Back from Texas.

Went with friend On some high fenced hunt for Axis deer and Black buck. I didn't hunt not at $3,000 per critter. But I did get a free ride out of It.
We hunted 18,000 acres and my thoughts on high fenced hunting has changed. It was tough hunt for both critters. And there Is no way your going to do any walking. We rode a Polaris Ranger 14 hours a day that machine really took a beating but It never failed.

One of the owners lived In 13,000 square foot house. Talk about deep pockets It took 3 million just to build a 7 mile road Into the main lodge. And It had to be another 14 miles to his house. About half that house was his trophy room and I think there was about every critter known to man In there.

If you would have set over bait It would have been different but we didn't. It was tough country all rock.

Drove15 hours yesterday to get home. Now It's turkey hunting time. Down there It was $1,999.00 to shoot a rio a little rich for my blood.

Did you find us a place to trap?

Welcome home. We missed you.......... yeah right!!!

So Guy took his new pet on a trip?

I tried but WS Is all over It. And a total joke. All fence snares no support system just laid up against the wire. Most were down and covered In dirt. Probably hadn't been checked In months. And from the 20 or snares I saw there wasn't a single catch. And they pay these jokers.

So did the owner inherit a ranch with oil or went out and made his own money? I said once that if my great grandfather had been a little more industrious I could be wealthy. The guy across from me said "What you doing for your great grandkids" put me in my place.

I'm not sure Guy Is a hunter. And I doubt he would measure up to these high rollers. When you pay 20 million to buy land just to hunt. Then stock It with all these African critters.

The thing I can't fathom Is the labor and material cost to erect enough fence to close up 18,000 acres. Then all the 500 acre smaller pens for certain critters. All these fence posts had to be core drilled In all that rock. Then you have to bring In power.

good to see ya back but everytime i turn around anymore it seems you are changing your mind about something.you gettin soft in your old age??

I'm sure the oil industry was at play here. Because It sure wasn't the cattle industry. If they didn't feed every day most of these critters wouldn't make It.

One day we were following the feed truck and 10 water buffalo came out of the scrub and dam near tipped It over trying to get fed.

Getting soft? darn right I'm. LOL

i aint got any room to talk,i just hide it better than you lately.

The one owner only had a 8th grade education. So there Is still a chance for most of you. LOL
But he was out with us and helped gut one critter. Just a good old boy with money.
We did have a guide with us all day. It's a good thing to because I would have still been trying to find my way back to the lodge.
And there was a open bar with No bartender. LOL

18,000 acres isn't enough anyways, you should have been exploring the countryside finding us a place when your high faluting buddy was hunting lol.

That whole country Is all high fence hunting land. I bet we drove by 10 such places.

I think we need to go to a different part of Texas.

So what did they think about having a cheap skate tagging along that wouldn't pay to hunt?

The hunt was for 2 hunters and 2 non hunters. I just fit the none hunter category.

Look up the YO ranch and tell me about being a cheap skate. LOL

What did the 2 non hunters do,bring their shine box.

I would like to visit that Grand state one time for a hunt on desert mule deer close as they are to the area they run.

But that cost just climbs every year.

Boco, most hunts of this nature one can bring a partner or buddies along and just pay for meals, it's great to be able to spend time with some one else who shares the same emotional tie in to hunting, most of the guides and outfitters it's just another gig, they do give the grand appearance of your being successful, however it's not the same as having family or other who care with you.

If I could ever afford a Brown bear hunt, I would certainly ask about the cost for bringing my number 3 son with me, without worrying about how others feel about it with stupid snide remarks !!

There were only 2 of us that made the trip.
The YO ranch donated the trip to The Safari Club. Then the members bid on the package deal. My buddy was high bidder I don't know what that bid was. But his wife was suppose to go as the second hunter but she had some work commitments and couldn't go. so I just went along as a none hunter.

But I found out that I could have hunted free range hogs for nothing but I didn't know that. And penned hogs went for a $100.00 a head. If I would have known that I would have brought my gun.
It took my buddy 4 days to kill those 2 critters so his time was pretty well spent looking for them. But It was me that got them on both the Black Buck and the Axis deer. The ol beav has still got It when It comes to spotting game.

That's awesome, I want to go see one of those operations before I kick off.
A buddy of mine was sent down by his employer for a whitetail hunt on some fer big ranch, and he said it's hard for us common folk to comprehend the money spent by those people.