Elk NetworkPrivate Leases on Public Land: Delaware Hunters Ticked Off

General | February 15, 2018

Hunters in Delaware are upset about a proposal to lease public land in the Redden State Forest in the southern part of the state.

“Our tax money buys this land,” Guy Pusey, a hunter from Greenwood, told the News Journal. “Our tax money pays the people that work there. It’s the principle of it here. It’s just wrong.”

The Delaware Forest Service posted about the development on its Facebook page in late January:  “The main goal of this program is to help control the deer population. Through the State bidding process, expected to open this Spring, the awardee will have exclusive deer hunting rights to the specific contracted tract from September 1, 2018 through January 31, 2019.”

According to the News Journal, deer cause from $20,000 to $50,000 in damage annually to corn, soybeans, pumpkins and watermelons.

(Photo source: eregulations.com)