Niemerg Shares About Deer Damage Meeting

State Representative Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) sponsored a town hall style meeting for farmers and hunters to discuss the continuing problem of too many deer in Illinois that eat and damage crops.

Co-hosted by the Jasper County Farm Bureau and the Clark County Farm Bureau, representatives from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) provided updates on the deer hunting program, took questions, and learned about local ideas to address this problem.

“This deer nuisance isn’t just when these animals jump out in front of vehicles along the roads or highways but is also a continual and growing problem for the farmers in our area and around the state,” Niemerg shared. “There were some good suggestions at the meeting including extending the deer seasons, allowing for more permits to be assigned to our counties, and how data is reported on deer-vehicle accidents that is used to determine the number of permits in an area.”

One option for dealing with the overpopulation of deer is applying for the Deer Removal Permit(DRP) ((https://wildlifeillinois.org/remove-nuisance-wildlife/deer-removal-permit/). These permits are available for 30 days and permit up to 10 deer to be taken by two people. A farmer could receive the permit and then designate two people to do the actual shooting of the deer—other family members or farmhands.

Rep. Niemerg is helping to get the word out about this option and encourages people to contact his office if they need help applying for this emergency permit.

“Thank you to the Farm Bureau and the IDNR for the opportunity to have good conversation with our local farmers,” added Niemerg. “I am partnering with the Farm Bureau on legislation and working with local farmers and hunters on a variety of possible solutions to this growing problem. Just today, another farmer stopped by my office to find out what can be done because last year he lost over $10,000 from deer damage to his crops.”

Constituents are encouraged to sign up for legislative updates and electronic news about the activities of the General Assembly and the State of Illinois offices and programs by going online to RepNiemeg.com. You may contact Rep. Niemerg at 217-813-6036 with any issues or concerns.