# Deer Depredation Permits



## bigworm78 (Oct 6, 2011)

I want to see how everyone feels about the deer depredation permits. I think its getting out of control when you pass a field and you see 10 or more deer wasting in a field and most of the does are pregnant. on top of that the FWC cant even enforce the rules without a Florida State Senator backing the farmers on this. When u have irresponsible people that could care less about the deer turned loose with 30 round clips in AR15s and night vision scopes its getting carried away!!


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

I see both sides of it... in my opinion, it's a losing battle... you can't shoot enough deer before they start to give you the slip.

If they're really causing as much damage as they claim, build a 10' fence around your crop. Some will say that's "too expensive"... i say that's a bunch of bullshit. With all the subsidies farmers get from the government, it shouldn't be a problem.


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## Outside9 (Apr 30, 2008)

I heard it was the dog hunters doing it.......


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

Central ala they have to thin the herd. Deer are eating cotton stalks and hay bales in the field. My friend has a pretty big farm op so they have a game officer ride with them and shoot 80 to 100 deer a night before the does get pregnant. Still the deer show up like roaches. 

And we thought coyotes would kill all the deer. Nah...


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## Telum Pisces (Sep 27, 2007)

I don't think people have a problem with the depredation in of itself. Most do not like the idea that the meat is wasted and FWC only gives out so many permits to allow the deer to be taken off the property for processing and the meat being used etc... We have starving people out there, yet a lot of these deer are shot and left where they are to waste away. I say shoot all you can and want to protect your crops. But have a program in place to get the meat and put it to use.


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

Farmers > hunters point blank period......


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

I'm in favor of it if handled responsibly. Most I have seen have been handled irresponsibly. I disagree with the permit holder being allowed to allow others to kill the deer.

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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Hell I'd love to go shoot them goats every night... i want the meat and velvet though!


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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

Yep same here. NO problem shooting em to protect crop. But bring me 3-5 a year. I love jerky!!!


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## hsiF deR (Oct 4, 2009)

Deer depredation = poor usage of a major economic resource.

Like someone said above, with the farm subsidies that are getting handed out, I certainly won't lose any sleep over poor farmer johns peanuts.


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## Mike Moore (Feb 10, 2010)

I've never understood the concept of leave um where they lay. Seems like it would be beneficial for them to be removed from the field. I guess farmer john just has to harvest the bones along with his crop.


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## drifterfisher (Oct 9, 2009)

jaster said:


> Yep same here. NO problem shooting em to protect crop. But bring me 3-5 a year. I love jerky!!!



3-5 per year? I can and do eat 15+ a year. You must be skinny...


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## Try'n Hard (Oct 23, 2008)

Mike Moore said:


> I've never understood the concept of leave um where they lay. Seems like it would be beneficial for them to be removed from the field. I guess farmer john just has to harvest the bones along with his crop.


Think about it. I can think of several bad scenarios involving a trophy buck and someone parading him around in the back of the truck for all the local club guys to see! Not to mention the nightmares for the game warden trying to sort thru permit kills and poachers

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## jaster (Oct 7, 2007)

^^^ makes since

Drift fisher, skinny???? Hahahahahahahajajajjjajajajajajhahahaha. I just eat a lot of fish n pork


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## bigbulls (Mar 12, 2008)

Actually it is illegal to remove the antlers from the fields in Florida so if someone is parading some velvet antlers around in their truck they are begging for a fine.

I, for the life of me, dont understand why the state gives a rats ass if the carcass is taken as food. The state requires the farmer/shooter to get tags to remove the carcass but they will let you shoot as many as you can and let them rot. If the shooter has permission from the farmer and has permits in hand who gives a crap if they go into a cooler. 

You cant shoot enough deer from a field to make a dent in the population. There is just as many in the field eating the crops year after year after year.


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## espo16 (Apr 21, 2008)

:whistling::whistling:


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

I don't care 1 way or the other....I've been offered places to shoot, but then never followed up on it. I'd do some practice shooting. They change the rules it seems like every year. Use to be you couldn't keep the meat, but you could donate it to a needed family??? I considered myself needy!!! I needed deer meat! I can fully understand leaving a buck's head in the field so folks wouldn't trophy hunt at night. If I were to go shooting, I'd concentrate on nannies, but it's hard to see horn at great distances. There are alot of folks that shoot em w/lower calibers so it would not kill them right off and they'd run into the woods and die instead of dying in the fields....


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## baldona523 (Mar 2, 2008)

I'll never understand or approve of any program to shoot something and just leave it to waste when it could and should be eaten. I'm amazed PETA has not gotten wind of this. If the farmers were smart they would use their resource a little better and let people pay them during the season to shoot their deer, how many people would pay $25-100 a day to take their kid to shoot a doe? If the resource is truly that abundant then there is a way to make money off it and certainly not waste it.


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

*Best idea of the thread*



baldona523 said:


> I'll never understand or approve of any program to shoot something and just leave it to waste when it could and should be eaten. I'm amazed PETA has not gotten wind of this. If the farmers were smart they would use their resource a little better and let people pay them during the season to shoot their deer, how many people would pay $25-100 a day to take their kid to shoot a doe? If the resource is truly that abundant then there is a way to make money off it and certainly not waste it.


Sell em off like cows and pigs. Not a bad idea.


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

baldona523 said:


> I'll never understand or approve of any program to shoot something and just leave it to waste when it could and should be eaten. I'm amazed PETA has not gotten wind of this. If the farmers were smart they would use their resource a little better and let people pay them during the season to shoot their deer, how many people would pay $25-100 a day to take their kid to shoot a doe? If the resource is truly that abundant then there is a way to make money off it and certainly not waste it.



That's cheaper than any amount you'll spend during the season to get a chance at a doe.


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## Outside9 (Apr 30, 2008)

I'm too old to stay up that late!


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## Bodupp (Oct 3, 2007)

My friend is a vegetable farmer. Prior to planting, and all through the growing season, he works from daylight to dark. Every day. 

If he's not in the field, he's working on a tractor, or an implement, or his well pump, or up to his ass in mud working on irrigation stuff.

He's on a strict timetable for when to work the soil, when to order seed, when to plant this or that crop, when to pick, where to market his produce, etc.

To much rain. Not enough rain. Line up buyers. Can or freeze the surplus.

Maybe your getting an idea.

Last year, he did well with his early crops - except for the squash bugs and the corn worms. Then he planted a large pea patch and 12,000 collard plants. Had a buyer already lined up for all his collards. He installed a 5 wire electric fence around the entire garden. By himself.

Deer got them all. Every f'ing one of them. He got not one picking of his peas, and not one collard leaf.

That is a 100% tax. What would you do?


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## WACKEM&STACKEM! (Dec 9, 2008)

Outside9 said:


> I heard it was the dog hunters doing it.......


 I knew there would be at least one comment about us tobacco chewing, meth smoking, hounds living under our porches, non law abiding disrespectful DAWG HUNTERS :thumbsup:


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## saltgrass (Sep 1, 2008)

Have no prob. with them protecting there lively hood. But when their is one person that killed 300+ by his self. In the jay area and not a one picked up that is wrong in every aspect.


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## baldona523 (Mar 2, 2008)

Bodup with all due respect I'm sure you're friend works his tail off because most farmers do, but sometimes you need to work smarter not harder.

The next time there is a hog or deer problem that can't be controlled with 1 month of heavy hunting during the season, will be the first time. These deer "problems" are just like hog "problems", the landowners don't wanna think and make money off letting guys hunt so instead they hire or let someone come do something like this. 

How many times has this been on the forum:
Landowner "I have a hog problem do you have any solutions?" 
Hunter "I'll come hunt them for you for free or even pay a little to lease"
Landowner "I don't want to let anyone else hunt it"

All you have to do is hunt and pressure animals harder than your neighbor and animals move, they don't like to be bothered. Pressure them and shoot them during the season. Make money letting hunters hunt them.

Age old issue with an easy solution. There is no where around here that can not have their deer issue fixed with one season of "if it's brown it's down" by a couple guys willing to do so. 

I'll be the first to volunteer to come shoot a bunch of deer during the season to eat off anyone's land that will let me.


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## bigbulls (Mar 12, 2008)

saltgrass said:


> Have no prob. with them protecting there lively hood. But when their is one person that killed 300+ by his self. In the jay area and not a one picked up that is wrong in every aspect.


Your anger is misdirected. You are blaming the person that is shooting the deer within the confines of the law instead of directing your anger toward the state and the people that make up the laws that the shooters must work within??????? Your time would be better served if you lobbied the state to remove the restrictions that are placed on the farmer/shooter that does not allow them to remove the deer instead of complaining on this forum.



> Bodup with all due respect I'm sure you're friend works his tail off because most farmers do, but sometimes you need to work smarter not harder.
> 
> The next time there is a hog or deer problem that can't be controlled with 1 month of heavy hunting during the season, will be the first time. These deer "problems" are just like hog "problems", the landowners don't wanna think and make money off letting guys hunt so instead they hire or let someone come do something like this.
> 
> ...


While a lot of land owners are like this it does not take away from the fact that hunting these fields only during the state hunting season will not kill enough deer to make a dent in the population that is causing the crop damage. These deer are there year after year after year in the same or higher numbers.... every single year. You can shoot all you want night after night and they will be there again the next summer in the same area eating the same crops.

Aside from this, the person that this thread is about shoots aproximately 50 - 60 different fields in Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties. It's not like he is taking 300 deer of of just one or two fields and desimating the populating in a specific area.


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## saltgrass (Sep 1, 2008)

bigbulls, No I ant made at him. I just think he does it for fun to spend 12,000 to 15,000 on a scope and gut shot deer so they will run off so i dont have to deal with them is BS!!!!!!!!!!! No matter your reason!!!!!!!! Or what the laws are. 

And yes the laws are fd up. They give permits out to people applying that only have a 5 acer field per the FWC officer in the club I was in last year in Jay.


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## Dagwood (Oct 1, 2007)

Look, there have been umpteen posts on this and they always go the same way. Hunters are pissed because the deer they would be hunting in the Fall are being killed in the Summer. The farmers do it because they are providing for their families and the deer are taking their profits. The guy doing the killing is doing it because it's fun. To me the worst part is the resource is being wasted and not utilized to feed people who have a hard time paying all their bills each month. Really, we kill these animals and leave them lay in the fields to rot. C'Mon Man! Let's put some of these high paid, over educated political employees to work to come up with a solution to this. I have a feeling the solution is not that difficult.


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

I know the tags do put a dent in the population. I grew up in hollandtown and there use to be 15 to 30 deer in a field just over a hill from my house every evèning. Now you rarely see one in the daylight. Shine it at night might see 5 or 6. Whether it's from pressure or controlled population it has done it's purpose. I don't think letting the meat rot is right and the hunting in that area has definitely went downhill. So it's good for farmers bad for hunters but farmers make there living doing it we don't.


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## Dagwood (Oct 1, 2007)

What do ya'll think the deer population is in the Walnut Hill area per square mile? If you try to research it, 30-40 deer per square mile is a high end population. So if I have a club with 3200 acres, that's about 5 square mile. Doing the math, at the most I have 200 deer on my property. Club members kill about 50 each year. That leaves 150 deer on our club. If depredation kills 75 that leaves 75 deer on my property . Basically, we are killing 2/3 of our deer each year. I think you can kill too many.


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## Outside9 (Apr 30, 2008)

My biggest bitch about it all is the restriction the state places on killing does during hunting season, especially in BW and I don't even hunt on public land. Seems if they would open up the killing of more does during hunting season that would help the farmers some.


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## Tracker7 (Apr 10, 2008)

Outside9, i think maybe you and bigbulls are the only two on here that has any common sense. It is simply a waste of time to discuss this matter with the average person that honestly has no idea of what really goes on out there. I shoot deer and hogs for several farmers. These crops that the deer are depleting are the farmers livelyhood and ours as well, so until they stop me from doing it, or until they have a better solution, i will continue to shoot these poor little deer and hogs that i love to eat so much!! Btw, i have not had to go to the grocery store and buy any hamburger meat or cube steak in a very long time, that deer meat tastes as good now or better than it does in december!


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

Tracker7 said:


> Outside9, i think maybe you and bigbulls are the only two on here that has any common sense. It is simply a waste of time to discuss this matter with the average person that honestly has no idea of what really goes on out there. I shoot deer and hogs for several farmers. These crops that the deer are depleting are the farmers livelyhood and ours as well, so until they stop me from doing it, or until they have a better solution, i will continue to shoot these poor little deer and hogs that i love to eat so much!! Btw, i have not had to go to the grocery store and buy any hamburger meat or cube steak in a very long time, that deer meat tastes as good now or better than it does in december!


I guess I should have further explained my view for someone with common sense. My end point was farmers make their living by growing crops so to me it trumps hunters needs my bad sorry for the lack of explanation and common sense


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## Outside9 (Apr 30, 2008)

Tracker7 said:


> Outside9, i think maybe you and bigbulls are the only two on here that has any common sense. It is simply a waste of time to discuss this matter with the average person that honestly has no idea of what really goes on out there. I shoot deer and hogs for several farmers. These crops that the deer are depleting are the farmers livelyhood and ours as well, so until they stop me from doing it, or until they have a better solution, i will continue to shoot these poor little deer and hogs that i love to eat so much!! Btw, i have not had to go to the grocery store and buy any hamburger meat or cube steak in a very long time, that deer meat tastes as good now or better than it does in december!


If something was eating my pay check, the way I feed my family I would be killing those SOBs also.


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## fatpossum (Aug 4, 2013)

Bodupp said:


> My friend is a vegetable farmer. Prior to planting, and all through the growing season, he works from daylight to dark. Every day.
> 
> If he's not in the field, he's working on a tractor, or an implement, or his well pump, or up to his ass in mud working on irrigation stuff.
> 
> ...


Think he needs to invest in a fence!


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## SouthAlabamaSlayer (Oct 13, 2011)

fatpossum said:


> Think he needs to invest in a fence!



It says he put up a fence...


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## hsiF deR (Oct 4, 2009)

SouthAlabamaSlayer said:


> It says he put up a fence...
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


A better fence


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## Outside9 (Apr 30, 2008)

I own 60 acres, 350 yards from Black Water and I just put up about 450 feet of field fence (hog wire where I come from). It wasn't even deer proof and it cost me approximately $1,200. If I was building a fence to keep deer out it would be high dollar.

Read below, good article. Check out the bottom where it talks about I-10 fence price. 

http://m.newsherald.com/outdoors/danger-grazes-along-panhandle-roads-document-1.275005


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## Outside9 (Apr 30, 2008)

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070618204154AAITBac


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## bigbulls (Mar 12, 2008)

saltgrass said:


> bigbulls, No I ant made at him. I just think he does it for fun to spend 12,000 to 15,000 on a scope and gut shot deer so they will run off so i dont have to deal with them is BS!!!!!!!!!!! No matter your reason!!!!!!!! Or what the laws are.


Have you seen him, or has he told you he shoots them in the guts on purpose? I know some farmers do this but i have never seen this person purposely gut shoot deer. I have hunted with him and shot these permits with him and never seen him purposely gut shoot them.


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## CHUMM BUCKET (Jul 2, 2008)

Trap them like hogs and transport to wma's with low deer numbers. Or maybe get rid of "doe days" and let hunters kill more in these areas. Never mind, that makes too much sense.


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## MikeG (Oct 5, 2007)

The problem I have is that private property is regulated on how many doe tags are provided (FWC DENIES THAT AT THEIR MEETINGS). Yet farmers surrounding the same private property can shoot all they want without any real documentation. It would certainly make more sense to give the private land owners more freedom to shoot more antler less deer, especially since the deer actually live in the woods and not the fields. I will say this I don't see many fields with too many rows of crops gone. Most fields are planted all the way to the woods. I would rather pay an extra 10 bucks on my license and the state can reimburse these farmers for crop loss with that money increase.


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## saltgrass (Sep 1, 2008)

bigbulls said:


> Have you seen him, or has he told you he shoots them in the guts on purpose? I know some farmers do this but i have never seen this person purposely gut shoot deer. I have hunted with him and shot these permits with him and never seen him purposely gut shoot them.


No i have never hunted with him to see it. It's one of his buddies that has said it. so yeah its second hand info. And yes this person shoots with him and gets bashed for his post on here all the time. 

Like I said Im not agianst it. But am agianst them leaving them lay. I know guys that shoot for farmers in Walnut Hill and they try to atleast get the hams and back straps off every one they shoot. Yeah its a pain and takes time but should be done. No matter why you are shooting them hunting or protecting your crops.


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## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

Seems like most of the positive comments are coming from those involved in the hunts. That is a surprise !! I sent a suggestion to FWC last year that they could make money and have the farmer make money by simply letting hunts buy tags for the hunt and then giving the names to the farmers that need the hunts. Farmer contacts the tag holder, say for x$ he would let the hunter hunt for a week/day or ?? Both make money, herd is controlled and the meat is used. Might be an idea for all those that support a plan to also contact FWC. As for leaving the meat in the field, don't support that. I have heard the argument that the farmer doesn't want someone disturbing the field to get the meat. Answer there is either build a 10 ft fence or live with the deer. I have also heard that some farmers have tags to remove the deer, but not all since they are a "pain " to get . For those doing the hunts, you must have a special feeling about the sport of hunting


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## hyco (Oct 24, 2008)

I don't think a farmer letting strangers on his place to hunt during daylight would decrease the herd. Most everybody I know that shoots, does so at night. That's when the deer are in the fields. If it was coyotes they were shooting would everybody feel the same way? The only reason this is an argument is because deer are your preferred animal. It's no different than shooting a squirrel in your bird feeder and throwing it away. It's food ain't it? We hunt deer for fun, period. Crops are farmers lively hood. Never been on one of these shoots but they probably don't do it enough. By the way, I know first hand the results. I hunted a farm in jay. Killed several nice bucks and piles of does. I took no telling how many kids for their first deer including one that was posted on here last year. I saw 54 deer on a morning sit a few years ago. The farmer that had the lease dropped it 2 years ago because he couldn't make any money feeding deer. The new farmer has shot hard for 2 years. It's hard hunting now. I got out because of it but I know he did wants best for him and I have no problem with it.....tony


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## bigbulls (Mar 12, 2008)

> will say this I don't see many fields with too many rows of crops gone.


Get out of your vehicle one day and walk the edges of the fields. It's amazing how much damage deer will do to a peanut or cotton field.



> Seems like most of the positive comments are coming from those involved in the hunts. That is a surprise !!


Seems like most of the negative comments are coming from those that have never been involved in the hunts. That is a surprise!! Never watched a heard of deer pull up entire cotton plants, eat the leaves and pull up another entire plant. Never watched a heard of deer bed down in a peanut field and eat the plants nearly down to the dirt. One after another. 



> I sent a suggestion to FWC last year that they could make money and have the farmer make money by simply letting hunts buy tags for the hunt and then giving the names to the farmers that need the hunts. Farmer contacts the tag holder, say for x$ he would let the hunter hunt for a week/day or ?? Both make money, herd is controlled and the meat is used.


If you are a farmer that owns or leases land for crop production are you going to let untold number of strangers on your fields to shoot deer? Hell no! The farmer opens themselves up to liability, damage to the land, more damage to the crops, damage to farming equipment, litter, etc... etc... etc... Besides the fact that the farmer doesn't have the time to sit around and make phone calls to people to shoot deer every day. 



> Answer there is either build a 10 ft fence or live with the deer.


Really? So you are a farmer that owns or leases tens of thousands of acres of ag fields. How much do you think it will cost that farmer to build a 12 foot fence around all of those fields vs. letting someone you trust shoot those same fields? A single 150 acre square field will require 2 miles of high fence. Now do that for thousands of acres. I sure the farmers will put up the fence if you put up the $$$$$$$$... or serve as their insurance company.



> For those doing the hunts, you must have a special feeling about the sport of hunting


Hunting and shooting are two different things. Pest control isn't the same as hunting and these deer are pests to the farmers. Don't confuse the two. Do you let mice, rats, snakes, squirrels, etc... run around your garage, house, yard... or do you kill them? 


All the state needs to do is do away with the stupid limited tag system and let the shooters that have written permission along the state permit in hand remove the deer from the fields for food. What isn't consumed by the shooter and his family could be donated to a local food bank. All the shooter would have to do is drop of the deer at a local meat processor to be ground up. It would be minimal costs (probably cheaper than store bought meat) for the state to pay for a meat processor to grind up the deer into hamburger for the needy. 300 deer would provide a local food bank or soup kitchen several thousand pounds of ground meat. Multiply this times the number of the deer that other shooters kill from all over the area and turns into a whole lot of meat for the needy.


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## submariner (Oct 2, 2007)

If you call it a hunt then it is hunting !!
I can assume that you are one of the special people hunting this way. 




bigbulls said:


> Get out of your vehicle one day and walk the edges of the fields. It's amazing how much damage deer will do to a peanut or cotton field.
> 
> Seems like most of the negative comments are coming from those that have never been involved in the hunts. That is a surprise!! Never watched a heard of deer pull up entire cotton plants, eat the leaves and pull up another entire plant. Never watched a heard of deer bed down in a peanut field and eat the plants nearly down to the dirt. One after another.
> 
> ...


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## hsiF deR (Oct 4, 2009)

Deer Depredation is an ugly reality that happens everyday that I would rather not know about.
I think there are allot of folks on here that would be better off not knowing.


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## MikeG (Oct 5, 2007)

bigbulls said:


> Get out of your vehicle one day and walk the edges of the fields. It's amazing how much damage deer will do to a peanut or cotton field.
> 
> Seems like most of the negative comments are coming from those that have never been involved in the hunts. That is a surprise!! Never watched a heard of deer pull up entire cotton plants, eat the leaves and pull up another entire plant. Never watched a heard of deer bed down in a peanut field and eat the plants nearly down to the dirt. One after another.
> 
> ...



The assumption that I've never walked a field edge is silly. If we want to talk real then let's face the reality that Whitetail Deer are regulated as a game animal with particular license and season dates. In fact it cost hunters millions of dollars a year in Florida. So why should unregulated killing go on under the auspice of a depridation permit. If that's the case every private land owner or leasee should be afforded the same right without regulation.


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## Buckchaser (Jan 28, 2014)

Don't get in a club beside a field and you won't have to worry about it.


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## MikeG (Oct 5, 2007)

Buckchaser said:


> Don't get in a club beside a field and you won't have to worry about it.


Not many of those exist.


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