Predator control

[dacjohns]

Thanks guys.


What got me thinking was that "Many of us (me included) are quick to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to migratory birds and their federal protection but when it comes to mammals or reptiles we tend to turn a blind eye." (quoting myself

)

So many of us profess to be law abiding citizens but when it comes to our property we often aren't so law abiding. (I can see a tangent coming.) Or, we apply what is legal in one place to our situation not realizing that it might be illegal.

Kill the raccoons comes to mind. Now I'm not a real fan of the masked bandit when it comes to chickens but killing them and trapping them where I live is not so cut and dried. I suspect that for many others it is the same way and they don't even realize it. I can see some zealous game warden wannabe or game warden frequenting BYC and making note of where someone lives and taking some sort of action against the chicken owner that inadvertently acted outside the law.

 

[aprophet]

In virginia almost any predator causing damage to livestock is in season. the only seasons we have for furbearers are bobcats fox and otter/mink ,in the citys we dont have seasons on muskrat coon possum or beaver .with the proper damage permit I can trap the seasoned predators year round . several farms I trap for do not have any predator problems, we trade some others pay me to trap exclusion is also part of the program I use . good luck with your birds

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
now don't take this the wrong way cuz I am friendly with the CO's in my area...

but you have 1 guy covering the county where I live.. 1 guy... and sure he can call in for reinforcements, but he covers x number of square miles by himself. Purty dangerous for a lone dnr man. Out here, when I call in poaching reports, its the regular police who come with all the bells and whistles and when its safe and all clear the dnr........

 

[HLAC]

I am a state Nuisance Wildlife Control Permitee.
So I can take care of my own nuisance wildlife year around as well as other people's. There are of course, still many regulations a permittee has to follow.

My only real issue with people taking control into their own hands... is that some may not know (or even care) about how to trap or shoot things in a proper manner. And this lack of knowledge/skill/care can have really bad results.

Trapping is very effective and todays traps can be very 'humane' when used correctly. On the other hand, using traps incorrectly can be a nightmare. Heaven forbid a home owner runs to the store, buys a foothold trap 3x too big for the creature they want to catch.. not secure it or check it properly and some non-target neighborhood cat or dog gets caught in it. Worse if it breaks free with the trap on it and makes it home four days later in bad shape. The blame gets put on all trappers. Even the most conciencious trapper out there takes a hit in the public eye.

Also, people catch things and they don't have a plan on what to do with the animal once it's caught. Some might have thought they could kill it but then they wimp out. Sometimes they think it's a good idea to relocate a problem animal.

When I lived closer to the city, I would get calls from folks who caught a critter in a cage trap but were too scared/lazy to mess with it. They'd ask me to take care of it for them. Sometimes they'd say that if I didn't come get the animal (at my own expense) they would simply let it die in the trap.

On the otherhand, I'm pretty big into landowner rights. I believe people should be allowed to handle most problems on their own. (I just also wish that everyone would educate themselves beforehand and be responsible about it.... and I'd kind of like to have a unicorn farm too.)

 

[Boyd]

Quote:

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I think Illinois must have some of the most restrictive regulations. So, does that mean you need to have a nuisance animal permit to kill any raccoon or coyote, at any time, unless you have a hunting license and it's in season? Bit of a pain, there. They really love their nuisance species, don't they? How hard is it to get those permits? What do they cost? I'm just curious. Do farmers and ranchers all get the permits or just SSS?

 

[dacjohns]

The way I understand it is if the critter is in season and you are properly licensed then that is how Illinois prefers to control the critter. If it isn't in season then you go the nuisance permit route. I suspect most people just SSS.

I have no idea what a nuisance permit costs or how hard it is to get one. I heard fourth or fifth or greater hand that for deer and crops a farmer was told to put up a fence and if that didn't work to make it taller. Sounds pretty far fetched to me that that actually happened. Fencing 100s of acres?? Yeah, right.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

What irritates the crap out of me is people on reptiles.
Haven't we learned that judging something by its looks can be bad?

How many people will kill a snake, whether harmless or not, at sight?
I mean, I know more people who will swerve to kill a turtle, snake, scaley critter over a fuzzy critter or feathery critter any day.

I don't know about you, but there is a reason why reptiles are in nature AND they don't produce as fast as said mammals or birds and heck, most of all, the terrible cats and dogs who are left unspayed and unneutered by owners who allow them out to "mate"

Not ALL snakes are poisonous/venomous.

THAT is what irritates me.

 

[dacjohns]

And unless a reptile is threatened or endangered it probably isn't protected.

People, predator proof your coops before you start killing the snakes. Snakes help keep the rodents down.

 

[aprophet]

Quote:
It is different for the different states NC amd Va the landowner hires an agent and most things are taken care of with just a trappers license 2 examples of species you need permits for are bats and pigeons mainly because of histoplasmosis sp ? I ussally ask name and location when taking a call if someone tells me they are going to let an animal starve in a cage LEO's are notified as to their location I am an ethical trapper I have had no nontargets since 1969 I will keep that going if I cant get a name and address I hang up on them