Would you go this far...?
The above picture was sent to me by a friend of mine. He says a buddy from his in Brownwood, TX. sent it to him with no details other than the fact that this deer sports a 44" rack! Here's a view of this animal's backside:
Now, if you look closely at pic #2 (above) you will notice a nice, neat yellow tag attached to the right ear. This is more probably an animal raised on someone's HEAVILY managed, laboratory bred, steroid injected, high fenced, midnight massages, chef cooking, 5-star lodging, helicopter counting, wildlife biologist controlled deer replication area...
Imagine for a moment that animal cloning was not only legal, but allowed to take place under the auspice and oversight of medical professionals. I'm thinking one area that would absolutely explode in growth would be those facilities that offer the so-called 'canned hunt'. Where any bloke with a weapon paying a hefty fee can walk onto a place and shoot a deer as big as his pocket book will allow. (Texas is full of places such as these.)
For me, the wonderment of hunting a true 'trophy' comes from carefully examining the deer's movements, eating and sleeping habits all while on open country- no high fence. Somehow, hunting land with high fence would ruin the experience for me. I like being able to say I've been watching this deer for some time, and I knew that eventually its habits would intersect with mine and offer a fair chance at taking this deer. A trophy is just that, you earned the experience. Sure, I've paid money for leasing a property- but I didn't stack the deck in my favor when it came to taking the game. The game I hunt, on the land I hunt, have just as many choices as I do when it comes to it's daily activities. I don't call somebody up and tell them, " I have a 3-hour window on a certain day in which to hunt and I would like the chef to have a 6-course meal waiting at the end of the excursion- and I'll pay you at the end of dessert." No sir, that is not my idea of hunting and frankly, I don't understand those who are willing to do so. Whether you can afford it or not- that is not the question. I can afford to save my pennies and do these hunts, but you won't find me doing so. There is absolutely nothing sporting about it. You might as well thumb through a catalogue, pick a deer and a date on the calendar and get on with it. My forefathers would rise up from the grave and kick my sorry butt for even thinking about conducting such a travesty...
What are your thoughts?
posted by Troy M. Stirman | 12:12 PM
5 Comments:
My grandparents on my father's side bought a 660-acre ranch back in the 1930s just outside of Goldthwaite, TX. They have since passed on, but they left this beautiful piece of land to their grandchildren, and now I am the proud owner of 1/4 of the ranch, although I can hunt the other 3/4 anytime I want.
In the past several years, the neighbors on two of the four sides have built a high fence. I haven't seen a really big change in the deer on our place yet, but you can bet it's coming. Good buck like to live in areas where they can make a quick escape in any direction. These high fences have got to stop. You should have to get permission from the State to build these things, and they should require a pretty dang good reason to give permission.
No one sees the value in "inconveniences" anymore. It's not convenient for a rich person from the big city to hunt and hunt and hunt until they finally get a shot at a good deer, so they just go on a weekend hunt at some high-fence trophy pasture.
Here's a good money-making idea for you, and you can use it if you want. Just open up a new department at Cabella's or Bass Pro Shop that sells huge deer head racks that are already mounted. Buying a deer that's already mounted isn't that much different than being driven to a timed feeder on a golf cart to a place where a 40-inch 12-point buck is the smallest in the herd and is known to frequent this particular piece of pasture at a particular time of day. It would save them time and gas money, which would open up their schedules to be able to spend more time with their mistresses.
Your are holding to "the old ways", my friend. Hang on tight-'cause the winds of change are blowing at hurricane force and we need more like you who are willing to forego 'convenience' in order to keep our hunting traditions alive!
-TMS
I completely agree with you. Even though I'm not a hunter, I wholeheartedly support the freedoms of those who are, and this totally bogus type of "hunting" just makes me sick.
Too much money has ruined people, places, and things. This is another example.
If course, some of the old v. new argument is rather relative. Some real old-timers (like some I know) might suggest that feeders stack the deck since you are in essence training the deer to come to you rather than actually hunting. I definitely agree, though, on high fences and (so far) Boone and Crockett do too. I guess I'll just keep hunting rattlesnakes since they actually have a chance of evening the score.
"Orion" is living my dream!
(But he left out one crucial smell that I love while in the mountains-wood smoke from a campfire!)
Notch a few for me, friend...
Here's a great OT verse from Peterson's The Message:
"He gave me speech that would cut and penetrate. He kept his hand on me to protect me. He made me his straight arrow and hid me in his quiver." - Isaiah 49:2
Somehow, this seems fitting for a bow hunter.
-T
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