hunting a %$#@* woodpecker

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Ahright, guys, don't get all wadded up over one lousy peckerwood, protected or not. A pest is still a pest. And remember, they're protected by the same people who WILL NOT reimburse you for the damage resulting from their laws.

As far as feral cats, ask any animal shelter person about the excess feline population. Add up the feral cats and the unwanted non-feral cats and you need more 9 Lives than I'm gonna buy.

IOW, save the personal attacks.

Art
 
I think the main Federal law applicable in this situation would be the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits the "taking" (including touching) of any wild migratory bird, with the exception of game birds during hunting season and non-native species like the starling (and certain pest species like the crow, if I remember correctly), unless you have a special permit. This is the law that makes it illegal to shoot a songbird. I'm not sure if there are exceptions for a bird causing damage to your house, but you could do a search on the above term and probably find out.

BTW, I believe violations are a felony if the person had reason to believe the action might be illegal.
 
Most folks are aware that if the DEA-types find a few marijuana seeds in your car or home or airplane or boat, they can seize it.

Most folks are not aware that if the USF&WS folks find some songbird feathers in your house, they can seize that house.

Ranchers in the west discovered that with respect to the re-introduced wolves and the present legal structure concerning grizzly bears, "Shoot, shovel and shut up." is their safest course.

I'm not advocating anything; I'm just reporting. I have noticed that most folks do whatever they think they have to do to protect their persons and property--right, wrong or indifferent. That's why I don't get all excited over other folks' excitement about violations of their own territorial imperative.

:), Art
 
I was under the impression that you could take birds, even protected migratory birds, that were damaging property, crops or other wildlife.
 
Talked to a Fish & Game official today and gave him the woodpecker scenario.
His 'advice' was if it's damaging your property kill the darn thing, just don't go telling everyone about it. If it's pecking on your house itself you might want to call pest control and find out what it's eating.
(This guy has a hardcore rep. too, would give a ticket to his own Momma if he caught her in violation!)
 
I don't know if this is the place for philosophising, but I wonder about the unintended consequences of such laws. I know that since they made certain critters (the red cockaded woodpecker and spotted owl come to mind) endangered timbermen, who would otherwise be happy to leave a few trees standing for them to nest, go out of their way to kill them on sight before the procters find them. :confused:
 
M&M, I reckon it's as good a place as any. :)

Having worked in environmental protection stuff, I've watched the various approaches to it. One problem is the "one size fits all" view of many in the federal system. Another is the tunnel-vision of many who attach no importance to economics when the issue of protection is involved.

I grew up in a mix of town and country. Probably not many of us left who plowed behind a horse before learning about tractors. Who doctored cattle for screw-worms. With farming and ranching in my background as well as hunting and fishing, I've always figured I am just as much a part of the environment as any bird. "The environment" is my home, and it's just basic responsibility to treat it wisely.

:), Art
 
Probably not many of us left who plowed behind a horse before learning about tractors.
I plowed behind a horse before I ever learned about tractors. I've also picked cotton, and let me tell you, it wasn't so bad.

Back on topic, this business of one size fits all and felonies which are just political crimes will be the destruction of the peoples' confidence in the government. One day one too many folks will have to pay an exterminator fee to have some critter trapped and moved away to a safe area and they will just happen to be a billionare with nothing to do but sue every man jack in the governement individually and collectively.
 
I've also picked cotton, and let me tell you, it wasn't so bad.

MeekandMild: It's obviously been a long time since you last picked cotton! (It's been 50 years ago and I still remember it as something less than my favorite passtime.):D

Sorry for the off topic post, just couldn't resist.:evil:

Regards,
hps
 
What an entertaining thread!

Especially fun to read after I spent the day shooting crows near the barn. The darn things figured out where the corn bins were IN the barn and have been having daily feasts. I had a great day with the Kimber 82 .22, a thermos of coffee and some snacks--used the cattle trailer for a blind and a Larry McMurtry novel to fill in the slack time. Great day!

When I was a kid we had a woodpecker that took a fancy to our house. We tried an owl decoy and a rubber snake. Neither worked. Benjamin pellet rifle did the trick.

I grew up ranching (still do) and we spend a great deal of time and money improving wildlife habitat. We build nesting boxes for the song birds and feed them. We don't mow or hay during nesting season. We also don't tolerate damage to our home or property from wildlife. When wildlife is causing damage it can be eliminated legally in my state. The exception is endangered species.

Art, I never worked ground with horses or mules but Dad still had the harness when I was a kid. I DO remember fighting screw worms. I can remember helping Dad cleaning screw worms out of a freshly castrated steer's scrotum and doctoring it with that thick, guey, blue ointment we used. Glad we don't have that problem anymore!
 
About as scared as I have ever been was once on a deer hunt down in West Tennessee. I was in a shallow draw, and heard a noise just over the top of the draw, perhaps 50 yards away, and the noise was terrifying. It could only be described as a mean, mad, 1200 pound dog with a sore throat letting out a single, hoarse bark. I had never heard the sound before, had no idea what it was, but was convinced that whatever made it was big and mean enough to eat me. After crouching and listening to it twice more, I decided my only chance to get out alive was to try to kill it, whatever it was. I had heard and was comfortable with, about every sound imaginable that could rightly be in that part of the world, and this was something new, unknown, and therefore terrifying. I silently crept and crawled to the lip of the draw, had my old rusty, er, trusty 94 cocked and ready to shoulder, peered out over the floor of the woods, looking, and the sound came again, and movement caught my eye: Up in an old hollow snag about 100 feet in front of me there were TWO of those large, red headed woodpeckers, one on either side of the hollow tree, and they somehow started their pecking together, 180 degrees out of phase with each other and both ended at the same time. I lay there with my head across my arm and shook for a while. Had I heard ONE of them, the sound would have been easily identified and therefore dismissed as harmless. It made me aware of how we depend on prior knowledge and of how the unknown is terrifying.
 
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