Regarding cut ears of mature bucks... if you kill a 4+ yr old buck, it would be unusual for him not to have one or both ears cut. I have seen some older mature bucks that have been killed that hung out by themselves (not a bachelor group) nor chased does and didn't lose their velvet until late. They've either had one testicle or no testicles and perfect ears, which makes sense about the bucks' chosen lifestyle. Low T!!

Anyway, I do believe that deer in a large enough enclosure are very hard to hunt. But these purchased bucks that are intended to be shot and are purchased TO BE SHOT and they just hang out and aimlessly mill about looking for an apple, is nothing to brag about. I would not do it.

A 140 10 pt. in Texas ain't nothing special. A 140 10 pt. high fence buck ain't worth even talking about. You can't trust a man who would shoot a fenced in animal anyway.

I'm not butthurt either but your cut ear theory is a bunch of crap. I believe that every mature buck I've ever killed has had a cut or torn ear or ears I guess they were all escaped pen deer who removed the tags themselves.

What does John Travis have to say about all this?

Looks like the place this deer came off of is for sale now.

https://jonkohler.com/property/alabama/fort-deposit-outfitters/fort-deposit-outfitters-galleries/

Been on the market for a while now.

All you gotta do is stroke a check...

That might be taking it a little far..

It would be cool if skinny would take the aldeer proceeds and buy that place and let us hunt it

An ALDEER hunting club would be an absolute chit show between the "Let em grow" guys and the spike shooters and between the master hunters and master baiters.

there is no difference in a 10,000 acre managed high fence and a 10,000 acre managed no fence place as far as hunting is concerned. Anybody that says different is full of chitt.

Same here; maybe why I can't afford a high fence hunt; if I wanted to, which I don't

I am always amazed at the folks here who have never been on a high fence ranch at all, much less on a hunt, who seem to know all about them.

I've never been in a high fence. We have a few thousand acres we run cattle on. So I understand the concept

Dilly dilly

The way so many folks are worried about what others are shooting and how their neighbors might shoot "their" deer, I'd be surprised if high fence hunting doesn't become more popular than it already is.

There are hundreds of high fence operations in Alabama.

I have absolutely no issues with a high fence operation. I think you will see more and more of them in the future, in particular in Alabama, simply because if you want to manage your deer you can't otherwise. The season and bag limits are too liberal. The required amount of real estate you would need in order to manage your deer under our current system is out of most rich people's price range and it's too much work. In particular if they just want to show up and hunt. They spend that money on a smaller tract, less maintenance and more money to move some good deer inside the fence, and pay a couple hands to work it.

That being said... I don't care how many acres and how tall the fence is.... you are shooting livestock at that point. I know someone that's got a couple thousand fenced and you pull up to the gate and many times there are deer standing on the other side. You punch in the key code. The gate opens and you drive on in. Deer still standing there. I usually stop the truck and let the gate close just behind me because I'm afraid one is going to run out and then I'm going to be the guy who let the deer run out and never hear the end of it.... "Remember that time ____ let the big shooter buck run out the front gate.... blah, blah, blah."

High fence operations are great for a few different groups of hunters: 1) The guy that can't grow anything bigger than a basket rack because his neighbors shoot everything they see - 2) A guy like Luke Bryan and 3) Everyone else that has no freaking clue how to hunt deer without the use of a food plot and/or feeder (most of you who are reading this).

Just for discussion. 10,000 acres is 15.6 square miles. For arguments sake let’s say it’s a 4mile by 4 mile square. Is it not unheard of for bucks in the rut to travel longer distances than 4 miles to find a doe? Would a fence not make a significant difference on bucks that you’ve fed and managed not leaving during the rut and being shot by neighbors?

And have been for years. These big pens are nothing new.

Hell, i'm thinking about fencing in my place. If for no other reason, to keep these damn free ranging dogs that these dumbasses say they love, but wont keep them on their property.