Wipe them out, pleads the farmer & landowner

[Weekender]

Gosh guys I don't know what to think or do on this one. I just took a couple of calls, one from the land owner and one from the farmer. They both have a very vested interest in the deer population on this farm, which exceeds the level they would like to see. They would like the population at least lowered. The farms around this farm seem to be managing the ground for deer but this is a grain farm and the dinner table. Those guys on ajoining farms hate anyone that shoots a doe, not really sound management but it is what it is. I try to hold it down a bit but I am worried that if we do not produce a large kill more will be invited in to take more deer. So now I am forced to bring in a small army to reduce the population, they bounced the number at 20 deer during gun season off the farm. Oh I have the guys and tags available but it will be a shame.

[MagnumMudMan]

At then end of the day, if you want to keep the landowner and farmer happy, you need to do your best to eliminate some of the does. You have to see their point of view that the crops are their living and too many deer are not good for the crops. Just remember, if you don't at least give it the old college try, they will probably find someone that will and you will be sharing your hunting land with someone else.

Shoot off some of those does and let the little 4 and 6 points walk another year and you will have some better bucks in the future and ultimately, some bigger and healthier does.

[bowhunter1023]

If the property is truely overrun with deer, then taking a large number of does is going to benefit you as well. This helps condense the rutting activity, which creates more oppurtunity for more bucks for you.

The other option is to get this guy to apply for crop damage permits, if he is not already. Try and get those does thinned out over the next few summers and reduce the strain on the property during gun season. Good luck.

[gunrac]

Gosh guys I don't know what to think or do on this one. I just took a couple of calls, one from the land owner and one from the farmer. They both have a very vested interest in the deer population on this farm, which exceeds the level they would like to see. They would like the population at least lowered. The farms around this farm seem to be managing the ground for deer but this is a grain farm and the dinner table. Those guys on ajoining farms hate anyone that shoots a doe, not really sound management but it is what it is. I try to hold it down a bit but I am worried that if we do not produce a large kill more will be invited in to take more deer. So now I am forced to bring in a small army to reduce the population, they bounced the number at 20 deer during gun season off the farm. Oh I have the guys and tags available but it will be a shame.

Sounds as tho that the farm is a big magnet to me. I'd make the call to arm's, an thin the he!! out of it. Don't be surprised to get the same call next season. I hunted with a big family { farm} down in southern Ohio for a few years. You had better not get caught letting a deer get by you w/o shootin or you wouldn't be invited back the following year. They plain wanted them gone. The years I hunted with them, they never had a shotage of deer.

[traphunter]

Wow weekender, that is something. Like others have said, if you dont do it then they will probably find others that will. I have been in the same situation before, except it was with raccoons. The farmer said he wanted them gone so I trapped them, but I made sure not to over trap so I could leave some seed for the next year. Well it turns out that this summer the farmer "wacked" all the ones that I had purposley left. Now the farm is literally void of coons.

So I dont know, thats an awful lot of deer to kill, its up to you.

[coonskinner]

i hear this a lot...,i dont care how many yuh kill...kill em all...:D

[swantucky]

It is tough to neglect the landowner's wishes but it could make for some tough hunting in years to come. We had a landowner with the same wishes as your's does 2 years ago and we took 22 deer off of his place. Last year we took maybe 6, tops. Hopefully this year they have rebounded some. I will respect the wishes of the landowner as long as it is within the law. Alot of landowners who are having problems will offer to tag deer for you but that is a line I will not cross. This year I talked to the owner and he said he left 75 acres of corn up to cut durning midday and wants posters all around it. Not really my idea of hunting but I'll be at a corner when he asks. It is just too tough to get permisson around here to not follow his program. They lost 10's of thousands of $$$$$ this spring in the flood and are not willing to feed a bunch of deer this spring and loose more $$$.

[WILEY1]

Seeing how tough it is to get private land. You need to quit managing it for your goal and more for the farmer. Everybody on this site talks about thinning out the does to improve the buck quality. Here's your chance. You don't have to kill them all. After gun season you should be able to see if you need more down in M-L season or if it was enough. Like most have already stated if you don't the omlets will. Good luck.

[CritterGitter]

I am a little familiar with NW Ohio deer hunting, but I don't know it intimately like Redhunter, Swantucky and some of you other fellows who actually hunt around here. You guys have wide open farm fields with small woodlots scattered here and there. So, the deer are somewhat predictable and don't have a lot of browse so they are going to feed heavily on the available crops. I think a farmer in NW Ohio would be way more intolerable of deer than say a farmer in central Ohio, SE Ohio or even SW Ohio. Other parts of the state have more forest land, wildlife management areas and parks and campgounds. Thus, a much broader variety of food sources. I am not saying that farmers in other areas don't suffer crop damage from deer, but I don't think it is severe and I don't think those farmers are anxious to "wipe them out." Farming is a tough livelihood and it is a lot of hard work and not a lot of pay. I can certainly understand the the flood in June would have farmers wanting the deer thinned big time because he is looking for a recovery of sorts next year to make up for some of the losses this year. Good luck.

Kyle

[Full Rut]

Got a question on the crop damage permits. When issued to the farmer, is it an any deer legal tag or are there specific buck and doe tags given? Can these deer be shot at night?

[BigDale]

I THINK they still need to be taken by legal means and frankly in this neck of the woods (Miami County) it is still a little tuff to get very many of them. The Metro parks on the other hand do bring in people that thin the herd from time to time in late evenings and early nights with rifles from what I hear but I believe they are hired to do the job

[DavidT]

Got a question on the crop damage permits. When issued to the farmer, is it an any deer legal tag or are there specific buck and doe tags given? Can these deer be shot at night?

Any deer, day or night, with any weapon that can be owned legally. If a buck is shot, the antlers have to be turned in.

So, theoretically, you could go at 2 AM, fire off a 100k candlepower spotlight, open up with an AK and down 20 deer (provided the landowner has 20 permits) in one swell foop.

In practice, it usually ain't quite that easy.

[Full Rut]

Im pretty sure a farmer by my place does this. I understand why they do it. I have good friends that farm but it just does not sit well with me, the WAY its done. Too much like poaching I guess.:nono: Feel lucky that your landowner wants you to actually hunt for those deer.

[traphunter]

:So, theoretically, you could go at 2 AM, fire off a 100k candlepower spotlight, open up with an AK and down 20 deer (provided the landowner has 20 permits) in one swell foop.


I think its pretty sad that crap is legal. Im sure peta is lovin that.:irked:

[ohiosam]

I hunt an orchard where we've taken 20+ deer a year for the last 3 years. Plus who knows how many the neighbors are taking. Game Warden gives us 20 crop damage permits every year. They are for does only and must be used during regular hunting seasons and times and using regular methods and weapons. Can't spot light them any more.

Anyways 1st week of November we saw 38 deer in the orchard one evening. Seems for every deer we shoot two come to the funeral.

[DavidT]

I hunt an orchard where we've taken 20+ deer a year for the last 3 years. Plus who knows how many the neighbors are taking. Game Warden gives us 20 crop damage permits every year. They are for does only and must be used during regular hunting seasons and times and using regular methods and weapons. Can't spot light them any more...

Two different deals. Two different kinds of permits. Farmer across the road gets both kinds. The day/night/rifle kind can't be used during deer season.

[Steve]

I hunt an orchard where we've taken 20+ deer a year for the last 3 years. Plus who knows how many the neighbors are taking. Game Warden gives us 20 crop damage permits every year. They are for does only and must be used during regular hunting seasons and times and using regular methods and weapons. Can't spot light them any more.

Anyways 1st week of November we saw 38 deer in the orchard one evening. Seems for every deer we shoot two come to the funeral.

Wish there were more place like that in Michigan where the farmer would let us hunt.

[ohiosam]

Two different deals. Two different kinds of permits. Farmer across the road gets both kinds. The day/night/rifle kind can't be used during deer season.

The local Game wardens will not give the shoot anyway anytime permits anymore. I know several local farms that used to get them, all now get the kind I discribed. Maybe some GWs are more leniant then ours, but from my conversations with the local GW's they leave the impression this is the only option.

[DavidT]

The out-of-season permits are much more difficult to get. Farmer has to prove substantial economic losses directly caused by deer. Farmer across the road has been trying for years, and this year is the first time he's been successful. He gets the other kind every year.