Wish ODNR would do their homework!

[w8n4rut]

I don't mean to use this forum to vent my personal frustrations, but this one is just hard to keep quiet. I have hunted a beautiful farm (650+acres) over the past several years, located in Tuscarawas County. There is a farmer that leases the agriculture rights of the land from the owner of the the land, to strictly plant corn and soybeans. In my eyes I love to see the corn and beans pop up every summer, and watch the deer slowly become more and more visible. Well apparently, the farmer (lessor) contacted the elderly woman who owns the farm and asked for her to sign a Kill Permit so he could thin the deer herd that is destroying his crops. After he cried in her ear long enough she signed the form. In fact she has signed it 2 years in a row (unknown to me, until now). Well what was once the best place I had to deer hunt, is no longer. This jacka**, not only took the kill permits to an extreme by killing 50+ deer a year (100+) over the course of 2 years, but he just piled the bodies up and never used an ounce of meat. There are H4H programs all over Tuscarawas County, and the jerk never even donated a single piece of delicious deer meat.

Furthermore, this lessor, actually told the elderly woman, that he does not appreciate her allowing hunters on the land, because we are destroying his crops. Well after she contacted me and 2 of my friends about his complaints we found out about his doings. Well we did not hurt any of his crops, as we do not use atvs or any other machinery, and we only walk field edges to get to our stands. So I quickly discounted the lessor's complaints. We also park our vehicles on road edges not even within 50 feet of the fields. I blame the ODNR for this inhumane slaughtering. How can they offer "Managaments Permits" to a individual who can not produce any proof of ethical disposal of the animals. Also, I do not believe ODNR is exercising the ethical judgment of protecting wildlife they were charged with, by issuing a permit to maliciously wipe out the deer herd on this farm.

Three years ago we had trail cameras all over this farm on natural choke points and funnels. As a result during the period of the rut we recorded more than 170+ pictures in 4 days. However this year, all cameras combined, yielded 3 photos over the course of 3 weeks of multiple cameras combined. ODNR did not issue Management Permits, the gave this guy a license to murder at night with a spotlight.

Shame on Ohio Division of Natural Resources!!!!

[stimpylu32]

There are a few things that ODNR do that make no sense at all , if its worth anything , your county did produice the largest deer harvest so far this year , around 5900 head .

You must remember , these are the same guys that say OK to a 14" TC in 44 mag or a 6" 44 mag but not a 18" rifle in 44 mag . 

I can't use my 45/70 Handi rifle with 70g of BP but can use a ML with 110g of the same powder . 

Common sense does not come into play at the state level . 

stimpy

[sk330lc]

By Law He has to Burn Or Bury the Deer If there not Used for food..  He also has to record every deer shot . Only Doe May be shot . If he shoots a Buck He has to contact the ODNR at once, so they can take it.  I have seen what Deer do to Crops.  If you made your Living From those crops Or depended on those crops to feed your Livestock you would understand. If you had to pay the  Price of seed, fertalizer, Equipment and Fuel You would understand the Hate By some and most  farmers of wildlife. Not saying he did right,  But understand why he is doing it.  As far as donating the Meat. Is the H4H program free??  We looked into some of them and the donator has to pay for the cutting and wrapping. @ $60  (Who) what farmer can afford that.  We always give away what we can hate to Se it go to waste.  I don't know what Kind of farmer he is Beef, Hogs or Dairy.
Either are having hard times as of late. Most small dairys 60cows and less have gone belly up in the past few years . So you Might ask your self (what if it was you)  growing that corn and beans.  AND depending on the yield for profite.  What do we all work for .  Profite. What is this country going to do, when all the small farmers are gone? 

[w8n4rut]

I totally understand your stance from a farmers perspective. However, H4H is a free program in this area, so it only takes little effort on his part to give back to what you are calling the hurting agricultural community. I grew up on a dairy farm, so I completely understand the premise behind your stance. However, if a farmer has such a dislike for the deer, then I would not be screaming in the landowner's ear about how the hunters are hurting my crops, when clearly we are ethical, and not hurting his crops. Rather we are there to hunt, that is reduce the deer population, and give the meat back to the suffering community, that is experiencing financial hardship right now in these tough times. It all goes back to the ODNR's  selection process of who gets management permits and how they are exercised. Well, it may take awhile for the deer herd to come back, but one thing is for sure, after the landowner discovered out this lessor's actions he can look for a new place to plant his crops, because it won't happen on that farm anymore. The irony of the whole story is, as a result of his dishonest and misleading tactics he may be hurting even worse than sk330lc described in his post. When his pockets are empty and his stomach empty he can stay that way!

[sk330lc]

That's Great the H4H programs are free in your neck of the woods..  I wish they were free here. ( they maybe but I can't Find one close.) Seeing how they are free I feel He should have donated the meat. I didn't reply on him not wanting hunters. Because I don't know all the Details of Both sides.  The ODNR also Inspects crops to see how much damage is being done before Giving permits out.  the Number of permits depends on the Damage.  Say you have 50 acres of corn. They will walk a section and kinda get an Idea of how many deer are there And what damage they are doing. If a deer eats the top of a corn stalk. You loose two to three ears of corn. They then  issue say 10 to 15 permits for the 50 acres Of crops. In some areas this won't even put a dent in them . Figure that Just about all does have twins if you have 5 does thats 15 deer.  Don't take long in some areas with Good food to have a Bunch of deer.  Have you talked to him about the Hunting??   About all farmers I know love hunters. I agree with you! He should have let the landowner  know what he was doing.

[sk330lc]

w8n4rut,
I hope you didn't leave Greybeards because of my posts.  I was just trying to let you know, how the kill permits are issued and what farmers are going through..   Please don't leave because of me.. 

[tallpaul]

I do get a kick out of the original poster complaining. Likely he does not pay for the use of the land. The farmer makes his living by raising crops. Those that do so can have their crops devestated by the deer.

For you to get mad because the farmer did not use the meat toi the degree you see fit is childish. Why should he waste any more time or resources on the stopping of the damage to his crops than he needs to?

If you want land and to see it used "properly" then YOU should buy some and PAY for it nad the taxes etc. OR at least switch to public hunting areas.

Depredation permits are legitamate whether you like them or not. Not everyone wants or needs deer or other wildlife on their land.

Personally I feel if I own the land the state needs to pay for ALL damages "their" critters cause- but they only call them "their" deer etc when they can make a buck off of them.


BTW to make the elderly lady upset and having to choose between the nice freeloading hunter or the man that pays her to use her property is wrong. That guilt thing you accuse the farmer of is a two way street ya know.

and you do not know if other hunters/trespassers weren't indeed damaging the mans crops- just because you were supposidely careful and considerate does not mean you were the only ones on the land.

[john-78]

tallpaul wrote:  and you do not know if other hunters/trespassers weren't indeed damaging the mans crops- just because you were supposidely careful and considerate does not mean you were the only ones on the land.

9 times out of 10 this is the case, i'm not tring to point fingers, but did you do you part?  you should talk to the farmer, try to work with him since it sounds like your both sharing land that neither owns.  i can tell you that me father in law lease's about 15 ac. across the road from me, this year was corn.  while i was mending fences i noticed the deer were hitting it pretty bad, so i started buying sacks of corn from the feedmill, and kept a small patch of hay field mowed off behind my house.  50 pounds of corn a week back there, and it kept them out of the crops.  just a thought.

[Catfish]

Being a land owner and a hunter I see both sides of the story. I first have to make a liveing off of my land or get a job in town, which is a last resort for me. I could tell you many stories of hunters that I have give permission to hunt that I should have had arested for destruction of property. They will drive through your fields when they are wet, drive nails in your walnut trees, and I could go on. Tall Paul did tell it like it is, even if he was very blunt with it. When I was farming I would always leave at least 4 rows of corn along the woods and often 8 if it was not the best. BUT, if the guy farming the land can not afford to do that I have no problem with him not feeding the animals. If he does not want to take the time to tack the deer to a place they can be used, that also is his choice. I personally hate to see anything go to waist, but he is breaking no laws. As John said, you should have a talk with the farmer. You may find out that he real is a nice guy just tring to make a liveing in a tough way to do it any more. AND, maybe, just maybe if you offered to heip him with his work he would be willing to help you with your hunting.