Matthew McConaughey has come under attack recently by blood sucking news groups like TMZ because of his involvement in a high fence hunting operation. High fence hunting has been going on for many years and is a often criticized so I would like to explain my thoughts on this topic.
What is High Fence Hunting?
The first thing that is often argued is the ethics of high fence hunting. A popular stereotype is that the animals of high fence hunting are not able to escape the hunters. This is a large myth for the most part due to the fact that most high fence hunting ranches are often several thousands of acres in size. In the case of Matthew McConaughey’s ranch it is 22,000 acres. Now I don’t know where everyone else hunts but Matthew McConaughey’s ranch is larger than both of the public land areas I hunt and the private property my family owns combined. The reality is that 22,000 acres is just over 34 square miles (34.375 to be more accurate) and that is a large area. The deer are not in a horse pen and just lined up to be shot.
What’s worse, supermarket meat or high fence hunting meat?
Animals, like Matthew McConaughey’s deer, that live on such a large piece of land enjoy a life of freedom compared to your typical supermarket meat providers. The cattle that we eat from the grocery store or at McDonalds did not enjoy the freedom to roam such a large area and live unaffected by man. The chicken that we had for dinner last night most likely was injected full of steroids and lived in too small of a pen for its entire existence. As you can see, other animals we consume have it worse off than the deer that thrive in a 22,000 acre ranch. The sad truth is that the same media who are making a big deal about Matthew McConaughey’s high fence hunting have no problem eating at KFC or at McDonalds. Hippocrates!
High fence hunting and the record books
Another topic that is argued is should these animals be allowed into the hunting record books. This is a very hot topic among hunters and there are different clubs that have different standards as to what is acceptable. I believe that the individual hunter must seek the group that has beliefs that line up with their own, and if they wish to submit their animal to a record book do so with the appropriate institution (Pope and Young, Boone and Crockett, SCI, Buckmasters, Dallas Safari Club). Each group has their own level of standards for what makes for an acceptably harvested animal.
Many would argue that high fence hunting is not real hunting or that it’s only for rich people due to the large price tag. It’s not unheard of for the cost of high fence hunting to exceed over $10,000 for certain animals. This is where I kind of have to say “To each their own.” If that’s what some people want to do with their money, then its their business. I personally would have a hard time paying to go on a deer hunt being that I live in Illinois, and the last 3 years I have seen upwards of a dozen whitetail deer that would score above 150 inches on public land and several others in the same class on private land. I do understand that my location has me a bit spoiled when it comes to hunting whitetail deer. Not every person has the same ability to walk out their door and be in close to proximity to world class deer.
What I do firmly believe is, as hunters and sportsman, we need to stand together and accept that their are many different forms of hunting. The best thing we can do is allow for different types of hunting to happen. We must stand together and tolerate differences that are related to where we hunt (high fence hunting) and what we hunt with (firearms, long bows, recurves, compounds or crossbows). If an individual is hunting by legal methods and they obey the laws that are established in that area, I am all for a person harvesting their game animal by whatever means they decide to use.
Stand together as sportsmen
Many times it is easy for sportsmen to fall into the trap of “my way is better than yours”, however this type of civil war can lead to the decline of our beloved sport. Anti hunters and the media already do whatever possible to dismantle the pastime of hunting and the use of guns, so it is important to stand together in solidarity for our differences in hunting. I am a strong advocate for hunting and all types of outdoor activity. I strongly recommend supporting all aspects of the outdoors, whether it is hunting, trapping, or fishing because you never know when the sport you personally love will fall under attack. By joining groups like the NRA, NTA, ATA, Ducks Unlimited, IBO or any one of the other groups that support hunters rights, we are able to help protect the sports we love so very much.
My final thought on this is that we all must do our part to not give anti hunting institutions ammunition to use against us. With social media being such a large part of almost all our lives it is important to be careful what we are posting on social media. I for one will never apologize for being an outdoorsman and partaking in what is the right of every red blooded American. We must all stand together unwavering and do so in the proper way; this starts with portraying ourselves in the best manor possible.