Not to start a bomb here but after driving for a few hours and listening to the Hunt Talk podcast I had a lot of stuff rolling through my head.
I am torn on this. I have never hunted a high fence operation for big game.
I will say I have done some pheasant hunts on game farms. I don't considered it hunting as much as shooting but I still enjoyed it when I have went. For pheasant game farms I have been on two kinds. True kick and shoot operations, they dizzy the birds up until you kick them up (not really enjoyable). I have hunted some other operations where they are always adding birds to the field. Yes a majority of the ones you shoot go from flight pens to fields and are not that smart. They do fly better than the kick and shoot operations. You also end up hunting some birds that have been out there for days and weeks.. Tell me those birds haven't been there and done that. Those can be very difficult to get in.
Was this fair chase? The birds can fly, do get missed and still run when hit. My dog has done some long rundown retrieves at these places.
Can a high fence operation ever be considered fair chase? Release and animal on 10 acres and go kill it, Yup definitely not fair chase. Fence in 10 square miles ground and have animals in there. Is that fair chase? I don't have the answer.
I am torn on this. I have never hunted a high fence operation for big game.
I will say I have done some pheasant hunts on game farms. I don't considered it hunting as much as shooting but I still enjoyed it when I have went. For pheasant game farms I have been on two kinds. True kick and shoot operations, they dizzy the birds up until you kick them up (not really enjoyable). I have hunted some other operations where they are always adding birds to the field. Yes a majority of the ones you shoot go from flight pens to fields and are not that smart. They do fly better than the kick and shoot operations. You also end up hunting some birds that have been out there for days and weeks.. Tell me those birds haven't been there and done that. Those can be very difficult to get in.
Was this fair chase? The birds can fly, do get missed and still run when hit. My dog has done some long rundown retrieves at these places.
Can a high fence operation ever be considered fair chase? Release and animal on 10 acres and go kill it, Yup definitely not fair chase. Fence in 10 square miles ground and have animals in there. Is that fair chase? I don't have the answer.