DEER!! Help! They're eating everything

petert said:
That’s the way it is in Oregon and Washington. My friend has a commercial license and his farm is less than 5 miles from my property. He’s shot two deer this summer, reported it to the WDFW and has not been fined.
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There are definitely ways to go about it, but to just say that its legal to shoot something because its eating your crop is not good advice.
 
PadawanWarrior said:
No shit. Otherwise I'd shoot them all the time and just say they were eating my shit, :bigjoint:. You need a permit.
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I agree with you, but when you are a rancher and depend on your alfalfa harvest to get your cattle through the winter, then you have to take measures, same with wolves, Cougar, bear or coyote preying on your livestock!
Now if you are a backyard gardener growing your own stash for the year.. then no, that’s not cool.
im talking about protecting your livelihood.
 
petert said:
I agree with you, but when you are a rancher and depend on your alfalfa harvest to get your cattle through the winter, then you have to take measures, same with wolves, Cougar, bear or coyote preying on your livestock!
Now if you are a backyard gardener growing your own stash for the year.. then no, that’s not cool.
im talking about protecting your livelihood.
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They'd still need a permit I'm pretty sure. It's a landowner permit or something. Woodpeckers are illegal to shoot anywhere, but you can get a special permit for them too if you show that they're doing massive damage.

And you can't shoot bears just because they're damaging shit. It's your responsibility to not let them get to whatever they're messing up. The only way I can shoot one without a permit is if my life is threatened.
 
petert said:
That’s the way it is in Oregon and Washington. My friend has a commercial license and his farm is less than 5 miles from my property. He’s shot two deer this summer, reported it to the WDFW and has not been fined.
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This is the rule in Washington. It's poaching if you're a recreational grower and they won't issue you a permit.

(d) Multiple deer or elk may be killed if they are in the act of damaging commercial crops if the owner, owner's immediate family member, agent of the owner, or owner's documented employee is issued damage prevention or kill permits and the owner has a valid, written damage prevention cooperative agreement with the department.
 
PadawanWarrior said:
They'd still need a permit I'm pretty sure. It's a landowner permit or something. Woodpeckers are illegal to shoot anywhere, but you can get a special permit for them too if you show that they're doing massive damage.

And you can't shoot bears just because they're damaging shit. It's your responsibility to not let them get to whatever they're messing up. The only way I can shoot one without a permit is if my life is threatened.
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Can you shoot a bear on your property in Washington State?

(e) An owner may kill an individual (one) black bear or cougar during the physical act of attacking livestock or domestic animals with or without an agreement or permit within a twelve-month period. The owner must notify the department within twenty-four hours of kill.
https://app.leg.wa.gov › wac
WAC 220-440-060: - WA.gov
It’s the same thing with deer or elk eating commercial crops.
im sure it varies state by state.
 
petert said:
Can you shoot a bear on your property in Washington State?

(e) An owner may kill an individual (one) black bear or cougar during the physical act of attacking livestock or domestic animals with or without an agreement or permit within a twelve-month period. The owner must notify the department within twenty-four hours of kill.
https://app.leg.wa.gov › wac
WAC 220-440-060: - WA.gov
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Well if one was attacking your animals I guess you can shoot them there.

I'm in CO now. And I'm pretty sure you can't shoot them unless they're attacking you, at least here in CO. But I'm sure they wouldn't press charges if you were defending your dog's life. But in CO they're major dog lovers. I watched a lion eat my neighbors cat, and I know you can't shoot them because they did that. It's their natural instinct, and we're in their territory. Don't let your cats outside is their solution.
 
It's better to deter them, then have to kill them out of season no matter the legality. In VA you need a damage control permit from the game wardens before you kill deer for crop damage. Bears are different in that if it's threatening your life or the life of your animals you're allowed to shoot it but you have to call it in within 24 hours and then explain it to the game warden. I've had hundreds of interactions with bears around the house over the last 20 years and never had to shoot one. I did get a damage control permit for one that tore the doors off my shed and most of the wall off because it was so aggressive but by the time the permit was issued the bear had luckily moved on up the mountain and I never had problems with it again. I like using deterrent measures for both of our sakes. It keeps everyone happy and we can share the mountain.
 
FirstCavApache64 said:
It's better to deter them, then have to kill them out of season no matter the legality. In VA you need a damage control permit from the game wardens before you kill deer for crop damage. Bears are different in that if it's threatening your life or the life of your animals you're allowed to shoot it but you have to call it in within 24 hours and then explain it to the game warden. I've had hundreds of interactions with bears around the house over the last 20 years and never had to shoot one. I did get a damage control permit for one that tore the doors off my shed and most of the wall off because it was so aggressive but by the time the permit was issued the bear had luckily moved on up the mountain and I never had problems with it again. I like using deterrent measures for both of our sakes. It keeps everyone happy and we can share the mountain.
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We currently have 1 nuisance bear, the rest are fine and don't bother anything. We are pretty thick with bears where I'm at.
 
I've done some crop damage shooting here in CT . The farmers pull a permit and the DEP gives them a limit . Anyone the farmer deems appropriate can pull the trigger , once the limit is filled they go through the process again .

I hunt multiple states and regs are all over the place between them . You almost have to be an attorney to understand some of them . I've had Federal fish and game cops who haven't been aware of changes .
 
Last year it was bad with mange around here and we had to put down a bunch of them with it. Game warden gave me permission to shoot any bear that I could positively ID with mange. Think he did it with another guy up the mountain from me too. They culled 27 bears just in my area last summer that were damn near bald from it. This year I have yet to see one with it and I'm hoping it stays that way. The worst time here is early spring, when they're hungry and there's no food for them yet. That's when almost all the problems happen as far as them coming up on the deck and peeking in the window. I have rubber buckshot for the really stubborn ones that won't leave voluntarily and behind that round is a slug just in case they are dangerous. I love watching the babies play and like having them around. You just have to remember that they're around and pay attention to your surroundings outside. Especially at night and really early in the morning.
 
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