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Crop Damage Permits Discussed in the Legislature

March 14th, 2012

For years, the tension between farmers and hunters heats up any time out-of-season crop damage deer permits are mentioned. While MUCC recognizes that these tools are needed to address very specific damage concerns, all landowners should, as a first step, seek to use licensed hunters during the regular deer season.

With that being said, farmers have continuously requested to have more eligible shooters under their crop damage permits. Currently, they can name only 3 people who are eligible to use these permits. A legislative bill has been introduced to expand this pool of possible shooters to 15. Senate Bill 685 was introduced by Senator John Proos (R-St. Joseph), which passed 35-1 through the Senate in January.

MUCC made sure this would in no way expand the number of permits landowners receive, but only add to the number of shooters that can use them. The number of permits a landowner may receive is determined by the local DNR Wildlife Biologist, which will continue under the new legislation. We also hope this might open up opportunities for hunters to help farmers experiencing problems with deer damage.

Upon passing the Senate, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture, where Rep. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) introduced an amendment to the program. Both MUCC and the DNR worked with Rep. McBroom on refining this amendment and we appreciate his willingness to listen to our initial concerns. This legislation now gives the DNR 5 business days to respond to a request for permits, or 10 days to give reasons for denial in writing along with suggestions for controlling or preventing the damage caused by deer.

This amended bill is now on the House floor awaiting action.

 

  • Jwiseman

    Farmer,s don,t need permits they need hunters

  • Rick

    This would just further allow abuse of the intent of the law to allow farmers to turn into hunting land renters. They first want to corner the market on anterless deer permits, now they want to be able to market them to a large enough population to make a business out of it. Open your eyes and see what is going on.

  • Dick Brown

    In the past the DNR has never had adequate staffing to run the Crop Damage Program and alot of the farmers took advantage of the situation and that is why so many hunters oppose it.

  • Billsap

    dnr doesnt have a clue nor the legislature.let a hunter run this and model after iowa.i hunt michigan and only haevest mature bucks, thats why year after year my property produces . go to iowa , illinois, missouri, ohio,annd youll understand how good hunting can be.thats why people will buy 500 dollar licences and be happy to do it.how many boone and crockett deer does a michigan hunter see in a life time , close to none would be correct.i can pretty much guarantee i can show you a few every year on my out of state hunts.i live to deer hunt ,i wish this state could figure it out like other states.the farmer i hunt with in ohio has a load of deer on the farm and has people willing to pay for permission to hunt, why because the deer are worth hunting. hunters harvested about 20 does last year which most of them donated to needy military familys.and only harvest three and a half year old bucks bow only hunting. big bucks are plentifull and the hunt is a challenge my deer last october weighed 255 and it was no big deal just a normal harvest at the farm no high fences and hunters managing the deer for the farmer. i recieved survivor pictures from the farmer and this year is going to be a dream hunt..thats what its all about not a deer masacre like we do here.fifty plus years of hunting i have found the promised land and it isnt michigan, but it could be.

  • Reiman2010

    Too bad they can’t issue them for those of us inside city limits to limit OUR landscape damage to trees and shrubs!

  • tomsgonefishing

    A few years back I had a friend of mine that lived near Munith, Michigan and the some of the bigger farms had ‘farm permits given to them and he told me that they pretty much wiped out the deer heard there. He also told me they piled up the deer and most of them went to waste. I’m totally against this permits for farmers! Let more hunters come in and take them instead of mass killing of our deer heard!
    This stinks to high heaven!!!

  • hunter6011

    There should also be a previon on what is done with the meat. I have seen many farmers shoot deer on permits and let them lay. I heard ofone farmer that was intructing his shooters (as you put it) if they didn’t want the meat to not tag them and leave them lay.

  • Uncled

    The Crop Damage Permit Program is a program of abuse. several years ago questioned the DNR about the program and was told that they gave the farmers that applied as many permits as they requested because they didn’t have the manpower the police the program.
    I heard all kinds of stories about shooting more deer than permits, shooting bucks when it was supposed to be Does only, picking shooters, etc.

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