We have a hunting season for them here. You get the neck.

while, its, uhm, shiat. drunk.

please do not harass the Cranes

Prize for most confusing wording in a headline. Maybe if I go RTFA, it'll make more sense. Catch ya on the flipside of the thread.

Homeowner Linda Mann:
Its frustrating. If they could relocate the birds, if the state could do that, that would be very nice.

Typical. "I know you were here first, but I want this land now, sooooo... leave. You don't speak my language anyway."

Then, she's surprised when her shiat's torn up.

Lawhorn says residents can protect their property by putting stakes and fishing line near their windows
.. then ..
It's illegal to harass or injure sandhill cranes
So youre not allowed to injure or harass these things, but youre allowed to put fishing-line traps up for them?
/florida indeed

TheWrongTrousers, I don't understand how you can't grasp the headline.

Scuffer, how does putting up a fence trap or harrass them? They're some of the slowest moving birds I've ever seen, at least the ones in Deltona. It's not like they're going to go running into the thing full tilt and then get tangled in it. As for how they're getting fed, it's no mystery either. I thought we had raccoons in the neighborhood until I actually caught them in the act of getting their heads in the cans and pulling apart the bags to get to the sweet sweet rotten food within. It looks like I'll be putting up some fishing line this weekend. At least they won't be getting their heads caught in 6 pack rings or breadbags or whatever other hazards exist in the trash.

We have a town not far from mine where a gang of peacocks are at large. They scream like that protected species of caterpillar Homer gets saddled with on The Simpsons.

/life imitates High Art

muldster
I have a high fever; I'm sick. I get it now. Thanks for your concern. :)

can hunt them out in the dakotas... not like they are rare or anything

look at the picture of that reporter...

priceless

You can hunt them in North Dakota for sure, which is about an hour away from my home town, and from the numbers I've been seeing around NW Minnesota, I wouldn't be surprised if a season popped up here. These things are pretty darn big, and are pretty territorial. I know my Mom and sisters had to start bringing my dog with when they would go out for walks, because otherwise the cranes would charge them. My primary question is what do you do with them once you shoot them... They dont exactly look/act like they would be tasty (read: they live in swamps and eat tadpoles). I'm not a huge fan of hunting stuff you don't intend to eat, though maybe if you could take 1 a season it wouldn't be so bad. The honest truth is that if you manage to get close enough to one of these to shoot it with a shotgun and non-tox shot (which is the requirement for waterfowl), the bird is probably one of the trouble makers anyway. Personally, I say let 'em be, there are far worse protected birds, like cormorants.

Muzzynat

You said it right there man...Cormorants...water turkeys...is what we call em here in Mississippi. They cause great discourse to us duck hunters as well as the catfish farmers around here.

The Sandhill Crane? Or Mothman?

slewfootedhoopajoo: You said it right there man...Cormorants...water turkeys...

Huh, I was not aware they were protected.

What about sexual harrassment of sandhill cranes? What if you're just complimenting her on her long legs and curved beak? Where are they drawing the line?

I could not have said it better my self... Some people are dumber than a sack of potatoes.

from Just Ignorant's post
Homeowner Linda Mann:
"Its frustrating. If they could relocate the birds, if the state could do that, that would be very nice. But I understand they'll just come right back."

Just Ignorant wrote.
"Not as frustrating as you, Linda Mann. If they could relocate the Florida morons who don't understand their brand-new subdivision was built smack-dab in the middle of their hunting and nesting areas, that would be very, very, very nice. But I understand they'll just come right back and drive in the left lane."

Five years for animal cruelty? Commit rape or manslaughter instead -- at least they're more fun.

to all these farkers complaining about this or any other subdivision being in the middle of a natural area:

1. The birds are there because the morons are feeding them not necessarily because of where the subdivision actually is.

2. Anywhere humans live was once a natural habitat, I believe every farker here lives in a house or apartment in a developed area. Guess what we're all living in some sandhill crane, spotted owl or some various other species home...How many of you will foresake your nice home and go live in a tent in the middle of nowhere and have a symbiotic relationship with nature. You should get off your high horses and get over yourselves

3. As a former resident of FL I have to say that these birds are all over the place. getting rid of a couple that are causing property damage wont drive the species into extinction. That said the people who are feeding them are dumbasses.

Zephryhills, Florida - Am I the only one that read that as Syphillis, Florida at first or do I just need to get more coffee?

/Heading to top off the cup

Do they taste like chicken?

Tasty. They are a dark meat bird. The sirloin of the sky.

However, they are pretty tough to bring down.

I live in south-central Wisconsin, and I have 3 pairs of these guys living on my land. They were here before I put the house here, so leave 'em alone. I get 3 acres, they get the other 27. The eat from the bird feeders, but, well, they _are_ birds, and those _are_ birdfeeders, y'know?

It's really freaking cool watching them take off when you get too close. You can clearly hear the wings beating the air - whooshing through the feathers. They get far enough to get out of the way, land, and ignore you completely. But, I wouldn't want to piss 'em off, lots of muscle on those birds.

sandhill cranes are the roast beef of the skies.

While it is illegal to harass or injure sandhill cranes

Maybe so, but I doubt your neighbors would turn you in if it was that bad.

Or, just give a little kid of the neighborhood a bbgun and set him loose. If he shoots up the birds, well, boys will be boys.

I live in a subdivision called Crane Creek in fantastic Central Florida. Sandhill cranes are, undoubtedly, very elegant and beautiful birds. It is nice to see them early in the morning with the sun rising over the lake in a little family unit. However, the honk honk honk noise they make can raise the dead. sheesh.

p.s. can anyone tell me why some birds are monogamous?

The issue isn't just FL dumb asses it's more likely a dumb asses or two from the northern states those of us who grew up here (& in my case grew up in an area with a lot of wildlife) know to leave the gator's, birds, foxes, etc. alone. These homeowners who fed this bird should all be fined & or shot for stupidity since nothing else gets there attention. Sorry for my rant but people from the north/non natives need to learn to leave animals alone & there would be less problems/attacks.

I live not too far from Oak Run and there's a family of 3 cranes that walk all around my neighborhood. Damn things almost became a hood ornament due to their lack of fear for cars. Too many bleeding hearts stopping in the middle of the road for them holding up traffic. When I went by they wouldn't move until the last second when they realized 6,500 lbs of Chevy barrelling down on them wasn't stopping.

/Don't feed wild animals
//"We brake for no one"

Didn't someone ask why 'Florida' has it's own tag? I wonder if that person was from Florida?

Virtually noone in Florida is 'from' Florida. That's why you'll often hear southerners from other states claim that Florida isn't actually part of the south. You go into any subdivision or urban/suburban area and you'll see nothing but folks from the Northeast through Ohio. During the winter there are lots of Canadians come down here and drive slow in the left lane. That and bunch of blue haired old goats who show up to die.

Igor Jakovsky-

As a current and longtime resident of Tampa, I can honestly say these birds not all over the place, they're all over Wesley Chapel and New Tampa because they can't stop building. My mother has lived there for nearly 9 years now - before the Super Target and Super Walmart, before the Sam's Club - heck, before there were four lanes of traffic. Let's just hope some of the residents are dumb enough to feed the gators.