Predator Protection

It simply amazes me when I read about what we protect in this country and what we can destroy upon a whim.  Although gray wolves have bee officially taken off of the federal protection list, for the most part, the authority for protection of the species has just been handed over to the states.  Thirty states maintain the protection, outright, with the remaining twenty having some regulation on record.  Gray wolves are beautiful, majestic creatures, but they are predators, so are the protected bears and big cats in our country.  
Gray Wolf information seems to appear on most state links.

Snakes alive!

We have a controversy among several of us about whether it is legal or illegal to kill snakes in Missouri?

Garvis Myers, Festus

Editor's note: The Wildlife Code of Missouri is permissive, in that it details what wildlife related activities are allowed. Any wildlife-related activities not included in the Wildlife Code are, therefore, not permitted. This includes the killing of snakes. However, the Code does permit Missourians to protect their property and family from immediate harm from wildlife, which means that under certain circumstances venomous snakes may be killed to protect people in the immediate area. Most snakes are not venomous, and the few venomous snakes you may encounter can usually be avoided.

It simply amazes me what we protect in this country and what we can destroy upon whim.   Although grey wolves have been officially taken off of the federal protection list, for the most part, the species is still protected by over 30 states with special regulation in the remaining states.

Hawks

Believe it or not, hawks are sometimes a major nuisance to property owners. While the recovery of birds of prey from the brink of extinction has been a remarkable wildlife achievement, their recovery can mean headaches for you.

Solutions for hawk problems.

First, tolerance. There will never be lots of hawks or other birds of prey. Being the top of the key chain, it is impossible for their numbers to increase beyond the carrying capacity of the land.
Second, remember that hawks and other birds of prey are a FEDERALLY PROTECTED SPECIES. You cannot kill them or harm them in any way without a federal and sometimes state depredation permit. So all solutions will have to be non-lethal.

Non-Lethal Solutions for Hawks.

Pyrotechnics: Scare them with the loud booms of screamers and projectile explosives. These are fired from a 12 gauge shotgun or special pistol. Some states consider them firearms and you will need proper permits to shoot them. Even if your state does not consider them firearms, you will still need to treat them as deadly. Get training and/or instruction before using these devices.

Then we have bats on the list, and I don't have to even tell anyone how much disease bats are known to carry!


I still remember how deeply this next situation affected me.  A farmer from my state was found guilty of poisoning three bald eagles, one great horned owl and a red-tail hawk.  Sounds like a horrible parody ending for "The Twelve Days of Christmas," then in further reading, realized why 12 hit a chord.  The sad thing in this situation was that he put out tainted meat to kill the overrunning coyote population, trying to save the wild turkey population. These birds were never the target, and the deaths were indirect, but deemed traceable.  The cause of death of these predatory birds was, somehow; determined to have been caused by feeding on the coyote carcasses.  He didn't go to prison, but received two years probation, was a felon who had to give up his hunting guns in 1995 and President G.W. Bush signed his pardon twelve years later . . . 12!

Now, of course, we modern Americans don't worship birds or animals as they did in ancient Egypt or like my Native ancestors are accused, but . . . Many links I checked, make it very clear that predator protection is a higher priority than rancher's rights.  It is a fact that bald eagle eggs have more protection than unborn humans!  Hobby farmers and homesteaders check the laws in your states as well as the federal regulations.  The powers that be are determined to keep the predators alive, well, and well fed.

 They say confession is good for the soul, but "they" say a lot of things for which I'll reserve comment.
My recommendation for this problem comes from the book of Proverbs:   Even the foolish man, when he keeps quiet, is taken to be wise: when his lips are shut he is credited with good sense.

The laws are already in place in this country to ensure the fulfillment of prophecy in Revelation 6:8  And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.