Texas Wildlife magazine & NRA

[dZ]

has anyone seen this?
The Texas Wildlife magazine has an interesting complaint against
the NRA on it's back page. NRA called hunting in Texas behind fences NOT
hunting and said they wouldn't write about it anymore.

[Art Eatman]

There is a lot of confusion about hunting fenced pastures.

Livestock fences do not constrain deer at all. Antelope, yes, if it's a sheep/goat fence, but even antelope go under a bottom strand of "bob-war".

The problem apparently arose in Arkansas with very small "pens" of five acres or less with deer-proof fence. Dudes would "hunt" these, with guaranteed successful kill (I should darned well hope so!). To me this is slaughter and it has nothing to do with hunting. Total bummer as to any hunting ethic of fair chase.

The next stage of ignorance concerns game ranches in Texas with deer-proof fences. What isn't understood is that such a fence is to keep stray deer OUT of the improved pasture. The owner(s) spend a ton of money to plant grasses/herbs/forbs and build water systems, etc. They put out mineral blocks, etc.

And the pasture to be hunted may be 10,000 acres. 10,000 acres is not a "pen", and if you find a good deer there, I guarantee you that you will have done some sure enough hunting. Typically, there are fewer deer in such a pasture than on the adjoining non-improved ranches--which is why the bucks are bigger.

As usual, the less people know about some particular subject, the more noisy and opinionated they get...

:(, Art