Oppose Uncontrolled Killing of Deer Without a Depredation Permit in South Carolina
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South Carolina House Bill 5041 would make it legal for ag producers to kill deer and other wildlife for crop depredation without a permit.
Sign here. Let the SC Legislature know you oppose H 5041.
*The National Deer Association collects contact information for the purpose of directing your petition to the proper Washington state legislators.
Why Oppose South Carolina
House Bill 5041
Oppose H 5041
Please join the NDA in opposing this misguided bill. H 5041, if passed, would take wildlife management out of the hands of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources by allowing ag producers to kill deer and other animals for crop depredation without a permit.
South Carolina House Bill 5041 (H 5041) would permit a landowner or lessee to take a deer, wild boar, and other crop-consuming wild animals on agricultural use land that the operator owns or leases without a depredation permit. In essence, the passing of this bill would permit an owner or agent of an agricultural operation as defined by the bill to arbitrarily kill deer based on their interpretation that it is performing and act of depredation. Simply put, if a deer, or any other animal for that matter, is observed feeding on land deemed to be an agricultural operation, it can be killed without requirement for formal justification or reporting. Furthermore, there is no defined requirement for utilization of deer or other animals once killed.
South Carolina H 5041 is a dangerous bill that allows the killing of deer and other wildlife in an uncontrolled manner and would set a horrible precedent for how wildlife is managed in South Carolina. While we recognize that deer depredation can pose a risk to an agricultural producer’s crop and livelihood due to financial loss, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources already has a deer depredation permit program in place.
NDA supports wildlife management led by state wildlife management agencies, not policy or regulations driven by dangerous legislation like H 5041. We are empathetic to the challenges faced by agricultural producers related to wildlife depredation, but it is critical that wildlife management decisions remain led by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Please join NDA in opposing this harmful bill.