shed33

MO, that might be the best liner I have read in years on here! LMAO ... Thanks! I just about spit my drink on the floor!

BigJ71

Great post...I concur!

springcaller

So what if it 500 to 1000 acres, thats free rangeing for a lot of deer, if they have everuthing they want in that area (Food, water, hot doe's) Thay have no use to go anywhere else) I have deer on 32 acres that will never go anywhere unless there shot, ut b/c they have eeverything they need and there is no point in going anywhere else. I guess what I'm saying is that it matters how big the fenced in area is.

springcaller

clarifying my last statment, 500 to a 1000 acers fenced

davidmil

What's the difference, he can't get out. Nor can he wander onto your neighbors place and get shot. He's caged no matter how you look at it or what size the cage. He becomes a pen raised animal at that point. And if you "Manage" him, and feed him and cull him... he becomes livestock, not the noble wild beast.

PreacherTony

I thing that if people in here really do worry about it to the point where it affects their life, I agree. IMO, most of the peeps in here just like to kick around things. I really don't think it worries them ... I may be wrong. I believe that the draw to these forums is to bring to our minds things we haven't thought about in depth .... and to challenge eachother as to what we believe to be true ... In my opinion

PreacherTony

To me, as long as the fence does not affect the deer you are hunting, then I would feel just like they didn't exist, but like I said in my other post, if the fence that the deer couldn't jump was used as a way to herd them to me, though tasty, it would not feel like a complete hunt IMO ...

GR8atta2d

Pretty easy for me!

Hunting = I am pursuing a game animal. With the intent of killing it, if opportunity presents itself.

Shooting = I am target shootingwithout pursuing a living animal.

Only the ethics of the given individual would put one in a situation where the line becomes cloudy. At that point it's not for me to judge, if, you are hunting be legal means.

NavyDeerHunter

I'm pretty much in line with GR8atta2d. I once pulled into the parking lot of a Maryland wildlife management area and as I did there was a deer standing well within muzzleloader range. I was able to park my truck, get my gun and other gear while she watched me. I could have easily taken a shot (would not have been legal, but that's not the point) and probably killed her, but to me that would have been just taking a shot, not hunting.
As others have said, to me hunting is the total experience. Scouting, stand placement, hiking in with 30 pounds of gear, climbing the tree, braving the elements, being quiet and still and patient, hopefully getting a deer within range and then making the kill. But it does not stop there. It's gutting it, dragging it out, butchering it. Taking the shot is part of the hunt, but a very minor part. If I go to a buddies place to hunt and he hooks me up with a spot, I'm going to question him about the deer in the area, habbits, how the area lays out, etc., etc., gain as much information as I can before I go take the stand. IMO, this likens it to my own hunting preps that I'd take elsewhere.
As for high fences...this is a very interesting topic. I am stationed on a 1700+ acre Naval Air Station. We have lots of deer and some really nice ones at that. We also have an 8' high fence around the base for security reasons. So, if I hunt on this base, am I hunting high fence? Yeah, I guess so, but also not really. There are a couple of places where they can skirt around the end of the fence or swim across a water way to get somewhere else. They also CAN jump that fence if they want/need to (the mature ones anyway). I believe they choose to stay on base because it provides everything they need. A lot of the 1700 acres is heavily timbered and a lot is also leased to farmers for ag crops. They have food, shelter, water and great habitat so why would they want to leave...except when they are pressured by hunters and as I've already stated...they CAN get out.
Long post, but this is a very good topic. Thanks for bringing it up Atlas.

tsoc

This Island you refer to,is it a reasonable drive from Woodstock NY?