Laurentian Wildlife - canned hunts...

[sheephunter]

So I'm unethical now ?

It's NOT a choice, it's just the only option we have.

Hey Rob...think you midread what Gate and smtm were saying. From what I read, they said it is a great opportunity for someone with physical disabilities.....

It's good to hear from your perspective on this as it's one that we are not often exposed to. Glad to hear you are getting out and enjoying hunting.

 

[Lazy Ike]

.guess I've just seen a bit more of the world and have been exposed to many aspects of the equation.

If you can tell how much of the world I've seen and my families connections to hunting in the UK, Europe and on the African continent from my posts, your talents are wasted here TJ.

 

[sheephunter]

If you can tell how much of the world I've seen and my families connections to hunting in the UK, Europe and on the African continent from my posts, your talents are wasted here TJ.

Well I guess I'm just trying to look at the big picture. Your points about problems here in Alberta are well founded but to dismiss the problems in the remainder of the world seemed, well a bit narrow minded. That usually comes from people not having witnessed those problems first hand. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that was the case with you....I apologize.

 

[DVXDUDE]

that show Hunting 201 is all canned hunts I think. I think that show is so bad. They drive around in a truck looking for whitetails and they rattle while driving along talking normally. The deer just walk out looking at the truck while they are talking. They wait for the big one then blast him down at 25 yards while hes standing and looking at you. Real tough hunting there I imagine. LOL

 

[RobSmith]

Sorry if I came out a little on the confrontational side on this one, it wasn't my intent. Bottom line is, when you're in a wheelchair (I know of at least 2 other gunnutz that are) your options are limited. And trying to do stuff "just like everybody else" involves digging pretty deep into your pockets .... It's just the nature of the beast in our case.

Hey Rob...think you midread what Gate and smtm were saying. From what I read, they said it is a great opportunity for someone with physical disabilities.....

It's good to hear from your perspective on this as it's one that we are not often exposed to. Glad to hear you are getting out and enjoying hunting.

 

[Levi Garrett]

Lets see, its safer , its certain your gonna kill something, less stress on the old body. Its a good deal.
Bad points , you loose some in the chase phase, but can be more of a chase than sitting over a pile of Apples at times eh!

 

[smtm]

RobSmith, I wasn't trying to question your ethics(see the wink at the top of my post) just keeping the debate going,good to see your points.
Usually you get out what you put in, and I'm guessing it was alot more effort for you than alot of people put into their 'free range' hunts,glad you had a 'blast'.

My point was about the businesses ethics, do they release diseased or genitically inferior animals, pollute waterways from artificially high population levels etc.

 

[RobSmith]

I fully realize that hence my later apology.

Mind you I see "canned" hunt as no different than people with a blind over a garbage dump (in the case of bears) or a salt lick (in the case of deer or moose) choosing which animal they are going to shoot. Genetic disorders ARE a legitimate concern but when the animal is fully contained, it isn't any sort of "problem".

RobSmith, I wasn't trying to question your ethics(see the wink at the top of my post) just keeping the debate going,good to see your points.
Usually you get out what you put in, and I'm guessing it was alot more effort for you than alot of people put into their 'free range' hunts,glad you had a 'blast'.

My point was about the businesses ethics, do they release diseased or genitically inferior animals, pollute waterways from artificially high population levels etc.

 

[Lazy Ike]

to dismiss the problems in the remainder of the world seemed, well a bit narrow minded. That usually comes from people not having witnessed those problems first hand. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that was the case with you....I apologize.

Alot of people who have witnessed it first hand do not see it as a problem at all TJ.

 

[sheephunter]

Alot of people who have witnessed it first hand do not see it as a problem at all TJ.

Different perspective from my view but hey, what do I know. Pretty sure Africa would be a different landscape were it not for the large "ranches" but you are correct, loss of habitat and extripation of native species likely isn't perceived as a problem by some........all in your point of view.

 

[Boomer]

After working through these threads, its interesting that many who think that ranch hunting is a bad thing will themselves hunt deer or elk in an agricultural setting, knowing full well where the game will be. I suppose the difference is that the game is not privately owned, and the farmer makes nothing off free ranging game. But from the critters' point of view there would seem to be little difference.

I don't think ranch hunting is necessarily pen shooting, but on the other hand if the game is pre-scouted, it just means someone else has done the hunting for you. It seems to me that killing without the benefit of having hunted would be a rather hollow and pointless experience. I am under the impression that some of the ranch hunting for exotics in the US is done on very large tracks of land, and that it is, for all intents and purposes, wilderness hunting.

If a hunter has a disability, I see no reason why he shouldn't be able to drive or be driven around in a hunting car or on an ATV. He is still hunting, its just that his mobility is motorized rather than by foot or horseback and as such he would have the disadvantage of not being able to get into some of the rougher country. At least he is able to hunt.

If I'm spending the money to go to Africa I want a wilderness hunt. That’s the way we did it a couple of years ago, and it was a wonderful experience.

 

[a_slugs_life]

That place isn't too far from here, I pass their farm on the way to my cottage. I think they raise them at the farm and then bring some of the animals to the ranch for hunt. Next time I head up that way I'll try to take the camera and get a few shots.

They have a huge herd, I was thinking it would be cool if the fence got "broken" and some of them made it out. That is if they aren't diseased, I wouldn't mind having an elk season here

 

[sheephunter]

After working through these threads, its interesting that many who think that ranch hunting is a bad thing will themselves hunt deer or elk in an agricultural setting, knowing full well where the game will be. I suppose the difference is that the game is not privately owned, and the farmer makes nothing off free ranging game. But from the critters' point of view there would seem to be little difference.

To me the difference is that the game is free-ranging period....it has nothing to do with ownership or financial gain. I would say from the critter's point of view, the big difference is that he can escape without being subject to the confines of a fence. Certainly, there is an arguement to be made that hunting agricultural areas stacks the odds in the hunter's favour and it likely does but for me personally, it's important that that the animal not be confined by a fence, regardless of the enclosure size. Just my personal feeling, however.

 

[deadhead]

With any issue I look at the extremes. Lets start with a 1 acre pen, how about a 25 acre pen?, a 1/4 or 1/2 section?, 1000acres inside a fence or 20,000 acres?
Now lets take it to the next step, hunting over a food plot, or bait or water source? Hunting with dogs to tree a cougar or to chase deer, or a deer drive using people to flush them out?
What about a release pheasant hunt or re-introduced wild turkeys?
What I am trying to say is that any type of hunting can be challenged by someone who doesn't agree with your method and in my mind if you go home at the end of the day and feel good about what you have just done then go for it. As hunters we need to stick together and not fight about what is a fair "hunt".

 

[sheephunter]

Well said deadhead but it is always interesting to hear other's thought on certain practices so long as they don't try and impose those thoughts on you. I've always felt that open discussion can be very beneficial so long as others don't try to slag others that do things differently. Rob, for example, certainly brought an interesting dimension to the conversation. So far this seems to be a pretty civilized thread with a variety of opinion but no fighting....

 

[Icon]

That place isn't too far from here, I pass their farm on the way to my cottage. I think they raise them at the farm and then bring some of the animals to the ranch for hunt. Next time I head up that way I'll try to take the camera and get a few shots.

They have a huge herd, I was thinking it would be cool if the fence got "broken" and some of them made it out. That is if they aren't diseased, I wouldn't mind having an elk season here

The original post was asking how large the site was. Any guesses considering you drive past there?

 

[Brutus]

Well said deadhead but it is always interesting to hear other's thought on certain practices so long as they don't try and impose those thoughts on you. I've always felt that open discussion can be very beneficial so long as others don't try to slag others that do things differently. Rob, for example, certainly brought an interesting dimension to the conversation. So far this seems to be a pretty civilized thread with a variety of opinion but no fighting....

At first glance a canned hunt sounds easy. But on this one trip, I was accompanying an archer
(shotgun guy) in mostly hip deep snow, ground stalking russian wild boar, was I would say, the hardest three days of hunting I have done in many years of mostly whitetail hunting in the west.
Deep snow off trail, -30 temps, in the mixed terrain of 120 acres in Central Saskatchewan. There was not a single crumb of food left and all of our bottled water were emptied to the last drop. Thankfully we had more than enough propane for the heater to dry our clothes, and there was plenty of wood to chop for the small cabin stove. The little commie piggies always had a clear escape route. We ambushed them on trails, just as if we were deer hunting. And on the wooded poplar slopes, there was a spider web of trails to travel on. We even 'discovered' a small break-away part of the herd,(20 or so from the presumed total of 100) even the owner was unaware of thier wintering hidy hole. That was exciting.
Every night our clothes were soaked through from physical exertion. We must of smelled like bilge rats on the last day. Some of you may detest this kind of hunt, I personally feel, I earned my harvest in sweat & toil. Canned hunt is a relative term. To each his own.
I have been on many Saskatchewan deer hunts that were ten times easier than this sojourn.

 

[a_slugs_life]

The original post was asking how large the site was. Any guesses considering you drive past there?

Ive only seen the farm, where they raise the herd. They don't actually hunt there. The herd itself is huge though, probably close to 2000 head. (just in elk)

 

[blargon]

They charge for their hunts by the antler score. That 570 they had there cost the guy $25000 to shoot it. For a minimum rack, like a 320-330 it was around the $7500. Crazy $$ for shooting a barn-yard animal.

 

[powdergun]

It always amazes me how some people feel that money can buy them prestige in the hunting world. How the devil can you claim to be the "Geat hunter " when all you did is spend a pile of cash to shoot a domestic animal.

The person who spends the whole season stomping through crown land just to get a crack at a small doe is 10,000X the hunter as any knob who buys a canned hunt.

Please call these things anything you want but do not put the word "hunt " any place near the title.

As for the Sask. Boar hunt in 120 fenced acres. You may of had a great physical workout and earned your animal. But you could of only call it hunting if those animals actually had a chance of getting away. I'm from sask and 120 acres isn't all that big of a plot of land. Try finding deer at -30 in 200 square miles of crown land.