Fair chase/Free-ranging/B&C

txhunter58 · Feb 19, 2004

I have always heard that B&C did not allow entries from ANY hunt conducting behind high fences, regardless of the size of the enclosure. However, reading their website doesn't say this. Here is how they define "Free-ranging":

"Free-ranging as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club is any native North American big game animal that is unrestricted within its biological home range, has adequate protective cover, and reasonable opportunity to elude the hunter."

The comment on "unrestricted within its biological home range" seems to leave an opening.

Anybody out there know the straight poop? Just curious.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)

cleaner · Feb 20, 2004

strangely enough, since i'm a muley nut, i've been wondering the same thing recently. does BC allow fed/raised/enclosed heads into the book? i think the "reasonable opportunity to elude the hunter" might close the loop-hole mentioned, or at least tighten it. c'mon, after a certain amount of "hunting" any animal can be cornered in a fenced area, even if it is several thousand acres. for what its worth, it's not right.

lookin' forward to hearing the poop from someone in the know.

3point · Feb 20, 2004

So, are CWMU's considered free range?

Deerlove · Feb 20, 2004

No Fences!! NOT pen raised!!

D13er · Feb 20, 2004

It's not that hard to understand. No fences that are capable of enclosing the animal, period. Biological home range would be like "the rocky mountains" or "the mojave desert". There are mule deer on Santa Rosa Island off the Ca. coast that is about 40,000 acres, they are not accepted because they are considered fenced. If you fenced the entire state of Texas so the deer couldn't freely spend the weekend in Oklahoma, they are considered fenced. Get it??

JB

kidneystone · Feb 20, 2004

d13er, where did you get your more precise definition? Your definition and explanation goes way beyond what they say on their site. Are you a B&C spokesman?

BCBOY · Feb 21, 2004

They must be open to exceptions because the Queen Charlotte Islands here in BC are not the natural biological range of Sitka Blacktails but they accept entries from there. Matter of fact the World Record comes from the Queen Charlottes.
When it comes to high-fenced operations they must have a size limit because there are a sure a lot of Texas whiteys entered.

huntsonora · Feb 21, 2004

Actually, there are a few ranches in South Texas that are surrounded by ranches with high fences and from what I understand these deer are accepted into B&C. The way it was explained to me is that the deer on these ranches are able to freely cross the boundries of the ranch. This ranch is like 4000 acres but is surrounded by close to 60000 acres of fenced land. I really dont care however, I am not sure I would enter an animal that would qualify if I killed one. Its just not my cup of tea.

Drummond

D13er · Feb 21, 2004

Kidneystone,

No, I'm not a spokesman for B&C but I am an official measurer for B&C and that is how it was explained during our 5 day measurers workshop. I can promise you if an animal comes to me to be scored it will not be accepted from a "fenced" or "Game farm atmosphere". I don't consider my explanation different than B&C's. Their definition is simple and complete.

BCBOY,

I won't even comment on the Queen Charlottes, I know nothing about them. All of Texas isn't fenced.

JB

txhunter58 · Feb 22, 2004

LAST EDITED ON Feb-22-04 AT 04:38PM (MST)[p]If it is simple and complete, how come I am confused? Sorry, but we have to agree to dissagree on this point. By the way, I have never hunted on such a place and don't intend to, just ran across that statement and it wasn't at all clear to me what they meant.

Don't most people who have studied whitetail say that their "biological home range" is around 1 to 1-1/2 square miles? So if you have "the whole state of Texas fenced", it would seem to mee to meet the requirements of this statement. Migrating animals such as deer and elk of course would be much different.

That is unless I am wrong on what the defination of what a "biological home range" is. If that encompasses anywhere they can be found from Mexico up into Canada, then that would make sense, but if it means the biological home range for that particular deer (1 to 1-1/2 square miles) then I think it is not clear and complete.

If they meant to exclude ALL high fenced areas, why don't they just say so, otherwise it sounds like a loophole to me. Maybe other scorers aren't as discriminating as you.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)