "high fence" and experienced how "easy" you say it is?


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## hyperformance1 (Dec 18, 2006)

whats the difference to hunting a preserve or a guy going out and putting a few bags of bait down in the wild that isn't hunting.


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## IR john (Sep 19, 2005)

With only three post, keep this up and you will known as the tread killer! 




hyperformance1 said:


> whats the difference to hunting a preserve or a guy going out and putting a few bags of bait down in the wild that isn't hunting.


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

How do we know what percentage of shows are done in a fenced reserve? Are there any disclaimers before, during or after the show? If there aren't there probably should be.


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## Radar420 (Oct 7, 2004)

answerguy8 said:


> How do we know what percentage of shows are done in a fenced reserve? Are there any disclaimers before, during or after the show? If there aren't there probably should be.


At the end of the shows there are usually thank you's at the end like "we'd like to thank such and such guide at .... ranch. Here's a phone number and e-mail address where you can contact them and they'll get you set up for a great hunt." But they don't usually specify if it's fenced or not.


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## Whit1 (Apr 27, 2001)

hyperformance1 said:


> whats the difference to hunting a preserve or a guy going out and putting a few bags of bait down in the wild that isn't hunting.


Posts that take this thread into the unending debate of bait vs. no-bait will be deleted from this thread.


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## swampbuck62 (Sep 11, 2006)

As I have said I have hunted high fenced as well as large tracts of private land. I have also hunted my share of overcroweded public land. To each his own I get so tired of hunters and sportsman tearing each other down over this topic. You have to have an open mind and look at both sides of the issue. If it's not for you great if you enjoy it great also. But don't knock something you know nothing about. Just because you think something is moraly or ethicly wrong does not make it so. I know several Doctors and CEO types who just don't have time to scout and get in the woods as much as we do, But they still like to get into the woods even if it's just a couple days. Yes these guys are paying big bucks for some of these hunts. The good high fence operations don't "Guranty"a kill. And thats what most of the guys I know go on.

I THINK ALOT OF THIS JUST BOILS DOWN TO CLASS ENVY. These guys can aford these high$ and most of us can't.

Since this thread started I booked another hunt for me and my son. A buddy hunt to the Legends Ranch next year. If I'm still around I'll post pics.


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## Sib (Jan 8, 2003)

I guess if I were to look at who is responsible for current programming I'd start my search with the companies that sponsor these shows via advertising dollars. Without advertising these shows wouldn't exist.


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## 2PawsRiver (Aug 4, 2002)

> I THINK ALOT OF THIS JUST BOILS DOWN TO CLASS ENVY.


I agree 100 percent, but one day those Doctors and Lawyers may reach a point in there life where they won't have to stoop to hunting Ranches and Enclosures.


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## yoopertoo (Nov 23, 2005)

swampbuck62 said:



> I THINK ALOT OF THIS JUST BOILS DOWN TO CLASS ENVY.


Or maybe some people enjoy conscpicuous consumption. Goes both ways. 

I have nothing against ranch hunts. I'm seriously considering it for a bison. What the heck I get some great meat, and I think it would be some fun even on a ranch. 

BUT .. I get the biggest thrill from scouting preseason and finding a rub line on some remote chunk of land in the UP. I love trying to figure out a bucks pattern on a big peice of land that I know is very lightly hunted (damn it's had, at least for me  . I'll admit it. I'm a very mediocre hunter, but man I love the hunt!!


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## answerguy8 (Oct 15, 2001)

yoopertoo said:


> Or maybe some people enjoy conscpicuous consumption. Goes both ways.
> 
> I have nothing against ranch hunts. I'm seriously considering it for a bison. What the heck I get some great meat, and I think it would be some fun even on a ranch.
> 
> BUT .. I get the biggest thrill from scouting preseason and finding a rub line on some remote chunk of land in the UP. I love trying to figure out a bucks pattern on a big peice of land that I know is very lightly hunted (damn it's had, at least for me  . I'll admit it. I'm a very mediocre hunter, but man I love the hunt!!


So what does it cost to shoot a buffalo. At the least they are going to charge you for what they could get for the meat and hide. How much on top of that?


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