Thursday, October 01, 2009
Bear kill permits protested
Bill Cochran
Recent mail
BILL: Our game department has allowed kill permits (see last week’s Cochran Column) to be issued entirely too easily and some of the bear killed have been taken to a taxidermist for mounting. This is a lame way for some people to harvest an animal before anyone else gets a chance.
The Virginia Code clearly says that non-lethal means may be used [when dealing with nuisance animals]. I have talked with biologists about trapping and relocating bears so they will not be killed and that pretty much was wasted effort.
Our game department has pretty much declared war on the black bear population in our state and one reason is because they don’t want to deal with nuisance complaints from people who have created a lot of the problems themselves.
I know farmers can not absorb large economic losses, but there should be ways to solve these issues by legal hunting in season rather than killing with a nuisance permit. I would bet that most farmers could recoup the money form their crop damages by leasing to a responsible group of hunters and setting requirements on the killing of does before a buck could be harvested.
Nuisance permits to kill, except in rare cases, go against my beliefs in the way game animals should be treated.
RICHARD SPRINKLE
BILL: We also have seen a problem with kill permits. We have a neighbor that has gotten kill permits in the spring, and fall. He told me once that he can't grow clover, yet we can, and we've never seen him plant a thing.
The game department has to give him permits. On the other hand when they had the bear hunting issue last spring, he was totally opposed to increasing the kill.
I understand his feelings about the bear, and respect them. But do you think he really cares how we feel about the deer kills?
If landowners are really having that kind of crop damage, there are other ways to take care of it. Many a hunter is willing to pay for a place to hunt. I realize the problems with having people come on your property, not knowing what their ethics are, or aren't. But you can use programs very much like the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ earn-a-buck. There are a lot of hunters who would love to take their kids out on a nice safe place to kill a doe.
I would like to say thanks to Kenny and his friends for speaking up. I have also spoken with Mr. Knox about this, and understand the spot they are in. Still sometimes it seems nobody is listening, but keep trying. Thanks Mr. Knox for hearing us out!
DON
BILL: Back in the early '80s we used to catch a lot of big rays when we were shark fishing (see last week’s Cochran Field Reports). We tried to eat a few. The wings were tasty but had a weird texture, and we didn't like them. What we did like was a strip of firm white meat along both sides of the body where the wings attach to the trunk. The strip was maybe an inch or two thick and ran the length of the body. It was delicious but extremely hard to cut out. Rays are large, slimy and difficult to handle and store until you can get them home where you can work on them with a sharp knife. The desirable meat is in there, if the commercial fishermen can find a way to economically harvest it. I'd buy it.
PENN RIGGS
