JF Griffin - Index

JF Griffin - magazine - Index

Farmer License Exemption
A farmer and the immediate members
of the family who also reside on the farm
may hunt, trap and fish on the farm without
being licensed or possessing a valid
rifle permit . (See page 35 for a cut-out
farmer deer transportation tag .) All hunting,
fishing and trapping must be conducted
in the manner provided by law during
the prescribed seasons . A farm is defined
as an area of at least five acres and having
gross income of at least $500, and tax
assessed as farmland . This exemption does
not apply to a tenant or employee who is
not an immediate family member .
Farmer Regulations
The occupant of a farm may allow his
or her dog to run at large on land he or
she occupies, except during the firearm
deer seasons .
Farmers and their lessees occupying
or farming their land, members of their
immediate families, or their farming
employees may kill crows, woodchuck
and fox on farm property at any time
when found destroying livestock or crops .
However, they must use legal firearms,
ammunition and other lawful procedures .
See also Wildlife Damage Control, page 28 .
See also General Regulations, page 26 .
Farmers must possess the appropriate
permit to legally hunt the farm during any
hunting or trapping season which requires
a permit . Permits are provided free to all
qualified farmers for the following seasons:
Permit Bow, Permit Muzzleloader
and Permit Shotgun deer seasons plus the
spring and fall Turkey Permit seasons .
Farmers may trap fox destroying
poultry, crops or property at any time,
subject to state law and local ordinances .
Farmers or their agents may shoot or
trap coyotes by lawful procedures at any
time when found destroying livestock
or crops . A regional Fish and Wildlife
Law Enforcement office must be notified
within 24 hours of killing a coyote . See
Telephone Directory page 96 .
Permits for Farmers
• Fish and Wildlife maintains a farmer
database . Farmers who received farmer
deer or turkey permits in 2006, 2007
or 2008 are in our database already and
Farmer Hunting and Permit Information
Farmer regulations
need not reapply .
• New farmers or farmers who have not
received permits since 2006 MUST
apply . Applications are available on
Fish and Wildlife's Web site at www .
NJFishandWildlife .com/farmer .htm or
at your local county agricultural extension
office .
• The preferred application period for
farmers is June 1 - August 1 .
• Once approved and in the new license
system, farmers may claim their farmer
permits by going to any license agent .
The dates when permits will become
available are listed below .
Farmer Deer Permits
• Farmers may claim deer permits beginning
Monday, Oct . 6, 2008 at 10 a .m .
at any license agent .
• Approved farmers are eligible for one
free bow, shotgun and muzzleloader
permit and one free Antlered Buck
Permit for each of the three permit
seasons . See Farmer License Exemption,
above . See also Farmer Regulations,
above .
• Two types of farmer permits - occupant
and non-occupant farmer- allow the
applicant to decide for which permit it
is easiest to qualify; see below . Farmers
who must change the occupancy status
for their deer permit should call the
Permit Hotline at (609) 292-9192 .
• Only a qualified farmer or the spouse
or children of that farmer who reside in
the farmer's household, are eligible to
apply for occupant and non-occupant
farmer deer permits .
• Farmers may also apply for (or purchase
at any license agent) regular deer permits
in addition to the free farmer permits
. See Deer Season Permits, page 17 .
Occupant Farmer Deer Permits
• Applicants must be the owner, lessee or
immediate family (spouse and children
only) who actually reside on the farm
property .
• Land must be at least five acres, taxassessed
as farmland .
• Occupant permits are valid only on
the farm property where the applicant
resides .
Non-Occupant Farmer Deer Permits
• Applicants are not required to live on
the farm property .
• Farmer(s) and their immediate family
members (spouse and children only)
may qualify, up to a total of five
people .
• Must actively till at least 30 acres of
land which is tax-assessed as farmland
.
• Woodlots do not qualify .
• To apply for hunting leased
farmland, a copy of all leases
authorizing the agricultural and
hunting uses of the land must be
attached to the application .
• Non-occupant permits are valid in
the entire zone for which the permit
was applied .
• An applicant who lives on a farm
and actively tills at least 30 acres may
apply either as an occupant or a nonoccupant
.
Farmer Turkey Permits
Farmers may claim fall season turkey
permits beginning Monday, Oct . 6,
2008 at 10 a .m . at any license agent .
Qualified farmers may apply only
if their land is in a turkey hunting area
open to hunting .
Farmer turkey permits are available
only to the farmer and immediate family
who reside on the farm .
For the purpose of farmer turkey
permits, “immediate family” includes
the spouse, mother, father, child,
stepchild, stepparent, legal guardian,
mother-in-law, father-in-law, son-inlaw,
daughter-in-law, grandparent, great
grandparent, brother, sister, stepsister,
stepbrother, brother-in-law and sisterin-law
of the farm owner or lessee who
resides thereon .
Farmers may also apply for (or
purchase at any license agent) regular
turkey permits in addition to the free
farmer permits . See the turkey permit
supplement, distributed each January or
on our Web site for details .
August 2008 For more information contact New Jersey New Jersey Fish & Wildlife Digest | 29
Division of Fish and Wildlife at (609)292-2965 2008 Hunting and Trapping Issue