High fence ranching, pro or con?

High fenced ranchlands were few and far between when I was a kid. Today, fifty years later, they are a common sight. Population increases, fragmentation of our private lands and personal objectives each played a part in the development of these deer proof boundaries. But there is a pro and a con to high fence strategies, though the con, in my opinion, may not be exactly what you think...As the years went by, it also became harder and harder to sustain or make a profit raising livestock, so many ranching families turned to the hunting industry to supplement their income. The demand for hunts, hunting leases and land grew with time, along with a fascination for hunting and raising big whitetail bucks. This demand drove up the price of land and hunting opportunities. New businesses grew out of the industry, including landowners who raised exotic game; selling hunts, breeding stock and/or venison, or all three. One example is Venison World Inc., (www.venisonworld.com) headquartered in Concho County, which helps exotic game producers get their lean-tasty-venison to the consumer. It was during these years that many landowners high- fenced their properties. “Half of our crews are building high fences,” Raymond Meza, owner of Twin Mountain Fence Company, told me in 2005. This year, thirty percent, or 240 miles, of his contracts involve the construction of high fence. So why are so many high fences going up?...SanAngeloStandardTimes