What is your definition of "Fair Chase"?

[Shape Shifter]

Recently a friend of mine sent me some hunting videos that he thought I would enjoy. Some were rifle and some were archery hunts. I noticed that all of them said on the front cover that all were Fair Chase hunts. Two out of the 5 videos contained hunts from extremely high fenced in areas. I never have hunted high fenced areas and probably never will but I guess everyones definition of fair chase is different. What does fair chase mean to you?

[Shawn Leonard]

Whatever the law states where you are hunting I would say, but I would have to go by what P+Y says or B+C I guess. Shawn

[BigRonHuntAlot]

In my opinion fair chase is hunting an animal that is not tame, drugged, tied to a tree, etc. Even in some of these Ranches, or Enclosures as some call it you have to HUNT, fence or no fence. I have hunted in a fenced environment and never saw the fence nor hunted near it while I was hunting. I would not take joy in taking an animal that was not wild or atleast still used its senses to survive. Slam Dunks are not Fair Chase.IMHO

[HNTN4ELK]

To me Fair Chase is where the animal has the advantage to elude the hunter. Years ago I hunted a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, about 1,500 acres, with a high fence around it. In a week, I did not see the fence but twice. The deer had the ability to elude us with ease. I would have classed this as Fair Chase. Now, a 5 acre fenced enclosure or 50 acres, NOT Fair Chase.


Just my opinion.
Garo

[MikeW]

I'm basically with HNTN4ELK.
And without starting a big mess about hunting fenced game ranches some of these places that get high hunting pressure, the animals are way spookier than any free ranging public animals. Way harder to hunt, they get smart real quick about humans, blinds and feeders.

Where I grew up we would go way back up in the mountains where some deer might not have ever seen a human, you could tell the ones that hadn't they didn't take you as a threat, they were curious. Not real hard hunting(especially with a gun)other than the hike back there.

Anyone that thinks hunting a fenced ranch is a slam dunk has never hunted one.

All that being said I'd rather hunt where there is no fence.

[Drew]

the definition is in my signature...

[Wary Buck]

Pretty much what everyone here has said.  I like Drew's defition:  "a just and honest hunt/pursuit."

The only experience I have with high fences is in Africa where the enclosures were gigantic and we simply rarely, if ever, even saw the fences and that was only when driving to specific blind locations.  There was no doubt in my mind that these were fair chase.  

Non-hunters or even slob hunters cannot understand why you or I might go out of our way to help release a deer stuck in ice, or with locked antlers...while at the same time want to shoot that deer in any other circumstances.  They also don't 'get' why we might desire to try to kill the 'big one' and pursue him hard over a lifetime, yet have no interest in shooting one in a tame preserve or enclosure.  I live next door to a city park where I often see P&Y caliber bucks literally 80 yards from my front door (deer the size I'd love to take); I enjoy the view but wouldn't think of poaching one.

Most of us here understand that dichotomy precisely.