Prairie Walk - Fences

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Orcon

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So my daughter is out of school due to the COVIDs. She's a big fan of YouTube videos and we needed to take a walk and talk about things we saw. Here's our video on fence etiquette.



Shoulda made a comment about leaving gates as you find them but this is largely a joke video.
 
We rarely see anything regarding hunting etiquette and hunting safely so I hope additional people chime in regarding this subject. We lived for a while on an unpaved road so I learned to drive slowly down unpaved roads to keep the dust down. This is much appreciated by farmers who live on unpaved roads specially if you are looking for a place to hunt.
 
The main thing to remember is never to cross a fence if you don't have permission to be on the other side. :D
True, however regarding the safety aspect you never cross through or over a fence carrying a shotgun. Either lay the shotgun on the ground on the other side of the fence, preferably slightly away from where you are crossing so the you don't disturb it, or you hand it to your hunting friend who then hands back both shotguns back to you muzzles in the air, before he crosses the fence.
 
True, however regarding the safety aspect you never cross through or over a fence carrying a shotgun. Either lay the shotgun on the ground on the other side of the fence, preferably slightly away from where you are crossing so the you don't disturb it, or you hand it to your hunting friend who then hands back both shotguns back to you muzzles in the air, before he crosses the fence.
Good advise, and it applies to rifles, including big game hunting rifles as well. There are fences that sometimes need crossing, even on the wide open and public BLM and Forest Service lands out west here. A handy fence post occasionally makes a good make-shift rest for a standing shot at a mule deer, pronghorn or elk.:)
 
I once drove up on two hunters that were using a No Hunting sign in my fence as a rifle rest to shoot at a bunch of antelope
 
I graduated to a new level of crossing barbed wire fences several years ago when I determined it was easier to find a place where there was some space under the bottom wire, lay down on the ground parallel to the fence, hold the bottom wire up with one hand, and then slide under the fence on my back. It pays to look around for hazards like cactus and stickers before you do this. I got tired of having the crotch ripped out of my camo jeans. Also, now I know every place in my hunting area where there is extra space under the bottom wire and I can find these places in the dark without a flashlight.

I did get a surprise several years ago when I slid under a fence in the dark. I rolled over on my knees to get up and in the dim light I saw the shape and color of a skunk about ten feet in front of my chin. My thrashed around getting a flashlight out of my pocket scared the skunk and he ran away before I could get the light turned on. It ended well for both of us.
 
I wouldn't appreciate anyone climbing one of my fences or loosening the strands by separating them so that someone can crawl through. I have never seen a fence yet I couldn't crawl under. Just unload your gun first. It may not seem like a big deal to most but fences aren't cheap.
 
Reminds me of the time when I worked at Stroh's and the boss told us to move some barrels of beer (32 gallon bar kegs) to the dock, about 50 feet. I picked one up, ( I was 19, and in decent shape) duck waddled it over to the spot, and set it down gently, huffing and puffing back to where the boss was standing. He said, "That was impressive son, but we usually just roll 'em."

Great to see someone out and about and having fun!
 
I wouldn't appreciate anyone climbing one of my fences or loosening the strands by separating them so that someone can crawl through. I have never seen a fence yet I couldn't crawl under. Just unload your gun first. It may not seem like a big deal to most but fences aren't cheap.

When I was young in Oklahoma it was normal to have a 4 wire fence and they were not that tall so it was easy for a tall man to place his hand on the top wire and step over. Not so today, for two reasons. The oil & gas industry has drilled wells and leased land which has put extra money in the farmers & ranchers pockets which has financed many miles of 5 and 6 wire fences. They are tall and the wires are stretched tight. Also, the raging wild fires in western Oklahoma caused the government to pay a large portion of the replacement cost of damaged fences. The replacement fences are far better than the original fences with both 5 and 6 wires. Much of the new wire has long and sharp barbs not seen in the past. Like Choctaw said, a half mile of new fence with T-posts, steel pipe bracing and steel gates can cost as much a $5,000.
 
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