High Fence vs. Low Fence

The topic of hunting high fence properties is normally accompanied by some resentment when discussed with your average whitetail deer hunter. Typically, high-fence hunting grounds are viewed as “cheating” or “fish in a barrel” when mentioned by your normal, everyday deer hunter who pays for his own deer lease year after year, and spends his summer weekends filling feeders, checking cameras and planting food plots all off of his own dime. But what purpose does a “high fence” actually serve? And does the presence of this high fence really mean there are monster deer around every corner?

I do not consider myself a trophy hunter. I was raised as a meat hunter, who is more thank happy to shoot a big buck if given the opportunity. All of the private leases I’ve been on over the years have been “low fence” properties, however I cannot lie, I have hunted properties with high fences before. I will follow that up by saying my biggest whitetail deer to date is a main frame 8-point, taping out at 140 1/8”. He was a low fence deer. So where’s the disconnect? If I’ve hunted high fence before, why do I not have a monster buck on my wall?

High fence does not always mean trophy deer. Likewise, the concept behind a high fence is not always keeping the big deer in, but also keeping other deer out. Someone with a high fence property most likely cares about the deer and wildlife population, and consider it a significant investment into having quality wildlife genetics on their property. I have also hunted properties which were only partially high fenced. The property may border a highway or major roadway, and the landowner decides to put a high fence on that side in order to better protect his wildlife, and motorists.

High fence does come with a motive, but it is not always the desire to make a profit off of selling hunts and big deer. As I just mentioned, some land owners spend a lot of their own time and effort into feeding protein and minerals, growing good whitetail genetics over the course of many years, and they don’t want deer from other areas messing that up. A whitetail deer doe’s home range can be as small as 1/4 of a mile, and a buck out of the rut can be roughly 1 mile. So unless there is heavy pressure, a whitetail deer property manager does not normally worry about where his deer will wander off to, until November.

November is a different ball game. Bucks can travel for miles looking for love, and likewise push does into unfamiliar territory. Recently I interviewed a hunter who killed the biggest buck of his life 11 miles from that buck’s home range. This is where land managers want that high fence. It does not only keep your big bucks closer to home, but it also keeps other outside wandering bucks from potentially breeding into your herd.

So is a buck who lives his life inside a high fence still considered “free-range”? It depends, in my opinion. For example, I was fortunate enough one year to hunt on an 11,000 acre property. This property was high fenced around the entire perimeter. In my humble opinion, a deer who spends his life inside an 11,000 acre pen is still free range. On a property that large, you are going to have different deer living in different parts of the property, who all have their own “home range” within that property.

I believe high fence comes down to what you are using your property for, and what your intentions are. If you do not have a huge range, yet intend on selling high dollar hunts on big deer, my argument for free-range whitetail will have some holes in it. However, if you are a private land owner, you take pride in your deer herd and your own investments into the property and the deer themselves, then why not high fence? As long as your property has the natural resources to sustain your herd, how is it any different than paying money to improve your stands, your food plots, or your minerals. Yes, affordability does come into play. I know I could not afford a high fence, and there are probably few who could. But if you have the means and you have the need, I say go for it!

A lot can be said about this topic. I am not here to change your opinion, but simply to give you mine. I’m not here to talk bad about high fence ranches, or low fence leases. Yes, I consider myself a low-fence, free-range hunter. But I also believe high fences can be a valuable tool when it comes to whitetail management. And I fully support those who use them for such purposes.

-Sam Thrash, Fall Obsession CEO