# PA Farmland hunting in jeopardy



## R y a n (Apr 4, 2005)

PA Farmland hunting in jeopardy
By JOE GORDEN
The Tribune-Democrat

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/outdoor ... 03319.html

Although they certainly have their differences, farmers and hunters usually cooperate toward common goals in the area of wildlife management.

Clearly, the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau wants such relationships to continue, and it said as much during the past week, when its members voted to pressure the state Legislature for either new laws or strengthen existing statutes to protect landowners from financial liability for the actions of hunters on their properties.

The resolution adopted by the farm bureau's 40,000 members was prompted by a recent case in which a Lehigh County court found a farmer 10 percent liable for a shot fired by a hunter to whom he had given access to his property.

The shot struck a pregnant woman in the head. The hunter was held 90 percent liable. The size of the final award has yet to be determined, but it is likely to be large and, under Pennsylvania law, if the hunter cannot pay his share, the landowner might be required to ante up the entire amount.

"The future of hunting on farmland in Pennsylvania could be in jeopardy if farmers are held responsible for the actions of those who hunt on their land," PFB President Carl T. Shaffer said in a prepared statement. "The risk of financial loss would simply be too great, so many farmers would likely post their land."

Indeed, many farmers in Lehigh and surrounding counties already have. And lest we write this off as just a case of farmers working to protect their own interests, remember that the interests of both farmers and hunters mesh during hunting seasons.

"Farmers have always been interested in having hunters on their property to help deal with the deer population," PFB media relations director Mark O'Neill said. "They always kind of looked at hunting season as an opportunity to deal with a growing problem we see on many farms in the state. A lot of farmers also hunt. The bottom line is, it's usually good for both of them."

The Pennsylvania Game Commission expressed dismay over the court's decision almost as soon as the verdict came down, but there aren't many legislators willing to listen to the game commission's concerns these days. Farmers and landowners still have a lot of political clout in this state, though, so having the PFB on board is a big boost to sportsmen.

The PFB didn't waste any time getting its message across, either. It's annual meeting, at which the resolution was passed, finished up on Wednesday. By Thursday, it had already contacted some members of the General Assembly, and O'Neill said he was optimistic.

"I think this is one of those situations where common sense is going to come into play, and I think we're going to be able to get a good deal of support for whatever legislation is put together," he said. "I believe this type of legislation will pass."

Let's hope so. These days, hunters need all the support they can get, and it's good to have longtime friends step up to the plate, even if the partnership is not always perfect.

"There's always been a relationship between landowners and hunters and, in many areas of the state, it has been a good relationship," O'Neill said. "We would hope that would continue. There's always a case where a farmer has found that someone messed up his land, or runs across someone who did not get permission to hunt first - in this state, any time you are dealing with a private landowner, you do need permission to hunt on their land - but, for the most part, farmers and hunters have always gotten along well."


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