| January 2008 "Kill Permits" Hello and welcome to my long overdue update. This year has been a busy one as far as the garden end goes so I haven’t had a lot of time to work on the deer management end, so as you might expect, I have quite a bit of catching up to do. First of all let me tell you that I have seen and heard of people in this area seeing and harvesting more wall hanger bucks that I can ever remember in my lifetime. Within about a three mile area of our farm, I have heard of two big 10 pointers and at least three big 8 pointers being taken. On my trail cam this year, I have pictures of at least 13 different bucks, not all wall hangers yet, but with great potential. I have also gathered information about a neighbor that has been gut shooting & mutilating deer at his pleasure. The wonderful state of Virginia is once again screwing management practices & law abiding deer hunters through the issuing of kill permits to one of those who will take advantage of any government program despite the consequences to everyone else. Ever wonder why the number of licenses sold goes down each year? Why buy one when all you have to do is apply for a permit and get all the kill tags you want? If this keeps up, people with potted plants on their porches will be able to get kill tags. Think about that. About My Neighbor This neighbor of mine shot 14 times within about two minutes late one evening. I found one big doe that had been shot on our farm about 10 yards inside of our property. My other neighbor (also a deer manager), has found several dead deer that have been gut shot on his land as well. This happens every year and when I hear the shooting start, I have to grit my teeth so I won’t do something foolish. This guy lives on a hill above all the rest of us, so no matter where he shoots, everyone else is in danger of catching a stray bullet. I have complained to the game department and they said, although he does not have what is known as a planted cash crop, he can still claim deer damage and get the tags. I really don’t think they have inspected or looked at his situation to see if his complaint is legitimate. I can only hope that game officials in this state read this and decide it is time to act. If not for the good of the massacred deer themselves, at least for the safety of us neighbors. It is this type of hunting practice & attitude that law abiding hunters and State officials must work together to stop. I hope some of the other hunters around the country read this and register complaints as well. Law abiding, honest hunters who pay taxes and buy hunting licenses should not have to put up with the disrespectful & dishonest people who apply for these special kill permits just to massacre the deer population. We, the honest, law abiding hunters fund the sport of hunting. And believe me, there is a whole lot of money invested in hunting by lots of people. As a deer herd manager, although these are free ranging deer, I am not trying to see that the deer herd is healthy for myself only, it is for good neighbors as well. As I said before, the good bucks have been taken within three miles of our land. Chances are they are coming from our land or the land that is being managed by about 5 other neighbors of mine. Then this guy gets to shoot at will, at anything he wants? Not right!! Let’s get it changed. Contact your local delegate and let them know how you feel. Together we can make a difference. |
Craig Co., Virginia Deer Management Program
"Tales of the Hunt"
| Let him go, so he can grow |
| 1693 Little Cuba Lane New Castle, VA 24127 phone: 540.330.7967 email: More Information |
