$20,000 White Tails.... Indiana is as bad as Texas...

[JoseCuervo]

Why on earth would somebody need to shoot white tails behind a high fence? How hard is it to sit still and let some "rat deer" walk past you so you can shoot it? And even worse, who would pay $20,000 to shoot some tame deer? It certainly would not be a trophy....

And how is this for a favorite line, indicating the Apocalypse is Now....
The company invites hunters to enjoy a four-star lodge while using heated deer stands, telling prospective clients they can "see more bucks in one day than most people see in a lifetime." My guess is that any body who wastes money shooting deer behind a high fence would likely want to kill themselves the next morning, resulting in the accuracy of the statement about seeing more deer in a lifetime....

Fenced deer farm raided
Federal and state officials took records from hunting preserve called Bellar's Place.

Federal and state wildlife officials raided Indiana's largest private hunting preserve and confiscated its business records, authorities and the owner confirmed Wednesday.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald Schmid, of South Bend, said the Tuesday raids involved no arrests, but he would provide no additional details.

"As part of the federal investigation, we executed three search warrants at three separate locations in Miami County," Schmid said. He declined to say whether any federal indictments had been issued or would be forthcoming.

Peru developer and deer farmer Russ Bellar said three raids occurred at 6 a.m. at his preserve, his home and his office.

"I have no clue what they are looking for. This is all political stuff; that's all it is," said Bellar, who has been operating a fenced hunting preserve known as Bellar's Place for several years and is a board member of the Indiana Deer Farmers Association.

"They took everything I had pertaining to deer -- pictures, records and everything," he said.

State conservation officers assisted U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials in the raid. A spokesman for the state Department of Natural Resources declined to comment.

Brad Thurston, a deer farmer and another board member of the state deer farming group, said the probe may involve the federal Lacey Act, which makes it illegal to buy, sell, transport or possess wildlife in violation of state law.

"It could only be instigated by the state. The feds wouldn't instigate it. They wouldn't have any reason, unless a state law was violated," said Thurston, an Indianapolis surgeon, who is a board member of the North American Deer Farming Association.

DNR officials have said it's unlawful to sell specific animals to be hunted. Deer preserve operators have maintained they can charge "trespassing" or guiding fees to make such hunts legal.

Bellar said Wednesday he charges "bed and breakfast" fees to hunters.

His business is by far the largest deer-farming operation in Indiana, boasting on its Web site of having more than one deer per acre on the 1,100-acre fenced spread. Bellar's state application to keep captive deer last year reported he owned 1,267 deer, with some valued at up to $20,000.

The company invites hunters to enjoy a four-star lodge while using heated deer stands, telling prospective clients they can "see more bucks in one day than most people see in a lifetime."

The issue of fenced hunting preserves has proven controversial in recent years. Backed by large political contributions from deer farmers, some state legislators have sought to expand legal rights of private preserves, which currently can offer deer hunts only under regular state-approved rules and seasons.

Wildlife and sportsmen's groups have fought against such proposals, and last year all sides agreed to mediate the issues in a committee. A panel of deer farmers, wildlife experts and sporting representatives, along with DNR and state animal health officials, has been meeting for several months on the issues.

Committee members toured Bellar's Place last fall.

Bellar said the raids followed years of criticism from state officials.

"They are against what I do," he said. "They are against anyone that raises white-tail deer. They hate us with a passion."

 

[Moosie]

Gunner, I'm noit against people Spending Money on a critter. But I do hate lazy rich hunters.

I heard a Story of this Bull that was in the Taxidermist shop. The bull was in the high 60" catagory and just a Fuggin TOAD !!!

I guess the Guy that shot it would have had to cross a Bog to pick it up. The outfitters said he wouldn't even cross it to take a picture with the Animal. Not like they even wanted him to do anything like gut it or anything... JSUT take a Picture. He said the Bog Stunk and that He was gonig back to the lodge and he wanted it back there cut up so he could take a picture with it.

HUMmmmmmm....

 

[JoseCuervo]

Uhhhh Moosie..... Huh?

This post was about a High Fence Canned Shooting operation in Indiana, and you posted something about some guy shooting an Elk inside a Taxidermist's Shop, and then the outfitter not wanting pictures of a Dead Elk in the Taxidermist Shop, but moving the Elk to a Lodge for processing and picture taking....

You lost me there dude..... I think I will go back to 6 more weeks of silence.....

 

[pawclaws]

Oh I don't know; our boys kind of did a high fence hunt on Saddam's zoo for a little fresh meat!

 

[Moosie]

... It worked then

 

[Washington Hunter]

That type of an operation is just sickening. At least the owner realizes that "They hate us with a passion." It's just too bad he doesn't have enough sense to know why. Hopefully they will be able to put him out of business.

 

[beardown]

moosedrool, I thought you and elkmolester were the spokesman for high fence hunts! Now you hate your fat lazy rich clients? C'mon pick a side!

 

[dgibson]

The war heats up here in nearby Kentucky. The deer farmers are trying to get their operations moved from the auspices of the state F&W agency to that of the Ag department. Ostensibly it is because they see themselves as raising livestock and not wildlife. The real reason is because the F&W department is actively supporting the ban on out-of-state cervid importation and they don't like it. Under the control of the Ag department they will have much more leeway.

See? It's just like out west, but not!

 

[Oak]

Gibson, that sounds exactly like what happened in CO. However, some of the game farmers also suggested that the DOW was trying to maintain a monopoly on elk hunting in the state (that still cracks me up ).

Oak

 

[1_pointer]

See, I leave the state and things go to hell!

 

[JoseCuervo]

It actually looks like they are trying to clean things up in the state, now that they got Bobby Knight, Isiah Thomas, and 1-Ptr out of the State, they can go after the remaining problems within the borders of Indiana....

 

[1_pointer]

'Gunner- C'mon now, you can't even think I measure up to Bobby Knight, that man is GOD!