I’ve been thinking a lot about hunting behind a high fence lately. With private land access for the non-attached “Average Joe” fast becoming a thing of the past, success rates for the DIY public land hunter plummeting across the board, and license and tag costs for nonresident hunters skyrocketing, I have begun to hear a groundswell from folks asking a simple question, based as much on economics as anything else: “Why don’t I just pay somebody to shoot one behind a fence?”
The logic is simple, really. Take DIY elk hunting as an example. To draw a tag in many Western states is a true Power Ball-type lottery that can take years, if not decades, and cost thousands of dollars in non-refundable application and preference point fees, with no guarantee of ever drawing. If you do draw, or obtain a tag over the counter in one of the few states where it’s still possible, you’ll have travel costs, you’ll invest a week or more of your time, and you’ll have to hunt an area with which you are likely not familiar while competing with locals who are.
Or, you could just hunt behind a high fence. The description of the “Private Estate Elk Hunt” on a prominent booking agency website I viewed in January 2025 reads, in part: “This private estate is home to a thriving herd of trophy-class bulls! The ranch comprises 3,000 acres of secluded private property with one continuous game fence encompassing this prime wildlife habitat. This diverse landscape with scenic views provides game with all kinds of cedar draws and rolling hills to escape and hide, providing a true authentic hunting experience. Mature bulls on this property will range from the 360- to 430-inch class. The 2024-2025 season will welcome a state-of-the-art lodge with all the amenities. A complete on-site butchering facility and game room coupled with private suites, this lodge will be a welcome addition and set a new bar in lodging in the adventure travel industry. Guests for the 2024 season will stay on-site in a beautifully remodeled original ranch house with a private chef. For those looking for an authentic elk hunting experience for trophy-class animals or someone with physical limitations, this hunt can be customized to fit anyone’s physical needs. Late Season Special! We have a few remaining bulls that need to be taken off the ranch! 1- 403”, was $22,500, now $20,000. 1- 380”, was $18,500, now $17,000. 1- 370”, was $18,5000, now $15,000. Hunt duration – 3 days and 3 nights, cost of license and tags included.”
Are those costs unreasonable? Currently I have 23 elk points in Colorado which have cost me thousands to accumulate over two-plus decades. If I draw, booking a five-day archery hunt with an outfitter in a prime area would cost me about $3,000/day, plus travel, tips, etc., with no guarantees. You do the math.
How about whitetails? An example from another hunting consultant’s website:
“Looking for that record-book whitetail to put on the wall? This is the place! Over 18,000 acres under management in this five-star ranch. Everything here is first class from the accommodations, dining, guiding, and of course the game. Shoot everything from a 125- to a 250-inch whitetail. Shot opportunity is guaranteed. Many packages to choose from. Daily rate plus a trophy fee based on size of whitetail harvested. You can even reserve a buck from the numerous trail cameras. This is a high-fence hunt, but it’s still just as exciting as free-range hunts except you are likely to shoot a larger whitetail and won’t go home with tag soup.” Pricing is $500/day for accommodations, plus a sliding scale between $3,000-$16,000 based on the final SCI antler score, with packages lasting three days/two nights.
To be fair, the whole topic of hunting inside a high fence is a bit complicated. In much of the world, it’s an accepted practice. If you’ve never been exposed to it, at first blush you might think it means caging an animal inside a relatively small enclosure, but that’s not necessarily true. In South Africa, for example, I bowhunted plains game one week on a fenced ranch that encompassed almost 30,000 acres — that’s nearly 47 square miles — much of it rugged, mountainous terrain where hunting was difficult, to say the least. I didn’t find getting a shot at an animal like shooting a duck in a barrel at all. There was also no mention of any guaranteed shot opportunities or reserving a buck from trail camera pics.
In early America, how we hunted didn’t matter; game was plentiful and hunting was not for sport, but survival and profit. But by the late 1800s, unregulated sport and commercial market hunting had taken its toll, and wildlife was no longer abundant. Enter Theodore Roosevelt, who formed a group of his friends into the Boone and Crockett Club in 1887 to address this rapid decline. Their solution? Promote a new system of natural resource use called “conservation,” and promote regulated hunting as the foundation for this new system. Soon they began promoting another then-radical concept: fair chase. It didn’t mean hunting was a sport like other contests, but rather its participants used a “sporting” approach. Fair chase defined the rules, elevating sportsmen to highly respected members of the community for their skill as woodsman and providers as well as for their commitment to something greater than themselves.
I’ve been blessed to have been able to hunt in less-complicated times. I don’t need to “kill one” every time I go to the woods. Most have not been as fortunate, and I understand the temptation to hunt behind a high fence. For me, though, this is not “hunting,” it’s “collecting.” If it’s legal and that’s what you want to do, have at it. But it’s not something I’d brag about.
What’s your take? Drop me a note at editor@grandviewoutdoors.com and let me know.
