Shooting Fish in a Barrel

Is hunting on a game preserve really “hunting”? I guess it depends who you ask. I’m on the fence, and here’s why.

First off, yes, I’ve hunted game preserves before, and I’m not afraid to admit it. Why? Because some animals I enjoy chasing simply don’t exist in my backyard. Where I live, pheasants are not a naturally occurring animal…but I LOVE upland hunting. While we do have WMA’s (Wildlife Management Areas) that are stocked with birds every season, I honestly hear too many horror stories about people catching stray pellets, negligent discharges, and all out fights over birds…therefore…I stay away. Upland game preserves are safe, fun, and afford you an experience you can only get by hopping on a plane and traveling to states like the Dakotas for a similar experience. So, for a person with limited time, or one without a dedicated bird dog, a bird preserve makes sense.

So, what about a preserve with four legged critters? Again, I’ve hunted them as well, and here is where my bias comes in. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong…you can sound off in the comments below. Personally, I wouldn’t shoot a “naturally occurring” animal on a game preserve. By naturally occurring, I mean an animal like a whitetail deer, an elk, a mule deer, stuff along those lines. I’d only be willing to “hunt” an exotic animal at a game preserve for the pure fact that, I may never get to Ireland to shoot a Red Stag, or New Zealand to shoot a Fallow Deer, or Hawaii to shoot an Axis deer, so I have no problem shooting an exotic animal that isn’t native to the Continental United States.  If you’re one of those dudes that wants to shoot a genetically mutated deer, with a giant rack to show your friends how cool you are…well…you do you boo boo…that aint my thing.

Another reason why I don’t have a problem with a game preserve/hunt park/high fence ranch is because I think it offers a great opportunity to get a new hunter into the sport. Let’s be serious, we’ve all gone a few seasons where we ate tag soup. So, how do you explain to someone that’s eager to learn, that they may have to freeze their ass off, or get drenched, or sit for hours on end, only to come home empty handed, and expect them to “enjoy” it? I get it…its part of it…but for those that may be getting into it later in life, or have zero experience, I think a preserve is a great way to introduce someone to the sport, and get them hooked. They don’t have to spend a ton of money on tags, airfare, licenses, the whole 9, but get to experience the thrill of the hunt, and the reward of delicious meat afterwards.

There may be some that disagree with me…there may be more than that, and I’m ok with it. I’ve taken more than my fair share of “new hunters” to a preserve, so that they may have success their first time, and learn the do’s and don’ts in a controlled environment, and it gets them hooked. Nothing sucks worse than spending all the money on gear and tags and coming home empty handed. With a preserve, there’s success, and that usually draws people into the sport more than if they hunted all season and only saw a squirrel.

I get it, it’s not for everyone, and some see it as “cheating” because the animals are in a fenced in area, but in this day and age, when ALL hunting is on the decline, we have to do SOMETHING to convince MORE people that hunting is a way of life. If that means doing a canned hunt, to get more people in the woods and on OUR team…I’m all for it. At the end of the day, we are the stewards of this way of life, and have to preserve it by whatever means possible. If we don’t continue to get new hunters on board, this tradition is in serious danger of going extinct.