Muzzleloader's Safari Hunt

[khavell]

I was watching a documentary on a guy who had about 500 acres of mixed hill and rolling meadows. Basically people pay to come and shoot on his land. Apparently there a few places down here in New Zealand which do this. Fees vary quite a lot from $300 a day to $20,000 for a Trophy Stag. The reason this is becoming popular is I suspect the Health and Safety aspect. We have had a lot of idiots shooting other hunters dead. In one instance the other hunter was only 15 yards away wearing high visibility gear in bush. Other hunters really don't like muzzleloaders. We have hunting all year around down here. What do you guys think of this safari style hunting? What if there was a large block of land for the exclusive use of muzzleloaders? What is the hunting like in the US these days? Too many hunters?

 

[hanshi]

Yes, yes and yes. I do, however, feel 1000 acres is a better minimum for fair chase hunts. I would also shy away from a "guaranteed success" hunt.

 

[rabjr]

Not my kind of hunting, sorry.

 

[BrownBear]

I hunt a place in the Rockies that's about 1,500 acres. One day of hunting by a couple of guys pretty well clears out the game for a few days. If it was fenced to keep the game in, that would be different I'm sure. And a bother to me.

 

[stormcrow]

What if there was a large block of land for the exclusive use of muzzleloaders?

I like this idea over the safari style hunt. If you were able to get the right people to get a lease going and set some ground rules that everyone could live by then good deal. Here, it is uncommon these days to get walk-up permission to hunt private property. Paying an attractive sum to a landowner on an annual basis is another story, and I know two landowners who have such an arrangement with groups of hunters.

 

[khavell]

I wonder about the Ethics of guaranteed kills. On the documentary they walked over a couple of hills came across one of several groups of fallow deer and bang - "You are a real hunter now!" There is debate about the sport and putting meat on the table. There must be a balance. With a muzzleloader I would imagine that you don't get too many opportunities after the first shot. The degree of skill must be higher and more of a challenge. But I really don't like the idea of been driven up to a spot and then told to shoot at that.

 

[Snow on the Roof]

one word, Texas....Caged hunting is big business in the Lone Star state. Box stands overlooking electronic feeders with bells that signal the feeder is operating, Pavlov comes to mind. For the most part they are large tracks of ground, I believe the YO ranch is well over 100,00 acres. It has become a multi-million dollar indudtry. As a capitalist I can't condem these operations. As a hunter and sportsman they conflict with my sense of ethics and fair chase.

Snow

 

[rabjr]

It's one thing to take care of the health of the animals on a piece of property and cull the herd for its own good. I personally would much rather see special muzzleloader hunts involving women, kids or disabled. Those who normally would not get a chance to do something like this. Much rather see that than some yahoo paying ungodly amount to be driven to a point where he rolls his window down and shoots when the guide says shoot!

Unfortunately as Snow touched on it, I fear hunting in the future to be a rich mans game for the most part.

 

[VTdeerhunter]

Swampy, I think it will always depend on where you live. Here in New England I agree that the access to hunting land is not like it was when I was a kid. However, when I was living in New Mexico and Colorado there were HUGE areas of public land that with a little work you could hunt all week and not see another hunter. Probabably was a hunter that said, "Go West Young Man"....

 

[William O.]

Canned hunts are illegal in Texas and there aren't any bells on any feeder I've ever seen on any of the private ranches that I've either guided or hunted on, including two that were within a mile of the YO.

 

[BrownBear]

...I fear hunting in the future to be a rich mans game for the most part.

An dat's da troot.

 

I wonder about the Ethics of guaranteed kills.

Dead is dead, whether it's during the "hunt" or in the slaughterhouse.

Ethics and morals are for the individual to decide.

 

[Outdoor Success]

There are just some critters like the Texas Dall you cant find ecept on private ranches, they look GREAT on the wall and make good snack hunter stixs. As for bigger game like Red Stag, or Water Buffalo I was a single dad for a long time and could not afford shuch hunts let alone they are not in the wilds of Michigan :wink:. Now that i'm remarried I have 3 boys in collage and one still in highschool and still cant afford to go overseas to hunt these critters no matter how much I would love to. The private ranch gives me an opertunaty to pursue these critters for far less cost. you can decide if you want to spot and stalk, stand hunt or have a small push. Granted its not for everyone! But truth be known it will probably be the only way I would get to hunt some of these critters. just my opinion anyway.