We have year around open season on possums, skunks, porkies, red squirrels, woodchucks, weasels, feral swine and coyotes on public or private land, as well as all year harvest of coon on private. There is no shortage of nest predators in Michigan. I'm betting Georgia's passing of this law will have very little impact. It will, however, give land managers the go-ahead to fix a problem on their own property without having to explain things to a not-so-understanding state employee. I have seen that here more than once. It can be exasperating.

There is no lack of food down here for deer and turkey. The feeders are mainly for the hunters.

Do they help? Maybe you have an overpopulation of deer and turkeys if you have to feed them.

With the low fur prices of recent years the 'coon and 'possum population have grown greatly in my area. There has been a big decrease in turkeys and grouse at the same time. It is not all to be blamed of the nest predators, but they certainly can't be helping. I haven't heard a whippoorwill around here in at least 20 years. Some of the birddog guys I know that hated trappers ten years ago are now seeing the need for us.

It all boils down to money. Turkey and deer are the cash "crops" around here.

Missouri conservation is interested in lengthening our seasons for the same reason. My personal thoughts are unless fir prices increase or they put a bounty on the nest raiders making the season longer isn’t going to get many more critters killed

in 2020 we seemed to have a population explosion

huge problems with chickens in coops that had never had an issue before , to trap out of season you have to be a land owner or get permission to help one technically.

if you cousin calls you and says I lost half my flock in the last 2 nights if you have to call and get permission from the warden are you more likely to say not season I can loan you my 2 cage traps or call get permission and go gang set a dozen DPs and really clean out the issue ?

just more tools in the tool box.

It’s been steady drop in Turkey numbers in MO they better start doing something to help them recover before it’s to late.

It's been that way in Arkansas for a few years now. Private land only and you have to get a free permit. I think the game and fish got tired of hearing about low turkey numbers and the high number of predators so they gave people the means to take care of it themselves.
From what I've seen on some local hunting boards several people have gotten into trapping just to reduce predators on their leases and farms. They probably wouldn't have tried it if they had to be doing it in deer season. Bow season runs from last weekend of Sept until end of Feb. Anything that gets new people involved is a good thing.

It all helps especially in the winter time.We have a low population of deer here in northern Maine.

Coyotes and beaver are allowed year-round with no reductuon in population.

Coon and possum populatuons will NOT suffer with a year-round season.

You have to have an increased harvest of those critters to make any difference. There will be no more taken than there is now...by same folks.

Mother Nature has the biggest hammer that along with trapping could lower the numbers for a short time but with the litters some species have its a constant struggle to get anyplace.

Corn is empty calories for deer, soybean is better, and a threat to turkeys as moldy corn can carry aflatoxin from Aspergillis fungi and all birds are extremely sensitive to these toxins and it can be toxic to mammals as well.

If you truly want to help deer and turkey summer legume food plots are much much better. Habitat improvement, safe nesting areas, for turkey.

Most feeders around here are filled with protein and minerals. Corn won’t be put out too much until deer season or baiting for hogs.
Unlike some areas of the country I’d probably have tag soup at the end of turkey season if I relied on bait. I hunt a plantation which feeds year round and the most grain sorghum I’ve found in any turkey harvested there was 6 separate grains. Found pecans though and then had to go searching for pecan trees, lol.
Down here as most know, private landowners pay to have these critters removed. And as it’s already been stated, most won’t let you start until after deer season which ends down in the South part of our state the second weekend of January. Taking coons and possums between then and the end of February helps, but being able to hit those properties again in April, May and even June will really help.
Turkeys will start nesting anytime now until May. Quail will nest May thru August. I’ve seen quail chicks the size of baby rats during archery season. Quail can have two successful clutches during the summer months. And like turkeys both will renest after a destroyed clutch or nest.
Managers and landowners are more happy with 30 coons/possums vs 30 coyotes. A coyote make kill a few turkeys but a coon or possum takes out the entire clutch and possibly even the hen.
This passing would make my life easier when landowners without a permit call now after season.

Most of our southern fur is not marketable. Coons 25 cents - if it is XL. Possums worth nothing. In my state, we have a trapping season in the winter. We also have a Predator Control Permit, available to landowners to take predators - coons, skunks, possums, coyotes, cats, etc - at any time of the year. Most of us that take advantage of the predator control permit, do so in spring and summer in an effort to improve fawning and nesting success. There is no requirement to make use of the predator. We have no rabbits or quail, and very few turkeys. Something has to be done.

Removing more ‘possums is a great thing for ground nesting birds. We have far too many ‘possums in the south in my opinion. This morning I caught 5 of them. At one stop, I had 4 Coon traps set. I caught a ‘possum in every single one. 4 for 4 at that stop.

This should be a picture of 6 coons, not 5 grinners and 1 Coon.

To be clear I'm not against longer or year around seasons for them. The coon hunters may leave most of them in the tree, but they should be appreciative of being able to knock a couple out to a pup they are training any time of the year.

I just figure if you have to feed wildlife to have them make it through the winter, then you have more than the habitat can support.

Haha. We don’t feed wildlife during the winter. We feed wildlife all year long. Protein after the rut, Spring, Summer for healthy does and antlers for bucks. Corn during the season for carbs and to keep those deer you fed all year around. There’s times of the year feed will rot in the feeders due to more nutritious and available native browse and mast. It’s supplemental feeding that other critters benefit from.

Wasting the fur of a $0.25 coon and a $0.05 possum is tragic! lol