Comments on: So Why Not "Predator Free Zones" In Maine?

By: Tom Remington

Tom Remington — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:36:21 +0000

You didn’t say. Do you let hunters in during the season and help you out with your problem?

By: Stephen Hellum

Stephen Hellum — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:28:00 +0000

You can’t eliminate mice from a grain store . You can only combat them as they come. Just try to get rid of red squirrels. That said deer are just as bad, as a farmer with an orchard they do thousands of dollars in damage yearly to me. It is a good thing I like deer meat. I have seen 10 or more deer in my pumpkin patch at one time (read one bite $4.00) . Weekly broken electric fence, 12 guage flash bangs just moves them in the field, my dogs (jack russels) chase them out but when they come back (dogs trained to only go to the wood line) so do the deer. A lot of the neighbors feed the deer I would prefer they fed predators. That might make the other farms who have livestock angry also. maybe we just have to balance if that is possible.

By: Steven Allen

Steven Allen — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:08:55 +0000

I think predator free zones around deer yards is an excellent idea. Combine predator free zones with supplemental feedings in traditionally used deer yards and you have a reciepe for winter survival for whietails. The last two years spent roaming around sherman and cyrstal area deer yards is enough to sicken anyone. Deep snow, lack of quality feed and overpopulated blood thirsty coyotes have set the stage for a mass slaughter of unprotected deer. In the winter of 08′ alone it is reasonable to say that we lost 50-60% of our deer herd. There were more dead deer than could be eaten by scavengers, as evidenced by seeing uneaten kills. When questioning state wildlife managers about feeding and management programs, money always seems to be the problem. Where does all our liscense revenue go? How can anyone think that you can milk a rescource and never put anything into it and think it will remain substainaible is beyond me. To get back on task the best way to have predator free zones and to feed deer is to. Locate active deer yards and start a centralized supplemental deer feeding program. What I mean about centralized is to feed deer in the middle of the yard away from roads and people. This will help the incident of roadkills and keep people from stressing out deer. The second step is to set up coyote baits and shooting shacks on the outside perimiters of the active deer yards. Baits should be placed far enough away from the yards so hunters don’t bother deer, but close enough to lure coyotes out of the deer yards. These setups should be manned as much as possible to prevent coyotes from getting away, shoot straight. We need to pull together and ensure that deer populations will be plentiful for future generations.

By: j.c.

j.c. — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:11:09 +0000

Great idea which would serve to funciton as a research effort and help disprove “natural balance” as a viable, sustainable theory of biological management. Over the past two million years, man’s predation is absolutely essential to keep dangerous predators from eradicating lesser species. When we abidcate that natural role, lesser species and unarmed humans needlessly suffer. I saw an article in Field and Stream about the time California made mountain lion hunting illegal forever. The biologist who wrote the article said that attacks on humans were the sign of an over-population of cougars. At the time of the ban, such attacks were occurring, and of course they became worse. Confusion arises when game departments are confounded by the nonsense soup of animal rights…..the cougar has a right to be there. No it does not. See Robert Cupp’s SMU Law Review Article 2007 “Dubious grail:…”

By: Richard Paradis

Richard Paradis — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:44:21 +0000

Predator free zones. What a nutty idea.

Actually, it is the first I have ever heard of it. In fact, it may not be as nutty as I it sounds or as I first thought it to be.

It is the first affirnative step I have seen proposed other than to starve the Coyotes after they have killed-off all the deer. The balance of nature thing – you know…

If we are not gonna manage the deer herd we might as well end all restrictions on hunting deer by humans (seasons, bag limits, weaponry) and beat the Coyotes to the last deer. The wily fellers can then starve a few years earlier.

What use is it to have a staff of biologists to just keep track of a vanishing deer herd. I can see the deer are being exterminated just by hunting the Bingham area. You don’t have to tell me that! Lead, follow or get out of the way fellers…