The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission approved a notice of intent Nov. 6 that adds deer to the list of nuisance wild quadrupeds.
Under this proposal, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries may issue emergency deer removal permits to landowners for taking deer during closed seasons when deer are causing substantial damage to crops or orchards.
For landowners to qualify for the permit, a Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry crop specialist or Louisiana State University Cooperative Extension Service agent must document a loss of 25 percent or more of the expected production or value of a crop.
Permitted landowners may only take the number of deer recommended by the department and specified on the permit. Only antlerless or unbranched antlered deer are legal for removal.
All deer taken under this permit may only be taken during daylight hours and must be tagged in a manner specified on the permit before being moved from the harvested site. All harvested deer meat must be donated to a recipient or charitable organization approved by the department.
Crops or orchards of less than 5 acres will not be considered for permits unless alternative exclusionary methods have been attempted and proven unsuccessful.
Public comment on this notice of intent may be submitted to Mr. Kenneth Ribbeck, Wildlife Division, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, PO Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA 70898-9000 no later than Jan. 6, 2009.
