Ok here goes.

I live in IL and my closest public hunting area an hour away is on property owned by the National Guard.  They have worked out a program with the DNR to allow hunting on the property when the guard is not there training.  (I was there over the weekend and they had a bunch of men and women training and getting to deploy yesterday.)

Well here is my conundrum.  There is a very high fence around all of the property with very high gates.  Clearly this is a fence to keep people out and to protect civilians from live training sessions.  I know that it exists to keep people out but it also keeps the deer in.  The areas size is 2500 acres.

I truly believe in Fair Chase and have always been a stickler about following the premise.

What do you all think.  Would you hunt here or not?

in a situation like that...its about population control. Hunt it!

Doesn't bother me if it doesn't bother you.  Bases are BIG.  Lot's of area for deer to hide and escape.  You will probably only see the fence on entering and exiting the base.  Your call though.

At 2500 ac I wouldn't worry about it. If it was 250ac, that would be different.     Pat

Go for it!

I agree with TrapperDave - population control. I have also seen some deer do some truely amazing things when they put their mind to it - concerning a fence. I would hunt...  JDH

I just returned from my friends ranch in Texas. 350 ac with a high fences. He only hunts it for population control. At this time there are 95+ deer on the ranch and the Bio said he needs to take 35 deer this year.  It is no slam dunk on 350ac. What is Right for one may be Wrong for another, do what you feel is right.

Mark

Not a lot of areas that big in the wild.Id love to hunt it.

My buddy hunts Picatinny Arsenal here in NJ.

The base is 6500 acres but I am not sure how much of it they can hunt what with the top secret nature of the work they do there and the thousands of pounds of buried munitions, but it's still a fair amount.

This place has fences everywhere but the hunting is needed to manage the herd and it is no easy task.

I think you should hunt it and you can justify it in knowing that, as you mentioned, the fence is to keep people out, not keep game in.  Since this is a moral dilemma that fact should give you peace of mind.

Given the definition of "Fair Chase" (below) - unless you think you had an improper advantage - there is no problem. To me - the key phrase in my comment is "you think".

"Fair Chase" is the original code of conduct first used by Boone and Crockett Club members in the early 1890s at a time when sportsmen emerged as the guardians over our game animals and birds. It was defined as the ethical, sportsmanlike, lawful pursuit, and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.

You have two questions.

What is "Fair Chase"? Is both questions because it has two meanings. The first is a criteria for record book keeping and has specific definitions about fences and such.

The second meaning is "What seems fair to you personally." Only you can define this.

My choice would be to hunt the population control hunt inside the fence. With over 4 square miles of area the deer are not trapped in a pen and you will have a true challenge. I would not however submit a large buck for scoring taken from this area.

If it's the same place I'm thinking about, I've hunted there myself.

Terrain alone offsets the fence. That place is huge and rugged. Watch where you step in the dark or you'll be tumbling into a gulley. Place is thick with thorns too.

They aren't stocking the animals so there is no artificial population.  That is the one BIG thing most people "miss" when talking high fenced areas.

Population control is a cop-out! If that's all there is to it, I can let others handle that. Don't bend your ethical line by using such justifications.

As far as each particular situation, it is up to YOU! If you feel comfortable with the size of the place and the fact that the game has a fair chance of eluding you, go ahead. IT'S NOT ABOUT WHAT OTHERS THINK! It's what YOU think.

Personally, I doubt anyone will "condemn" you for huntin' a place like that anyway. As others said, it's not like it's 250 acres and stocked to sell hunts.

Hey I'll come hunt it.  Its legal so its ethical.  Its fair enough chase.  To me the only problem I see is when you shoot a Pope & Young you won't be able to enter it into the book.

If I had the chance to hunt in there I would not lose a wink of sleep.  I would rather hunt in a 2500 acre high fence (fence to keep people out) than sat at home.

If hunting there is perfectly legal , and you're comfortable with it....

Ethics is a personal call, if you are asking for opinions; mine would be to hunt the place.

Thank you for your Opinion.....

ethics..
its not what we think mate! its what you think

i live a half an hor from jefferson proving grounds in indiana it is where they tested ammunition,bombs and the such i have on video a deer jumping those tall fences..always deer laying on the side of the road by these fences..i put in every year for a draw tag havent been pulled yet still praying though...