brogy
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To touch on some of the responses....
Tom, Seeker is correct... flybait use has decreased the need and desire to have hunters and trappers aiding in the removal of nuisance animals. It is cheap and it is easy to do yourself. No time and expense like live trapping. No putting up with hounds late at night. No need to have folks coming in and out of your property.
l.lyle, I don't disagree with you. One of the issues I have with this is that for many years MN had an open harvest season basically meaning the raccoon was still listed as a protected game animal requiring a harvest license and having regulations to regulate the means of harvest and the harvest season was open continuously year round. Thanks to our trapping association, they put a closed structured season on us so we can no longer openly kill coon while training our hounds in the spring and summer. This irks me because the MN DNR and its enforcement officers are well aware of the fly bait use but basically turn they're backs to it because raccoons are looked upon as a nuisance non-game species, but in reality they are a game animal no different than a deer. If someone would put this stuff in they're garden, feed lot or fields and target nuisance deer there would be such an outage and the DNR would come down extremely hard on them. But as long as folks are targeting coon, skunks, and coyotes they look the other way as long as no eagles are accidently killed. Also the product is legal for its intended use, it is a felony to use it in the manner to kill nuisance animals. I'm one of those guys that doesn't kill many coon, but on the occasion I might need to knock one out to a dog I try to do it on land where they are being a nuisance with the landowners blessing, to be legal I believe the landowner has to be along. If I could openly take nuisance coon I would do more of it, but I can't do it legally without asking the landowner to accompany on my hunt. I do have a few spots where the landowners don't appreciate me leaving them in the trees, I hit those spots hard during the harvest season to appease the landowner.
I sympathize with the landowners. They are simply trying to protect how they make a living. But it doesn't mean I agree with it. And like I mentioned above, it is a felony.
I truly hope someday some knucklehead goes out and covers a deer carcass with the stuff to target killing coyotes and a bunch of eagles get killed. That will bring some attention to the issue.
I will not report a farmer or small landowner on property I hunt. I try to educate them but I'm not going to risk my right to hunt on the property. I won't hesitate to report some of the large corporate farms like some of the hog and turkey farms around me.
Education is key. Find out what your regulations are and inform your landowners that if they got caught what the repercusions might be and talk to your local feed stores that are selling a bunch of it. They know what folks are using it for. If you and your houndsmen buddies happen to do most your dogfood business and other feed business there, threaten to stop unless they remove it from the shelves. You won't stop the big box farm supply stores from carrying it, but you could possibly make a difference locally.
Last edited by on 01-28-2012 at 07:53 AM
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01-28-2012 04:49 AM
