'Exotic' Game Animals/Game Ranches

Atla

Atla

Pew Pew! Vroom Vroom!
Joined
Nov 23, 2010
Location
NC
My old man put a bug in my ear this holiday season.

I had forgotten, but some church members from my youth used to go to TN and hunt a buffalo every year on a game ranch. He mentioned us doing this, so I started to look into it.

Geez - Looking at around $3,000+. I suppose that's not bad considering you get 4-500lbs of meat, hide, and skull. (Not counting the added cost of tanning hide/mounting head/skull)

Crossville TN:
Hunting Packages | Caryonah Hunting Lodge

Greenville, WV:
Mountain Meadow Hunting Preserve - The Birthplace of Hunting Memories that Last a Lifetime! Greenville, West Virginia

Tioga, PA:
Guided Deer and Big Game Hunting Trips in Pennsylvania | Tioga Boar Hunting

A lot of these places have Elk and Red Stags, which are insanely priced as well. At about the same as a Buffalo. But most places have Russian Boars, various exotic Rams, and Antelope that are more tempting for the price and their heads would fit on my wall better. ($850+)

Having researched Elk somewhat, you can get out West, get a tag, and go a hunting for around $1,000(Tag is about half of that price). But your chances are pretty slim unless you have contacts who can help you locate good areas.

Anyone have any experience with hunting at a Game Ranch?
 
I'd be embarrassed to tell someone I "hunted" a high fence establishment.

Just go to whole foods and buy some bison meat and save yourself a lot of money. I'm an avid hunter but a high fence shoot is not hunting.
 
Not a fan of high fence hunting. you are basically hunting a farm animal. 600 acres isnt alot when you think that they have several hundred animals on the property.

Hunts out west are fairly successful if you find a guide or go out and spend a couple days scouting before you actually hunt.

hunting isnt about the kill its what it takes to get there. Ive put in for a moose tag in Maine for the last 5 years when i get a tag im going and ill figure it out once i know what area i get drawn for. will start doing the same for Montana know that a friend has some property let to him out there.


If you have to high fence hunt go the Texas where the game is still "wild"ish, 5,000-20,000 acres is a big difference and they usually only have 2-3 species so you have to hunt for the animals not walk to the fence and shake a feed bucket and pick the one you want.
 
I've no interest in hunting a docile farm animal.

But since a lot of these animals aren't native to US, it limits the hunting opportunities. And I don't care enough for Europe/Asia or the experience/cost to go there to slay a Red Stag. That's why I'm asking. :)

Texas is certainly within the realm of possibilities. Wyoming is as well, it seems like guided hunts out there are reasonable price compared to game ranches east of the Mississippi.
 
Atla said:
I've no interest in hunting a docile farm animal.

But since a lot of these animals aren't native to US, it limits the hunting opportunities. And I don't care enough for Europe/Asia or the experience/cost to go there to slay a Red Stag. That's why I'm asking. :)

Texas is certainly within the realm of possibilities. Wyoming is as well, it seems like guided hunts out there are reasonable price compared to game ranches east of the Mississippi.
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Game ranches = farm animals

I can’t remember the documentary about game ranches I saw it a few years ago. There’s a whole market for the animals farms raise them to a size then take them to game ranch auctions and then the animals are taken to the farm, they would take a bucket of feed and shake it then throw out in front of your stand 15 min later you have your animal.


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Guys I used to work with used Chestnut Hunting Lodge in Taylorsville. Boars and Rams are what they targeted. They loved it but Jerry Rushing the owner passed away recently so I don't know what the deal is up there now.
 
Well crap.

I looked at Ox Ranch in Texas, 18,000 acres with 80 game animals. But I'm pretty sure I would need to sell several organs to afford their pricing. And for what they charge, it had better die quickly, gut itself, haul itself, butcher itself, and cook itself. Then mount itself on my wall.

Native & Exotic Hunting | 18,000 Acres in Texas | OX Ranch

And $7,000 to hunt a kangaroo? Screw that. For that much it ought to haul me around in a red flyer wagon and chop firewood.

So basically, I need to shake a feed bucket, kill an animal. Then make up a big story about how I saved little Timmy from falling into a frozen creek AND strangled the critter to death afterwards with my frost bitten hands. :cool:

You guys are ruining the dream, but I'd rather have it ruined before I paid a deposit and showed up to the sucky reality of the hunt.
 
awheelterd said:
It'd be more fun shooting feral cats behind walmart than high fence hunting, and more productive too!
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Fah rah rah rah raaah
Ra rah rah rah

(Chinese take out Christmas eve too ehh?)
 
Infamous1 said:
Yeah I got a super hard on to put my S.O.G. Desert Dagger through the ole pump station of a tusker but the G gate fee kinda softened me a little.
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I saw some bootleg hog hunting promotional video from S.C. or Ga. years ago (VHS) that was intense. Several razorbacks were easily 400#. They had hounds to run the pigs down and huge pitbull/mastiff? mixed dogs they would let loose on the hogs when they got to them. They hit the pigs like linebackers and grabbed them by the jowls/ears. Then the hunter would jump in the fray to deliver the coup de grace w a big knife. One hunt the hounds had a huge boar in a corner against a deep creekbank and it tossed 3 or 5 of them 10' in the air. I can't remember the outfit but I remember an old Nam vet stitching up a hound cut from ass to elbow w a stapler on the bed of a truck near the end of the video, the dog didn't flinch and looked like it was ready to go get another hog. The man looked at the camera while he was stitching and said "come on down here and hunt w us, if you get cut up we'll stitch your ass back up too!" I'm sure someone else has seen the video or knows the outfit?
 
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Ya forget that I’ve hunted hogs with dogs a couple times up here and a couple times down in Florida, I’d rather have a pissed off bear charge me with dogs behind him then a hog try to run you down. At least the bear has a chance of Turning before he gets to you. I watched a hog charge a dog with two dogs hanging on to his rear quarters. FUCK THAT. Seen and heard of way more dogs getting tore up by pigs then bears


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A friend/coworker grew up in Nebraska and every year he goes out west to hunt Elk. He's a bow hunter in general although I think some of his game hunting he'll use a rifle. Not sure where he goes but he'll be out for a week and generally brings one home, but not always. It's no trivial matter to get the winnings home but he manages. Has had some really nice trophies over the years.
I respect the hell out of that a lot more than on a "small" ranch like you'll find east of the Mississippi. IMO, if you're gonna do it, go out to the real plains where it's a challenge.
 
I have a local friend who has taken 2 Elk w a bow on public lands in MT. in the last 6 years, non-resident but I think his sister lives there and he get's a discount on a tag. He is a tightwad so I know he is not paying thousands of dollars to hunt . The first time he went/drove there he had a nice bull @ 40 yds. up a steep hill on the 3rd/last day of his hunt. He lost his mind, aimed high and sailed his arrow right over the bulls back. This is a guy who can shoot matchboxes @ 50 yrds and knows about arrows, elevation and aiming from tree stands, but he had never shot at anything straight up a hill before. He was so upset he would not tell the story for a few weeks after he returned from his trip. He drives up there and back so he can truck the meat back home, about 10 days?
 
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anvilrubi said:
Do you find shooting cows in pasture as a good hunt? Well I don’t so I’d probably skip out on this deal
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It's more exciting to try to push them over, especially in the dark when you can't hardly tell the bulls from the cows :eek:

and even more suspense if you slip and fall in/on a cowpie while the cattle are chasing you.
 
mommucked said:
I saw some bootleg hog hunting promotional video from S.C. or Ga. years ago (VHS) that was intense. Several razorbacks were easily 400#. They had hounds to run the pigs down and huge pitbull/mastiff? mixed dogs they would let loose on the hogs when they got to them. They hit the pigs like linebackers and grabbed them by the jowls/ears. Then the hunter would jump in the fray to deliver the coup de grace w a big knife. One hunt the hounds had a huge boar in a corner against a deep creekbank and it tossed 3 or 5 of them 10' in the air. I can't remember the outfit but I remember an old Nam vet stitching up a hound cut from ass to elbow w a stapler on the bed of a truck near the end of the video, the dog didn't flinch and looked like it was ready to go get another hog. The man looked at the camera while he was stitching and said "come on down here and hunt w us, if you get cut up we'll stitch your ass back up too!" I'm sure someone else has seen the video or knows the outfit?
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I recall a video like this being censored at the dixie deer classic about 25 years ago. They made them cover up the TV playing it. They allowed it to be played in a private room.
 
Oh I have the video, I bought it down in Orangeburg at the world finals coon hunt. That is the crew I called and talked to. It was $750 for a dog/knife hunt back then (at least 15 years ago) and any harm you cause to the dogs you pay for that also. The video is in the spare bedroom somewhere, I will try to dig it out and get the info off of it.
 
in all honesty what are you wanting to hunt? Are you wanting something for the trophy or the meat or both? Elk are found all threw the west, some states have a ton and getting a tag is easier, if your not looking for a massive bull (you'd need 16ft ceiling for a shoulder mount anyways) your gonna pay out the ass and have to enter a lottery draw. if you want a bull but doesn't have to be a huge bull their are plenty of states that you could make it happen on public land and have a good chance of getting a permit on your first year in the lottery. Some states have a lottery for certain areas, but also have a general state draw that the tag would be good anywhere in the state except special permit areas (area where the massive bulls would be) additionally some have "management tags" these are easier to get but are usually for a cow in a certain area but also have a high chance of success because the tag was issued in an area with high population density.
If you want a Buffalo do some research there are several herds in the US that are "wild" some are on private land, Indian reservations, or free range on public lands. These herds are managed and animals are taken from these herds every year to hold the population at a steady level.

either of these options might take a year or two or five to get setup and get a tag and dont guarantee success. but on the other hand id rather do that then hunt a farm, you can also get a tag for a pronghorn just about everywhere they live out west over the counter, so if you get a tag for an elk in an area where they are also or close by id get a tag for one and if you bag an elk early you can switch up and hunt them with rest of your time. thats the plan with going to Maine and moose hunting if we get a moose we've got our bird dogs and we will start grouse hunting.
 
I say go for the buffalo in the pasture. Just dont call it hunting, its slaughtering animals for food with plastic ear tags at that point. Which i have no issue with believe me. Nom, Nom
 
@Loganwayne you ever eaten Moose? You will more than likely have 600-1000lbs of animal to get out of the woods and process. Once it’s processed it ain’t hardly fit to eat. Unless it’s ground into burger with beef fat even the burger sucks for everything. The only thing that I could stand to eat was the tenderloin cooked rare anything past that was like eating an old work boot. The one I shot in AK back in the day worked me to death getting it out of the woods and cost way to much to process for the meat quality. Caribou is the way to go for filling the freezer IMO.
 
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