although you may not see anything and you may
get frostbite from several hours in a Manitoba
treestand in November.

I saw one once............

Ross

PGW

What no fences-no guarantees-exposure to cold weather?It sounds like you're talking about a real hunt for wild deer.Sounds like a true challenge for real hunters.

Ross
you must be hunting in the whitemouth lake area for the big ones...

Try 210lbs hanging in the cooler. That whitetail was shot at 12 feet with a muzzleloader, in Manitoba. Some big ones can be found in Manitoba but Saskatchewan is noted for lots of big ones.

Rockhead: I have shot some bear in the
Whitemouth area. I mostly hunt deer out
West.

SJ: Love the real hunts too although I feel
the fenced hunts do serve a purpose and some
of the fenced areas (Texas for instance) are
so large as to be inconsequential.

Cold Bore: I saw one once......by that I mean
a 180 class typical (net) or very close. I
have seen quite a few big (not huge) ones up
to 155 or so and have been fortunate enough
to kill several in the 140-150 class. Good stuff!

Hawky: SW Manitoba!! Whereabouts?? I mostly
hunt Spruce Woods area.

Ross -I suppose some fenced hunts are much better than others and some may even feel like real hunting at times but I couldn't resist throwing in a little sarcasm after the way the elk thread has been going.I would be willing to bet the large ranches don't guarantee that you will take home specific animals.This has gotten out of hand in many places where you pick the animal you like out of a catalogue then are able to go out and kill it in a day or less.
The best part of hunting deer in manitoba,alberta and saskatchewan has to be the sheer body size of the deer and the very real chance of taking a boone and crockett buck.Many places have a much higher deer density but they lack the sheer size of our deer.

[ 08-12-2002, 04:58: Message edited by: stubblejumper ]

OK, all you real hunters, how about this Texas hunt on 300,000 acres with a 3 strand barb wire fence ( any deer can jump it or crawl under it ) and surrounded by ranches of the same size...I can show bucks in the 230 or better class if your tough enough you get him, and it ain't no cake walk. I figure a 30% success rate.

We spot these three or four bucks most every morning with spotting scopes from our one mountain top advantage point..They are up feeding in the brushy flats..All you have to do is let them bed down and go get them, simple as that.. you won't find bigger Mule deer anywhere in the world today.

Believe it or not I have a heck of a time selling these hunts because they are too rough and few hunters can handle walking in the sand all day. Most go home the 3nd day, most do not complain because the owner lays it out up front and they do get a look at these deer..They talk the talk, but can't walk the walk...Tracking hunts and you may spend two nights on the tracks then lose them but just maybe they will slip up and you will get a shot, but they don't get that big being stupid.

When we do find a tough hunter who can keep up with the guide and one who can handle the price tag of $3500 to $4500, he WILL kill a real Boone and Crocket Mulie....

We don't want someone that will shoot a 28" or 30" buck if they see it, and they will see some of these smaller boys,thats why we always have 3 or 4 of these big guys around, we don't shoot them until they are fully grown..I posted one on these bucks on this thread sometime back....

It is a hunt strictly for the dedicated Mule deer hunter in tough phyical condition and determination..I have one hunter who comes back each year and he will someday get one of them..He has seen many of these old mossy horned wonders but has yet to connect, he is happy just seeing them, as long as he knows they are there he will keep comming back, thats the kind of hunter he is.......

The rancher doesn't need the money, he has all he can spend and he has a set of rules and only allows these specific bucks to be harvested...So I guess he is selling a specific animal but in this case I see it as the real challange..
Guess its time to cut bait or fish. I hear all this hoopla now lets get it on....you may kill the buck of a lifetime.

Ray,

You just made a profound distinction between what I might consider a "fenced" hunt and what someone else might consider a fenced hunt.

A three strand barbed wire fence is hardly a captive scenario in my book. I sure in the heck haven't been able to keep deer on our ranches with one! And either have the ranchers with BLM leases out West.

Maybe we need a clarification of "fences" before we start throwing battle axes around these threads.

Leases are becoming common practice in the Midwest and the South. Sounds like the Texas setup you're offering is similar fashion, just a shorter term (days) in lieu of the long term season leases.

How enlightening!