Hunter Farmer Connection Underutilized

[Dan Andrews]

Hunter/Farmer Connection Underutilized!

I'd like to make both farmers and hunters aware of a free service that exists on the Internet that could be beneficial to both. The hunter/farmer connection was created by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and it's a bit of a match making service. Being a volunteer for several outdoor service clubs I hear often of the beneficial interaction between these two walks of life. A hunter seeks game for his freezer and the farmer needs to protect his crop from the game.

An example I'll use is a pumpkin farmer in Pelham who has a large deer population because the deer herd is easily sustained on pumpkins. The farmer gets his 6 cull tags from the Ministry of Natural Resources but with over 100 deer in his field every night feasting on gourds, 6 dead deer doesn't begin to heal his headache. He states his case and applies for more tags but the Ministry listens like a brick wall. The farmer no longer grows his crop and the massive deer herd is in trouble.

If the farmer were able to have his deer problem taken care of for free by hunters, he could go on producing the crop he's known best for years. But where do you find 50 or so hunters a year without creating a war zone in your fields? The OFAH Hunter/Farmer Connection! 88,000 insured members who are looking not only for game but a place to legally hunt it. Hunters prefer game in agricultural lands as the feed produces a better quality meat then that of the game from the Boreal forest.

Don't want 88,000 hunters knowing you've got deer problems? Farmers can place an ad without worry of being overwhelmed by inquiries because their contact info is not visible to the hunters and they can browse the hunter listings and pick and choose who to contact with anonymity. As a hunter I can't see how many other hunters have signed on but I can see that this service is currently underutilized by the farming community. This is a shame to see when farmers and wild game are fighting to harvest what little crop survived this year.

This is perhaps a late entry for this hunting season however a large turkey population awaits the spring hunt and there are hunters eager to hunt the large coyote population along with groundhogs, squirrel, rabbit and raccoons. Could it be that the word just hasn't gotten out? As members of the OFAH we and the landowners are insured for $3,000,000 liability and that alone is good reason to keep permission exclusive to OFAH members.

Farmers and hunters can check this free service out for themselves at: http://www.ofah.org/connection/

Yours in Conservation

Dan Andrews

[bigugli]

Inave not seen Much about this outside of outdoor publications. Perhaps OFAH might try promoting this through the Farmer's Monthly next year.

[Dan Andrews]

I have emailed this to the Farmer's Monthly already

I think the trespassing issue has allot to do with the lack of participation from the agricultural sector. The lack of participation in the hunting community by the Game and Fish as well as others needs to be rectified. If Doc can get the message out to the public without talking about the price of beef and corn, he may shake a few brain cells for those ruining our image. We need to revisit our relationship with farmers and protect them from poachers.

Perhaps if more of them used this service and saw that OFAH members are not only responsible but will protect farmers from poachers, the word would get around. I sure hope that new Prez at the SCGF appoints the right person for OFAH communications

Dan