Implementing regulations recently adopted by the Commission in response to the statutory changes to Section 2121 to allow farmers to use others beside themselves to shoot wildlife for crop and property protection

President Palone, Commissioners, Executive Director Roe, Commission staff, I am Henry Karki.  I currently serve as Chairman of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau State Wildlife Committee, and also serve on the Board of Directors for Pennsylvania Farm Bureau. Pennsylvania Farm Bureau is a statewide general farm organization representing more than 42,600 farm and rural families in the Commonwealth. On behalf of Farm Bureau, I want to thank you for this opportunity to offer testimony today.  I also am a member of, but am not representing the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, and Castlewood Rod and Gun Club. I own and operate a beef farm in Lawrence County.

We are trying to work with Commission staff in implementing regulations recently adopted by the Commission in response to the statutory changes to Section 2121 to allow farmers to use others beside themselves to shoot wildlife for crop and property protection.  We are disappointed with the restrictions that were placed on the ability of farmers outside Wildlife Management Units 5C and 5D to take advantage of the privilege provided through the statutory change.  And we are concerned of the potential burdens that farmers who cannot qualify for the privilege for some time may face in managing deer damage on their farms.  Still, the agricultural community has shown much interest in being able to use outside help in controlling deer.  We are viewing this as an opportunity for both the Farm Bureau and the PGC to educate farmers about benefits of enrollment in public access and Red Tag programs, and are encouraging farmers to do so.

Farmers in Units 5C & 5D have been very interested in taking advantage of this new opportunity to use others in managing deer around their farms, and are reporting they have had several good encounters with PGC staff in their region regarding use of programs to reduce damage.

A concern has recently been raised by some farmers as they wish to begin using these new provisions. Farm Bureau hopes that while farmers use qualified outside help in this program to control wildlife, they not have a problem with their local WCO or Deputy, regarding the farmer’s own ability to protect crops or property. We believe farmers or other qualified persons living or working on the farm must retain the ability to respond to immediate situations of crop damage or imminent crop damage by wildlife without limitation.

Regarding items which you will be making decisions and on which you will be taking action on tomorrow, we are supporting the proposed changes that allow more than one deer to be harvested at a time before tagging within the Special regulations area. Thank you for considering updates to regulations which have lost parallel with the current situations in urban and suburban areas.

Farmers have had bad experiences with the tagging regulations when they use permitted hunters to reduce offending deer. Hunters that are able to use several tags have found the constraints of the current tagging requirements frustrating. Those able to use more than one tag know that after one shot is fired the rest of the offending deer disperse to neighboring properties where they cannot be pursued. Farmers find this frustrating also as those same deer may return shortly after the hunters leave to resume feasting on their crops and properties.  
Once allowed this revision will facilitate a more meaningful program to combat overabundant urban deer densities.  Thank you for recognizing the many difficulties farmers face regarding wildlife control and impacts of posted or unhuntable neighboring land.
             
Thank you