Depredation Hunt

[pacecars]

A farmer I know has a depredation permit for 10 deer in north Florida. I am the lucky one that gets to hunt them. I hope I can turn this into a regular place to hunt so I want to help him out but not scare away the deer permanantly. It is a fine line. The permits allow bucks or does, and can be shot night or day and I get to keep the meat. Any suggestions on how to go about it? I am going to look at the property tomorrow and get a feel for where to set a stand or two. And no I am not looking for assistants...yet.

 

[JoeKnowsBows]

I would kill them in the daytime for sure. Just communicate well with the landowner & you will go far.

 

[Coastie]

If it is legal (check with your local DNR Ranger, Game Warden or whatever you call them in FL) shoot at night using a light. I know this is not the "Sporting" method of hunting, but you are there to do a job in the quickest most humane way you can do it. The farmer is looking for relief from a problem and you are his answer to that problem. You are going to have to make some difficult decisions, especially this time of year with the Does having Fawns that are not likely to survive if the Doe is killed, the Farmer is not likely to care too much about that, he is looking to reduce the number of free meals he is providing to wildlife.
Take the first 10 Deer you are able to get a clean shot at and do it as soon as you can do it, to do otherwise would be a dis-service to the land owner and will likely have him looking elsewhere for a marksman. You should also contact the local Sheriffs' office, Police Dept. and Dnr Ranger and let them know when and where you will be shooting regardless of whether it is daytime or evening/night, this will help them when calls start coming in about "Shots Fired" You may also wish to rent or have arrangements to borrow a refrigerated truck or trailer to prevent spoilage of the meat, this weather doesn't make it easy to handle that many Deer without spoilage.

 

[Arrow Flinger]

I agree with The Blue Ridge Trapper. This is not a hunt, it is a shoot and he wants the deer gone now. Conventional hunting will take a while to get the results he is seeking. A spotlight would be the quickest, most effective method of thinning the herd. This is not about sport or hunting, it is herd reduction. It might not be fun but can result in hunting opportunities in the future. Take a little time to share some well thought out words about how hunting will help ease this problem.

 

[doc]

If you are thinking of the future then I would shoot the first 10 Does that you see. chances are pretty high that the buck to doe ratio is out of wack and this can be a tremendous tool to help that.

 

[FootLongDawg]

Don't you dare shoot a buck!!!

 

[HT2]

F L D..........

Don't you dare shoot a buck!!!

I'M WITH YA BUD!!!!!!!!!!

Slam all the does you want.........Let the Bucks go!!!!!!!!

 

[bull0ne]

I'M WITH YA BUD!!!!!!!!!!

Slam all the does you want.........Let the Bucks go!!!!!!!!

Bucks eat crops too.

Would you rather see a starving fawn or a fat buck eating crops?

 

[pacecars]

Went and looked this morning and found where they are coming out of the woods into the field. Landowner says the last group she saw had 4 medium size deer. Her brother in law wentout at dusk and then midnight to about 4am and didn't see anything. Owner went at 8am to pick some corn and they had been hit again. I am going to set up on the trail in at about 5am and see what happens.

 

[ryanwhit]

Bucks eat crops too.

Would you rather see a starving fawn or a fat buck eating crops?

Is the fawn a buck or doe??

 

[CPiper]

Im with The BRTrapper on this one ( he offers GREAT advise!!!!!) and having worked with farmers on dep permits I can tell ya that most farmers dont give one toot about QDM, B&C, P&Y and sex/age ratios - they want the deer out of their pocketbook!!! plain, simple and period!!
Id also hunt them at night, with a spotlight - Id prefer to put out corn if I could and place a tree stand near by - get the deer comin to the corn piles and then slip in near dark fall and hunt all night from the tree stand - Id use a 22.250 or .243 and Id head shoot every one of em. Ya wanna use something that goes boom not BOOOOOOOOM, use stealth and regular hunt tactics - watch your scent.
Make sure you can head shot a deer out to and under 100 yards. You do not want a deer gettin away from you for the farmer to find 2 weeks later - or his wife/kids/neighbor(s) to find.
And do extra stuff for him - if you see trash on his place, pick it up - offer to help with chores, anything extra to show him what a good HUNTER you are!!


Look at it like this - lets pretend your boss came to you
today and said "Bubba, we are gonna reduce your salary this year by $5000 because the weather was bad".
How would you feel??
Farmers are at the mercy of the elements and if they cannot get dep permits, the wildlife also, a double wammey.
We are able to keep some of our leases because we flat out shoot the deer - as someone already stated, bucks eat too, and to a farmer, a dead deer is a dead deer.
Talk to him, be candid about what you expect and desire and ask him to tell you EXACTLY what he expects.
If he says KILL DEER, then by george, shoot the first 10 deer that present a shot - you could be saviung yourself the trouble of looking for a place to hunt if you follow his desires.

Obviously, some of you dont farm, or dont have a CLOSE friendship with a man that makes his living from the earth.
How'd you like to drive up in a field of soybeans and count 35 doe deer - scare them off - come back 1 hour later and them same 35 does are back in it ... and the cycle continues! Eatin beans off YOUR table!! Id dare to say, YOU would not be happy - look at it through the farmers eyes and wallet, not yours. Think of someone besides yourself - the land owner - and you could go far!!

 

[raghorn]

A lot of these farmers having the problems would not dream of allowing regular hunting on their property. It would be easier for me to have sympathy for them if sport hunting was allowed first.

 

[CPiper]

And why do you think alot of farmers dont allow hunters on their property - they used to just 20+ years ago - why not now???

I know the answer will get under alot of hunter's skin, but it is the truth!!
We hunters are some of the worst when it come to littering, throwing beer cans and cig butts around, and having a "holier then thou" attitude as if the farmers OWES US the right to hunt on his land.
Respect and tolerance once held in high regard by hunters is slipping away at an alarming rate - most hunters are more concerned about QDM and killing Booner buck then they are about making a high impression on a farmer.

There is some PRIME land near where I live. 2 land owners hold 2000+ acres of prime deer habitat. Deer, buck deer, are ALWAYS getting killed by autos in this area.
Being the concerned hunter I am about public safety, I approached the owners about hunting their lands ..... I just aout got pistol whipped.
The man of the bunch went into an immediate tirad of profanity and arm gestures and swore to me "a deer hunter will never ever set foot on his land again".
I started to leave, then felt the urge to allow him to vent on me; being the fgood ambassador of the sport that I am, LOL!!
After a few minutes of me soothing and toning him down, he told me the story of how he allowed to bow hunters onto his property. They broke every rule he gave them the first week and never offered and apology.
By the time I left, I had the man apologizing to me and he did shake my hand and stated they maybe he was wrong, that maybe there were a few good hunters - BUT - still have never got to hunt his land.

I have a best friend that is a deer hunter and his 80 year old momma owns the land we hunt on - it is her son - and while she allows us to hunt her land she will tell you in no uncertain terms that she dont know what anyone in their right minds would allow a deer hunter onto their land.

The wise hunter would take heed and wise up - it aint the farmers fault, it is ours. OURS!!

 

[raghorn]

Speak for yourself Mr. Piper but don't speak for me .I always leave things the way I find them and have on occasion cleaned up someones else's trash.I also don't believe the farmers "owe' me the right to access their property. I have however witnessed the burning of Piles of deer killed by dep permit holders.Seems like a waste to me. Hunting is the undisputed best tool for controlling deer numbers and you sir are intelligent enough to know that. I have no sympathy farmers losing crops that do not allow sport hunting. If that gets me blackballed from this forum,so be it.Not lol.

 

[CPiper]

LOL, you and me may leaves things nice and tidy, but alot of hunters dont.
The burning of piles of deer is a good thing! While nature has the clean up tools, burning carrion is a great way to stop the spread of any disease the deer in these high pop areas may have had, and some dep permits require the shooters to dispose or not dispose of the deer in certain manners.
Iv used dep permits before that did not allow us to move the deer once it was dead. Mr Farmer was reluctant to tend his beans with the foul stench odor of 20 rotting deer in a 200 acre field. I was reluctant to go back for another shooting 2-3 days later also - it is AWFUL!! The burning of the deer serves several functions.

As I suggested, go talk to some farmers and get their take. If you keep an open mind, Id bet your eyes would be opened also.

 

[CPiper]

I spoke with another farmer last night for one solid hour. He ranted and raved about deer in his corn and soybeans, they are slap dab eating him out of house and home.

He is shooting 100-200 rouonds per night, hitting some, missing some, scaring all of em.
Night before last he caught 4 does with 6 fawns in his beans and went to shootin, got 2. He shot 15 times with his semi auto .22. As he sat there in the dark, with the truck runnning, spotlight still shining, taking time to reload with 15 shells - and when he looks up standing still not 30 feet from his truck is a buck deer.
His permits restricts him to 5PM to 2AM, anterless deer only, and can take only family members with him to help.

The local farmers are about in a rage because of the deer damage - and he got our club 2 special invites from other farmers to "Come shoot the **** out of them deer" come this fall!!

 

[raghorn]

I spoke with another farmer last night for one solid hour. He ranted and raved about deer in his corn and soybeans, they are slap dab eating him out of house and home.

He is shooting 100-200 rouonds per night, hitting some, missing some, scaring all of em.
Night before last he caught 4 does with 6 fawns in his beans and went to shootin, got 2. He shot 15 times with his semi auto .22. As he sat there in the dark, with the truck runnning, spotlight still shining, taking time to reload with 15 shells - and when he looks up standing still not 30 feet from his truck is a buck deer.
His permits restricts him to 5PM to 2AM, anterless deer only, and can take only family members with him to help.

The local farmers are about in a rage because of the deer damage - and he got our club 2 special invites from other farmers to "Come shoot the **** out of them deer" come this fall!!

Thats the way I think it should be.I'm not saying they should open their gates to any clown with a gun,but if they are having that great of a loss, what better management tool is there sport hunting? But I stand by my earlier statement that some of the ones that complain the loudest are the ones that deny access to everyone.

 

[pacecars]

Is the law in Georgia that you can't use the meat of a deer shot on a depredation permit? Florida changed this year to allow the permit holder to keep the meat. Last year it had to be donated to an organization like the Lighthouse Children's Home or similar. I can't believe they make you waste the meat.

 

[pacecars]

Daytime has not worked so well. We have tried dusk and dawn and no luck. Stayed til 10pm and no luck. I think it is time for an all nighter.

 

[CPiper]

Id start right at dusk and then go as long as I could.
I dont do dep permits around where I live, but I can tell you that we see alot of deer after 10:30PM as we cruise up and down the road! Ever got up at 2-3AM and rode around looking at/for deer? You'd be amazed at the number of deer you'll see in the wee hours on a morning!!

10-4 RagHorn! And all Im saying is that some farmers deny access because of faulty hunter bahavior!