Pennsylvania Farm Bureau expressed concern over decisions by the Game Commission this week to reduce doe season by five days in some areas of the state and to delay the effectiveness of a law designed to protect farmers from crop losses caused by deer and other animals.

Farm Bureau opposes a proposal that has received preliminary approval from the Game Commission. It would change the current deer hunting season by banning doe hunting for the first five days of the rifled season (the Monday through Friday that follows Thanksgiving) in four wildlife management units.

“Nearly 13,584 farms or more than 25 percent of Pennsylvania’s total land in agricultural production are contained within these wildlife management units, comprising almost two million acres of farmland. We are seriously concerned that efforts by the Commission to adopt the sweeping changes for deer seasons in these areas without scientific evaluation and justification will have harmful effects on farmers’ ability to effectively manage and control wildlife damage on their farms and will result in serious and widespread damage to farm production,” said PFB State Wildlife Committee Chairman Henry Karki.

During testimony before the Game Commission, Farm Bureau noted that the proposal could lead to increased deer populations in the affected WMU’s, and therefore, increased losses on the farm. The Game Commission is expected to make a final decision on the issue in April.

Meanwhile, Farm Bureau is disappointed with the Game Commission’s interpretation of how to implement Act 26, which is a law that gives farmers the right to use someone from off-the-farm to shoot wildlife that causes damage to crops and trees, as long as they receive permission from the Commission. The Game Commission is requiring farmers outside of Special Regulations Areas to be enrolled in a public access program for up to two years and have deer depredation permits if the offending species is deer, before they could benefit from Act 26.

“We believe the new law clearly intended that farmers be able to take immediate action to deal with losses caused by deer and other wildlife. The Game Commission regulations will delay benefits of the new law for Pennsylvania agriculture,” said PFB Wildlife Specialist Jeff Grove.

2/1/2008