IMO this is what is killing big game hunting

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"These guys don't even want to shoot the animal they just want a few of these heads delivered so they can give their western vacaton home some Rocky Mt decor."

Yeah. I haven't paid a lot of attention, but apparently there's a high-dollar market for stuffed heads for just that purpose. Vacation home, office...A bunch of "Let's pretend."

But you know what? Back when I was poor-boy sports car racing and working my tail off to even finish in seventh place, I could glance at the grandstands and think, "I'm out here, doing. They're up there, watching and NOT doing."

And so I have my memories of doing...

:), Art
 
H&Hhunter said:
I work with a local meat cutter from time to time and we go out and slaughter buffalo off these little places around here for custom meat orders. I've killed about a dozen off the various farms. You can buy a good finished bison cow or a two year old bull for between $600 and $800. Then just drive out in the pasture and stick a .308 into the brain and process the meat. Or have somebody like me do it and simply pick up your meat in week with an added processing fee.
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So, H&H, what's that processing fee bring the total up to? And how many pounds of meat are actually provided at the end? Sounds like it might be worth going in on something like that if I don't get drawn for elk next year.
 
sumpnz said:
So, H&H, what's that processing fee bring the total up to? And how many pounds of meat are actually provided at the end? Sounds like it might be worth going in on something like that if I don't get drawn for elk next year.
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Sumpz,

Depending on what you want done with the meat I.E. how much sausage etc the procesing fee is about $300.00. I seem to think that a mature cow bison will produce between 350 and 400LBS of meat. Bone out.

If you are interested drop me a PM and I'll give you my meat processer buddies number. Of course he is snowed under at present with wildlife processing.

Greg
 
Folks, this is the free market system at its best. I think a lot of you are just plain peeved that you will likely never get a monster bull elk like the ones "hunted" on private ranches. Guess what? Neither will I. I will be happy to shoot a nice 5x5 one day and be happy with the experience. However, I don't begrudge anyone a huge set of antlers on the wall, or the money paid to farmers who sold their prized "livestock" to some rich fatcat.

I would also say that I have hunted two high fence ranches in the Hill Country of Texas and a guaranteed kill is all but assured. I spent five hours trying to stalk hunt for an Axis deer on foot over several small hills and through shallow river ravines. I saw only two bucks that day and both were gone in less than five seconds. The guy who took me loaded me up in his truck and we drove for another several hours looking for a buck, any buck really. Towards sunset we spotted a single Axis buck at about 500 yds who stood still for all of ten seconds. On my other hunt, a member of the party I was with spent two days trying to find some exotic that was plentiful on this ranch. He went to four different blinds with two different guides - never saw so much as a hint of this animal. In my experience It is NOT like shooting cows. If the animals truly want to hide, you will not find them. High fence hunting offers an alternative to folks that do not have the time or money to lease several thousand acres for a season, to maintain it, to supply the proper blend of food and nutrients, to build blinds and hang feeders, to have someone keep an eye on it while they are gone during the week. I am sure there are some raches who literally pen the animals for a shot, and everyone jokes about this, but I have never actually heard of one. Those that do exist, yes, they are joke and I personally would get no satisfaction from hunting on one. I look at high fence hunting the same way I do guided fishing trips. You could spend thousands to buy a boat and fishing equipment and seveal years to learn where the fish are grouping at different times of the year, or you could hire a guide for a day and have a halfway decent chance of enjoying the thrill of catching some nice size fish.

Ultimately, the only thing you are getting on a private ranch or high fence hunt is better odds. I have joked with folks that I have THE worst hunting luck in the world. I have been on leases before for a whole season and come away pretty much empty-handed using the same techniques and hunting styles as folks who seem to effortlessly walk into great opportunities. Yes, I did enjoy the experience and gained much from it (sans the actual meat in the freezer). But after years of terrible luck, its nice to know that my odds for a short weekend are going to be dramatically better every now and then.
 
rock jock, it's less that it's a "canned hunt" sort of deal than it is for some dude to put the rack on the wall and then talk about how he "hunted". I could care less about the free market; that's fine; it's the BS afterward.

It ain't the money. I could write a check for their biggest bull there and not even notice it. It's just that I'd have no respect for myself if I did something of that sort.

The fact that I think whoever would do such a "hunt" is a low-rent sack of (bleep) doesn't mean I want any laws passed banning such. To me, it's an issue of the ethics of dealing with game animals and of self-respect. I don't see any particular difference between that elk deal and me going out with a flashlight where I happen to know a really bragging-type mule deer buck is hanging out in my back pasture. :)

Art
 
I agree with both Rock Jock and Art.

You can have a real hunt in a high fenced place if the area is large enough and the terrain is rugged. I've hunted on some high fence ranches in South Africa. I'm talking like 25,000acres with a perimeter fence. While I don't like to do it as it just feels wrong to me I did have fun driving around and hiking the hills with my dear South African friends. And the hunt had a decent flavor in that we made it that way by hunting on foot as much as possible. And the terrain was steep and rugged.

At the same time what Art is saying is 100% right IMO. To brag about shooting an elk in High fenced place is to belittle the process of elk hunting. Plain and simple a high fenced hunt is no wat shape or form the same experience as packing into the wilderness sleeping on the ground in the snow and working your ever loving ass off for the oprtunity to maybe if your lucky shoot a good bull.
A high fenced 420" elk does not do anything for me. I am more excited about shooting a free range cow on wild land that you had to spend blood sweat and tears on.

I don't have a huge problem with fenced shooting, I don't however care to partake. No jealousy here just a preference.

I was given a hunt down in the hill country a few years ago. It was on a little place like 3,500 acres high fenced for a Barbarry ram. I've spent a lot of time hunting free range barbarry in NM. To me the experience of chasing wild sheep in rugged country means more than shooting a simply killing a barbarry ram. I like the ride as much or more than than pulling the trigger. I call it the total experience. The high fenced shooter does not get the total experience.

I gave that hunt to a friend who had a great time and shot a big old ram. It gave me more pleasure and staisfaction to make a freind happy than it would of to go shoot the ram.

Just the way I feel about it.
 
The high fenced shooter does not get the total experience.
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No doubt about it. And one day I hope to have the time and money to experience a free-range hunt for a North American game animal. My two high-fence hunts were for exotics that I will never be able to hunt n their native lands anyway. As far as whitetail go, there's practically no place in Texas that you can have a true free-range experience today. In the meantime, I'll take whatever opportunities come my way and enjoy them for what they are.
 
rock jock, I've no idea about your free time, but I can put you on some 50,000 acres where there are feral mouflon. Pests. Territorial. Drive mule deer from water points. No closed season, no limits.

One big problem is that there aren't all that many, so it's a lot of hunting and not all that much finding.

Art
 
Art,

I appreciate the offer. I actually have a hunting opportunity coming up next week which will take most of the vacation time I have left.
 
H&Hhunter said:
Sumpz,

Depending on what you want done with the meat I.E. how much sausage etc the procesing fee is about $300.00. I seem to think that a mature cow bison will produce between 350 and 400LBS of meat. Bone out.

If you are interested drop me a PM and I'll give you my meat processer buddies number. Of course he is snowed under at present with wildlife processing.

Greg
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H&H - Sorry to not respond sooner. Anyway, I appreciate the info. Seems pretty reasonable to pay $1000-1200ish for almost 400# of meat. Probably would have to go in with at least one or two other families. It was more out of curiosity that I asked, since I do have a freezer full of elk at the moment. But I will file you away as a point of contact for when the freezer gets empty and I fail to draw for or shoot an elk.
 
are you kidding me?!?

13k and change to shoot an elk? That is insane. I mean heck I could see going to Africa to shoot something...but an Elk?

Nope not this puppy even if I had the money. A few hundred is reasonable to me. Not a few grand, and certianly not 13 just to shoot an Elk.
 
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