I just bought small place, around 328acres. It is low fenced, full year round creek, lots of cover, good open areas as well. Place is fully fenced and even cross fenced into 3 areas. has hog panel on bottom and strand of barbed wire on top. I don't run cattle but could lease it to some people I know. But was thinking it would be fun to have some rams or other small exotics on the place to help manage grass/weed growth, as well as have something for kids to hunt along with the plethora of wild whitetail. I have heard some people will even put black buck on low fence places, along with axis, but I was really thinking more along the lines of Corsicans or Dahls, etc. I won't be there full time to manage them so tehy need to be hardy enough on their own. This is in SE'ish Oklahoma.

The entire place has hog panel around it? How high is your low fence? Like typical 48"-52"?
Hog panel. https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/635197-behlen-country-fence-panels-16-hog-panel.html

2/3rds of it has hog panel at a minimum. prior owner had goats.

the fence in the background is perimeter. the closer fence is just a feeder pen. So hog panel and then strand of barbed wire.

I want to be someone who thinks 328 acres is small.

From your picture looks like your perimeter fence is a good quality net wire. Really does not matter. Looks like 50-52" tall including your barb wire.
You are going to have all kinds of responses. Some are going to say you can keep the blackbucks, and sheep species behind low fence…. some will say you can't.
I had part of one pasture low fenced (450 acres) that backed up against our high fence.
Free ranging axis, elk, fallow, blackbuck, and corsicans would frequent that low fence pasture to get close to girls of those species within the high fenced pasture.
The low fence was a 50" fixed knot high tensil net wire with barb wire right on top (to prevent whitetails from catching their legs when jumping).
All the above free range guys would come and go in that pasture….
My neighbor's place had a good low fence net wire with excellent built water gaps. He bought some Axis and Blackbuck and put in his place (410 acres). Within two years they were all gone.
I have no experience raising any of the exotic sheep or goat species (except Auodads….and they will easily jump a low fence) so can't offer you any advice on them.
The other typical exotics….blackbuck, axis, fallow, other exotic cervidae, African plains game….can/will all jump a low fence.

Scimitar Oryx and Addax won't jump a low fence.

With all due respect that is inaccurate. I've seen Scimitar, Gemsbock, Addax, Lechwe, and Kudu all jump low fences…without being pushed.

shalackin said:

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I agree with Gunny, that looks like net wire not hog panels. Good fencing, nonetheless.

Yes sir. Looks like a nice good quality hinge joint net wire fence.

If you just want something unique to look at, might explore some more unique cattle options…longhorns, watusi, brahma. That doesn't satisfy the part about giving the youngster something to hunt…but would give something different that would help graze the place down.

Dumb question, will Bison jump a low fence? And are those worth hunting or is it just like shooting cattle?

Bison have the ability to hop over a low fence like it's nothing. Unless they decide just to tear it down like it's nothing.
They are shockingly athletic for their appearance.

Good to know!

I have been told Bison will tear up everything when they want.

This.
A rancher I did management work for ask me if his high fence would hold bison. I told him as long as Mr. Bison didn't want out.

Bison that are used to being worked can be somewhat docile. The thing you always remember with them is they are not cattle…..and if they have the notion to go they can and will. They are especially wary and protective of their calves.

oh no said:

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I want to be someone who thinks 328 acres is small.

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This is the OB. I think anything under 500 is a small/hobby ranchette, 501-999 is a medium ranchette and once you hit 1,000 you can start to think about calling it an actual ranch.

Also remember - cows are *******s. All of them, all of the time, every time. Not 60% of the time, all of the time.

If I could run every single cow off our lease, I'd do it in a new york minute. *******s, all of them.

https://tejasranchfence.com/low-fence-exotics/

At the end of the day it's your money sir. Spend it as you want. You are in Oklahoma. It gets cold. Be aware that blackbuck and African plains game are tender to cold. You have to do certain things to protect them during cold or they will die. Axis the same.
During the cold snow in central and south Texas couple of years back many exotics died from the cold. Oklahoma has that cold much more common than southern Texas.
African hoofstock (Addax, Scimitar, Gemsbok, etc. are expensive…. So are Axis and blackbuck now due to lack of supply.
You are going to have to actively manage your populations or you can quickly overgraze your range.
If you want to keep whitetail populations healthy on your place you need to consider all the exotic species that directly compete with the same browse and forbes that whitetails utilize.
Adding any exotic to your acreage means specialized management considerations because you are adding animal units to the carrying capacity of your range.
They have to be taken care of and their numbers must be managed. This means annual population census and proper harvest numbers must be determined for your range annually so you don't overgraze it.
It can happen quickly without proper management.
If you introduce a specie to your land it's your responsibility to properly manage it.

ETA: I have seen so many places become overgrazed from introducing exotics. Once that happens it takes years to repair. Overgrazing creates the growth of unwanted plants. The easy part is buying the animals and putting them on there. The hard part is managing them.

Thank you for your input. I have been to many exotic ranches, but never had them on my place. I was really just thinking of a small amount of rams to roam around for the kids to see something different from time to time. I do not want to be competing with the trophy whitetail that we have, or not much.

Heartily understand wanting to add something to have fun with and enjoy. Nothing wrong with that. Thats part of owning your own place.
I would greatly suggest finding and talking to your local biologist or doing some research and hiring a biologist from that area that can look your place over with you and evaluate your current habitat and range.
I would also highly suggest just spending a year or so getting to know your place…its wildlife and game….their numbers and populations ….its water source dependability, its nuances and weather patterns……
I'd get to know it for awhile and enjoy it some….maybe go through at least one hunting season before adding exotics…. but that's just me.

Congrats on getting it sir. Nothing like owning your own piece of Gods creation. Above all enjoy it and make lasting memories …time passes quickly.

Get a small herd of Transcapian Urials and Markhor and be done with it. Your Corsican & Dahl are fine but my recommendation is just the next level of cool in that regard. Blackbuck will freeze, Axis are a pain, if you want sheep/goats get the cool ones.

Here, Here. Congrats on the new dirt. Do what you want.

I think in SE Oklahoma on a spread like that, you're going to naturally see plenty of interesting wildlife. It won't be mistaken for the African plains, but various 4 legged creatures stir all around that area. I've seen Moose in Arkansas, for example. And he was crossing a road so if he was originally high-fenced, he had other ideas.

chris1515 said:

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Bison have the ability to hop over a low fence like it's nothing. Unless they decide just to tear it down like it's nothing.
They are shockingly athletic for their appearance.

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Bison producer. They can jump 6' and 7' fences.

But my tallest fence, perimeter and cross, is 48" hi tensile with two strands of barbed.

Never had a problem.

Gunny456 said:

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This.
A rancher I did management work for ask me if his high fence would hold bison. I told him as long as Mr. Bison didn't want out.

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My cousin used to help out on a place that had bison in Wyoming, his comment was "you can herd a buffalo anywhere it wants to go".