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I don't have much time for someone who believes he can ignore the law because he doesn't believe the law is right or doesn't fit his definition of right. As the article points out there are legal ways to reduce his deer herd other than him going and shooting them when ever he wants. It would be nice to know if he allows hunting on his land, being he has Christmas trees I bet he doesn't allow any shotgunners in there and with out some hunting pressure it becomes a preserve.
 
this is ironic
i grew up in Wilton, which is 15 minutes from this guys farm. my family ALWAYS goes to his place and cuts down a tree together. it is a tradition therefore i am there every year (usually, unless the wifes family is getting thier turn) but i can vouch for him in saying the deer do muff up his trees. and the trees do die if the deer eat too much of the tree. so i can empathyze (SP) with him and his situation. im not condoning his actions, but there is an issue there, to where the dnr's standards dont fit his specific situation. again i feel he overstepped his bounds, but he might have a legitimate arguement. the dnr needs to work with him more, but no sense in breaking the law to prove a point.
just my opinion
 
do you think this is the kind of guy you can "work with more"? Articles can be misleading, but I didn't get the impression that he has tried much if any of the legal methods to protect his crop from damage. He could have posted on IW for some doe killers to come clean up and give them a free tree every year.
 
I was thinking the same thing when read the article yesterday,if he allows hunting on his place and does his neighbors,or this a now a sancuary with no hunting pressure?He may not want gun hunters in now if he is selling x-mas trees,but allow bow hunters in before then.
confused.gif
 
To me it doens't if seem like he tried other methods either. I don't think he even tried to get the depredation tags. Sure deer can do some damage, but there are legal methods he could use. Hunters, deer proof fences, etc. It's kind of an oxy moron, but he was complaining that they were costing him money, and then he wants to pay a fine and get busted on purpose? I don't get it. Plain idiotic.
 
I drive past every day to work. Trust me it isn't what you would think of as a tree farm. There's a sand pit and a quarry nearby so it's not needed for the sanctuary. I sprayed another bordering property and the feeling I got from the owner was that he didn't like hunters, and I'm guessing doesn't allow hunting either. With the surrounding areas, his problem isn't with the deer during the hunting seasons and available deprivation tags. Those young growing trees are drawing the deer in during the spring time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying what he is doing is right, some of the other methods mentioned could help.
 
I would like to know how many people he allows to hunt on his ground? This could be solved by the owner making his case to the DNR and working out the problem. I would really like to meet this guy and hear his side of the argument as I am so sick of clueless people whining about deer damage to vehicles and farms. As I recall, cars are still operated by people and many farmers in the state enjoy the extra income they receive from buck hunters, which is their right. The amount of land available to local hunters in my part of SE Iowa is rapidly dwindling and common sense should tell us that the results are not going to be good. Judging by his willingness to shoot his mouth off to the liberal rag, I would say this guy wants some attention.
 
All of us on Iowa Whitetail should get together and call his bluff. We could each offer to buy antlerless tags and help him with his problem.

I would be willing to call him...
 
I would be willing to extend the offer to all farmers. So I would be willing to do my part to help. Gee it's kind of funny because here in South Eastern Iowa where there tends to be a lot of deer you have to actually pay to play????
 
I may be wrong,but didn't Farm Bureau put together a program several years ago to match hunters with farmers that had problems with to many deer on there land to shoot doe's?Seem they had plenty of hunters willing to participate,but not many farmers.
 
"any farmer"
I don't think so.

So let hunters in on off hours when people aren't there. Anyone cutting trees before 9AM or at dusk?
 
[ QUOTE ]
Anyone cutting trees before 9AM or at dusk?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yup, I've been there with the family right up until dark trying to decide on the perfect tree.

I had read about this in another paper before we went there to get a tree this fall (we have been going there Thanksgiving weekend for the last 5 years). While walking across the driveway, I picked up a spent casing. It was some NATO round, military surplus. Cheap on the ammo, he is.

I was planting trees for a couple years and finally gave up due to deer pressure. The DNR depredation program gives you three years to "solve" your deer problem, then you have to find "alternative means". Deer fencing is something around $6/running foot? Cost a lot of money to fence off a farm.

I'm not condoning what he has done, but his options are limited and trees are his lively hood.
 
[quote Deer fencing is something around $6/running foot? Cost a lot of money to fence off a farm.


[/ QUOTE ]

Anyone who can afford the legal fees and that fine should be able to afford the deer fencing.
 
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