lhook7

I spent two years in Upstate New York in the Army and my favorite memories from that time are fishing on the Salmon River. There were four of us in the fishing group and as poor GI' a hamburger was a major purchase, but during salmon season we ate like kings.

Howler

Deer can swim, I won't dispute that, but how far and what would make them or push them to swim off of an Island. With the above example, don't you think that they would simply avoid the hunter with out swimming for thier lives. Wouldn't you concider the water a "barrier" that such as a 10' fence, they will try to break the barrier only if they are given no other escape route. I'm just thinking with my fingers here. So, does anyone know how far can a deer swim, and how far will them swim just to avoid being hunted? I've got a picture of a deer jumping, he is in mid strid, over a 10' fence.(This picture is in one of my old hunting mags. that talked about high fences being used to restrain deer.) I'm not against hunting with-in a high fence by the way, would I do it, yip, as long as it was 5 acres or less[:'(]

Charlie P

dep214

anything that alters the natural movement of deer is wrong.i do not care how large the pen is it is still wrong.even on these large high fenced ranches the guides know exactly where to look for them. the deer do not belong to these ranches. they belong to the state.i watched a show here in texas where the ranch talked about how good it was. i also found out the ranch was high fenced and olny 500 acres. it is the hidden springs ranch. i also saw a michigan ranch hunt.i saw nothing but bucks.the owner finally came on and said he had nothing but bucks there. the does were in another area. the deer would be put together at certain timesthis ranch was only 300 acres. safari club international was chastised by 60 minutes for canned hunts.they had leopards,lions,and other exotics in small penned areas about 100'x100'. it showed then shooting the animals with bows and guns. the animals were sedated so they would not run away.it was shown on 60 minutes.one exotic sheep was shown with several arrows in it before it died.the leopard was so drugged it just laid on a limb in the pen.
people have become so obsessed with wanting a trophy that they can care less by what means. i like hunting aspect, i di not always get anything and that is why it it is called hunting.

Tazman

Howler I know a deer can swim at least a mile, I have seen it more than once, bith during hunting season and when the season was out. I know for a fact that swimming is no big deal to deer, heck a place I hunted this year was right alongside a streamabout 30 yards wide but pretty deep where the deer crossed on a daily basis almost.

I have mainly seen doe & young bucks swimming, the older bucks are usually smart enough to give the slip to hunters or dogs.

There is a HUGE difference between a fence (Un-natural) and an island (natural). The deer on the Island choose to be there and are free to leave and do. In a natural situation ask yourself how the deer got on the island in the first place? Here is another example to prove my point, the sika deer was introduced to Asseteague(sp) Island in Md/Va in the 20s or 30s by the boy scouts, well their population exploded and guess what? They have become a pest species on the mainland in the area near the islands.

Sorry but the comparison of an island to a high fence doesn't hold water.

dep214

i saw a post where someone said they saw between 100-125 bucks a week in texas.i am a born texan and have leived here all my life. i havew hunted all over texas. if that person saw that many bucks they were not free ranging.i have hunted great areas such as junction,senora,brady,menard,and fedricksburg and that is not the case. i have hunted in deep san antonio.to make a point people often exaggerate to make their point seem more excitable.

bambikiller6

never b/c it is up to them how old to let the deer get
i dont know so can you tell me can the high fence deer go in b and c or p and y

lhook7

Dep214,

I spend a lot of time in Fort McKavett, which is located between Menard and Sonora. It is not unusual for me to see over 50 deer in a single day out there. The week before Thanksgiving I was at my girlfirned's Grandparent's ranch in Fort McKavett and we counted 64 deer on the 120 acre wheat field in front of their house just before sundown. This is a low fence ranch.

dep214

the large numbers you refer to are almost always herds of doe with very few bucks. yes you will see bucks but not large numbers

S.Texas

How far can a deer swim? As far as it wants to.

Isle of Haut to Vinalhaven Island 6 2/3 miles
A blacktail was noted to have swam 14 miles from island to island off the Alaskan southern coast. Pretty impressive.

As far as high fences.

The fence is to keep game out not to keep game in.

X amount of acres has "x" carrying capacity. The fence is designed to keep numbers of animals at desired levels. It is also to keep your "if its brown its down" neighbors from screwing up your managment program.

Would I hunt in a fence? Yes. I have done it in the past and I will do itin the future.

Note: I have too seen a white tail buck clear a high fence and I have told by a good friend of mine (who has his Masters in Wildlife) to have seen a doe go through a high fence. She went thru - folded out the wire with a big poof
of hair to follow. She was being chased by a Mt. Lion.


The yeild of game or fish can, by means of propagation or management, be increased so as to give each hunter more, or to give more hunters the same amount.
Also Leopold