I get asked often what is fair chase hunting and that is the question I ask you. What do you think? Is hunting with Hounds fair chase? Is hunting on a 5,000 high fence ranch fair chase? Let's here it...

I owned a high fenced farm a few years ago with my hunting partner as a hobby to see how big whitetails could get if allowed to mature. While it was fun, it was a lot harder than you think. I can promise you with zero reservation, deer inside a fence are five times harder to kill than in the wild. The shows you see with all of the big deer being taken are pen raised and released. But if you high fence an area and just let them get old, you better bring your lunch. Again, it is fun, but you are doing most of your hunting with trail cams and finding sheds. It is not what you think.

Well, i went on my first lion hunt this year in New Mexico. We hunted off horse back and ran approximately ten dogs. This had to be one of the hardest most physically demanding hunts, i have ever done. We rode approximately 15 to 20 miles a day. I use to be of the mindset that this was unethical hunting... Boy was i wrong. If you want to test your physical abilities and your ability to handle being saddle sore try one of these hunts out. You will have a blast.

My long time guide that I always hunt out west with was raised handling dogs and cat hunting. It is a religion. He said the same thing; it ain't no cake walk. Thats just how you hunt them. I've walked thousands of miles behind bird dogs quail hunting. Thats what we do here in the south. I think anybody with any sense of honor knows when a hunting situation exits the relm of "fair chase". I hate to just draw that line because to each his own. But everyone knows.

If an exceptional trophy quality animal is found.Then surrounded by scores of people,whether working together or not,and put under constant surveillance for days or even weeks at a time then being harvested. Is any different than ambushing the same specimen at a water hole after using a trail camera during drought conditions. Or are both of these considerd not fair chase. Or is it only fair chase if the animal can chase you back.

I truly believe that when it comes to hunting its each individuals own decision to decide what is fair and what is not. I personally choose not to hunt baited plots nor high fence ranches, but i will run lions with dogs. Some would say that is a double standard, but i feel thats my choice. And i wouldnt want to be critical of another persons decision, if thats what they wanted to do.