A crop damage permit allows 24-hour access to farms where deer, hogs or other game are obviously causing damage from early spring planting to late fall harvests, so finding the time to hunt usually is not a challenge. Go when you can, stay as long as you like, shoot everything your permit allows, and keep the meat and furs – it just doesn’t get any better than that! Depredation hunting does require a change in a normal hunter’s tactics and philosophy. For example, don’t expect your depredation hunt to be a “wilderness” experience. Most depredation permits require that the bird or animal be killed only when it is in the act of damaging crops, which usually means the target must be within the confines of the garden, crop field or orchard. You can’t set up on trails leading to the damage area, in woods adjoining the damage area, or shoot at animals and birds that are off the permit property. These are small issues that will require a bit of advanced thinking on the part of the hunter, but there always are op- tions, some that the “legal” hunter only wishes he could use! For example, it is legal to hunt from vehicles (only on the permit farm property), from within farm equipment, sheds or buildings, and blinds or stands may be placed anywhere that a safe shot may be taken. For example, my most produc- tive depredation “stand” is a lawn chair placed in an unused manure spreader. Not particularly glamorous, but remarkably effective!
Depredation specialists may use rifles, handguns, traps and any other means to remove crop-damaging wildlife such as corn-ravaging raccoons.
who already may be acquainted with the farmer and game warden. Because the farmer wants to put an end to the dam- age and the game warden wants to solve the problem, too, it’s usually no trouble for a licensed, experienced hunter to receive permission to eliminate the offending critters under some minor restrictions as explained by the local wildlife official. In most cases the regulations are minimal and are based on common sense: Shoot only animals or birds that are in the act of “depredation” and do so in a safe and effective manner. Otherwise, the “depredation specialist” may employ any and all means at his disposal, using techniques and equipment that may often be considered illegal for ordinary sport hunters. This is a great opportunity for a large number of hunt- ers because crop damage issues are common on farms large and small throughout the country, wherever fruit, vegetables, shrubs, flowers or decorative plants are grown for commer- cial purposes. Depredation permits are not normally issued to family gardeners, back-yard horticulturists or hobby growers, but the game warden may help private landowners coordinate with local hunters to eliminate specific nuisance animals or birds.
GET INTO THE GAME
The depredation angle is the perfect option for hunters who are not members of exclusive clubs or leases, who don’t have access to private or posted lands, or who must hunt public properties that often are crowded and contain minimal prime habitat.
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Common sense should always prevail when considering setups for depredating wildlife. Firearms are the best choice when it’s safe and sensible to use them, but archery gear (bows and crossbows) may be used when noise or proximity to livestock or humans become issues. For example, on one farm where I have depredation permits I can sit in a small corn shed and cover the entire vegetable patch with my scope-sighted 243, but on the other side of the farm there are several houses, barns, greenhouses and livestock pens where using a rifle (night or day) would be folly. This is where I bring my crossbow and tree stands, setting up so that every shot I take is down and away from the surrounding obstacles.
When crows or pigeons are the target, it’s possible to set up close to a road or line of trees and shoot away from the pavement but still be closer to the road than the law might al- low a normal hunter to be. The same goes for shooting avenues that may exist between barns, corrals and other structures. Re- member, the farmer wants those animals and birds removed, and he doesn’t care what you do or where you do it as long as it can be done without damage to his property or livestock. This is where the depredation permittee can really start to think outside the box. If the best shot at a crop pest is from inside the farmer’s milk room window, consult with the landowner and get the job done. If sitting in a combine, trac- tor, spreader or dump truck offers the best shot, go there. For example, on one farm I hunted the best place to shoot pigeons was from a corner of the cow paddock. The birds landed on the roof of the barn, and when I picked them off with my scoped pellet rifle they rolled down the metal roof into the paddock where the cows promptly ate them! The depredation hunter’s options are endless and everything is legal.
For small nocturnal pests, trapping may be the best way to go. In most states a depredation permit includes permis- sion to use live traps, leg-hold traps or even body-grippers
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