PROBABLY A (GOOD) REALITY CHECK, BUT STILL DOES NOT SIT JUST RIGHT. DO SERIOUSLY ENJOY YOUR OBSERVATIONS.

White tailed deer home ranges vary from around 200 to 2,000 acres according to multiple studies and depending mostly upon food availability. The average deer lives on less than 1 square mile which is 640 acres. I really don't have a problem with enclosed hunting areas or high fences as long as you're talking a couple of thousand acres minimum... definitely keeps out the poachers. I do have a problem with trail cams, four wheelers, feeders and range finders. If you're using them you're really not hunting by my way of thinking. It's not supposed to be easy!

So Dr. Ralph, you have a problem with my using a four-wheeler to go pick up a deer I killed and bring it back to the truck. That is the only time I use a four-wheeler when hunting. Would it be ok if I used a horse to make getting the deer out easier but not a four-wheeler? Please explain. Hunting today is exponentially easier than it was in the past. I would be impressed if you have not taken advantage of any modern conveniences that make it easier.

I've been on both sides of the fence. I hunted once with a gun who had 100 acres, high fenced on 3 sides of his property by his neighbor. I asked the guy if he was mad at his neighbor for high fencing around his property? His answer suprised me, he said "Heck no, if I had the money I'd have done the same thing." I guess those with the resourses are for it, and those without are left out.

This has been a few years ago but I was watching a hunting show where the hunted was buffalo, somewhere in the northern plains of the US. A guide and a hunter with a high powered rifle (as well as a camera crew) were stalking the animals as if the slightest sound would spook them, crawling, whispering, etc. When the shooter dropped one of the bison, two things became evident. One was this small herd wasn't too concerned about humans because the sound of the shot didn't even raise their heads, and two, there was a fence in the background immeditately behind the herd. I couldn't believe that this was considered hunting but worse, IT WAS ON TV! We have to be careful how these things are handled and presented or they can be used as ammo by the anti-hunting crowd. Non hunters generally want to believe the worst, so there is no point in us feeding it to them.

I am afraid that I am stratling the fence on this one.(pun intended)I received all kinds of grief from an archery club because I hunted wild boar with my longbow in a huge enclosed area in TN, even though it had more acres than all of the public land we have in Northern IN. I have read from many outdoor writers that squeal with delight about the high fence hunting in Africa but then condemn the high fence hunting here in the states. That is a bit of hypocrisy isn't it? Anyway, while I do have issue with the smaller fenced properties I guess I would rather see some of the high fenced hunting areas than the subdivisions which are eating up most of our available land.

Since I don't have to deal with the fence issue unless I hunt far from home I suppose I can't give much insight to this topic. The 4 wheeler use to hunt animals is no different than speeding along in their pickup or jeep to run the game animals down. I have seen people employ all of the above conveyances to get their antelope. It is illegal in Wyoming to hunt from any mechanized vehile but it is still done if the warden is not around. I prefer horses because I am basically lazy and don't like to hike. The wilderness regs state only horses, mules, llamas, or by foot to hunt. This makes it nice and quiet. I perfectly understand if someone is handicapped and must have a 4 wheeler to hunt. Most states make allowances for this unfortunate situation.
Dr. Ralph I will have to diagree with you on the use of rangefinders. This device has probably caused more clean kills and less wounding of game animals in the west since the invention of a flat shooting rifle and scope. It is amazing how poorly even locals can judge range. The rangefinder will make a lier out of most folks. Additionally the constant use of this device eventually teaches you how to more accurately estimate distance in the big wide open spaces. Yes you can use your scope and most work quite well as rangefinders. I realize that this is not such a big deal in the beautiful forested hills of Tennessee (another place that I hold dear to my heart, not just the hills but also the people and the whiskey).

Dave Petzal:
A while back we had quite adiscussion about the horrible condition of zoo animals (specifically Tatiana).

While I would be loathe to pay money to hunt inside a fence, I can see where these fenced hunting preserves, especially the size you describe, could be invaluable in preserving endangered species in their native habitat. I recently saw or read something about Snow Leopards. I believe that there is less than 400 in the wild. While that's an Asian problem, not African, if a fenced hunting preserve could be located in that area, thespecies could be saved. The cost of this endeavor would be borne by sportsmen hunting other, more plentiful species, found within that large enclosure. If one of the goals of that establishment were to preserve the endangered species, I could be see myself booking a hunt there.
YooperJack

I think it's sad that one of our days most heralded shooting and hunting editors is using terms like "keeps them from wandering off" and "poaching your critters" while referring to something such as a high fence. I most often agree with you Dave but what happened to the the wild experience and the creatures we hunt being a beautiful natural resource available to us all. Than again, I never could find much respect for the stereotypical African hunt as it was.

Jeff,
Welcome to the new world.

Blaming ATV's for peoples actions is like blaming the guns for gun violence and crimes.... you can't blame objects for the way SOME people use them because chances are most people use them correctly.

"game animals are becoming extremely valuable, so a high fence makes sense because it keeps them from wandering off, and it keeps non-paying personnel from wandering in and poaching your critters."

You are confusing game animals with farm livestock. When they can't "wander off" to avoid getting shot then you aren't hunting any more. You are shooting live stock. When they cross over from being wild animals to being "your critters" they aren't wild any more and you aren't hunting. It may be close enough to hunting to suit you but it's not hunting. You know they are in there, they "belong" to you, they can't "wander off". Plain and simple, it's not hunting.

It's rick pretenders slaughtering farm animals, pretending to be hunters, they don't like being told they are a pack of phonies and that is the only reason it keeps coming up. They know the truth and need the constant back slapping of their fellow phonies to ward off thier own guilty conscience.