You got it right on the nose for the heart of the problem.I know some that like to see every thing clean out so no wildlife is around.

Kill mice, but hamsters are cute.

People dont like it when I tell them they look very similar without their skin...

X2.

good for that guy he has my support! I hunted pheasants in Kansas on the way home I counted red tails sitting on power poles. I got sick of it at 390 and was still over a hundred miles from the Missouri Kansas border! we actually had a red tail kill a pheasant while our dog was pointing it! and sadly it survived! Im starting to believe fish and wildlife are more tree huggers than peta! I guess the problem can always be rectified after its to late! I enjoy watching eagles but they are still just a white headed buzzard.

Amazed at the diversity of answers on this topic. Tell me square now did any of you fellas as young men not shoot a hawk or two? I mean come on. There were bounties on them b4 and no one ever cared but now it's totally different......

I certainly don't Advocate what he did. But to shoot that many Raptors in that small of an area gotta tell you something about how overpopulated they are.

I though we as trappers were conservationist, apparently not.

As if destroying all their natural habitat to farm every square inch wasn't enough.... Now we need to persecute them for eating their natural diet as well because we like to sport hunt/trap the same animals they need to eat to survive.

I hope the antis don't read this thread they will be making posters out of some of your guys quotes.

At one time Louisiana was the muskrat capital of the country then came nutria. Muskrats and nutria live together and trappers had more critters to trap but some didn't want to trap nutria because of it low value. Now there only nutria.......What part of conservation help the muskrats here?

Not sure how you equate raptors with an invasive specie, but ok.. first I would eliminate the invasive specie, then check the water quality/habitat and rebuild from there.

What isn't an invasive species now? About everything qualifies (including all the pheasants in the dakokas).

But this story came out of Calif. Calif is like the Star Wars Cantina. Anything goes out there...and zero rhyme or reason to most of it. Shouldn't be considered a different state...should be considered a different planet. I'm waiting to see Frank the pug walking down the road smoking a cigar (sorry different alien movie).

Wildlife is wildlife, I enjoy it all not just the consumptive part of it and guess someone who likes to view birds has a say its not just a trappers standpoint. Last I heard we all had a say for wildlife be it consumptive or viewing. As far as him shooting the raptors he is a criminal and broke the law. If we as trappers can justify breaking the law and doing what ever suits us we are not going to be excepted by the public, wildlife agencies or the landowners or public land managers. I know a lot of folks don't and never will except the consumptive part of wildlife like we do but then there is the folks that are on the fence and we don't need to loose there support. Same goes for guns we have an open carry law in our state but had one nut walk into a Walmart with an AR. No longer is open carry allowed in Walmart not sure if that is nation wide but it caused enough stir a lot of other establishments followed suit. Trapping and a lot of other things we do are a privilege not a right.

You would think anyone capable of critical thinking would comprehend that muskrats are not born adult size and that almost every raptor, except for tiny ones, such as kestrels, can kill a muskrat, when they first become ambulatory.

You would also think anyone capable of critical thinking would comprehend that muskrats don't always stay in the water and that all species of raptors sometimes fly over and near water.

Keith

Wonder what the wildlife biologist would say the population is per square mile if that many was killed on 80 acres.

I don't know why invasives, like Pheasants were even brought up. As parasitic nesters, with a shorter incubation period, they are the main displacer of prairie chickens. Yet we kill all the egg eaters . If I thought pheasants would make it up here and displace sharptailed grouse, I'd kill every one I saw. They are a non native in my state.

Two.

I side with all birds of prey

I don`t think any of us think we should take matters in our own hands like the man did.But I think we all have enough common sense to know the hawks need to be managed just like everything.That`s not going to happen and that`s what makes everyone upset.JMO

You have to admit Les I got them going. Good thing I didn't post the picture of the dead hawks.

I saw what you did, lol.

There has been an eruption of Great Gray Owls from the north, up here lately. I like watching them...mouse and vole eaters, I believe.

These days, I have limited myself to defending my chicken yard of all predators, wild or domestic.