Feral chickens?

[runamuk]

Some laws to look into for those thinking of shooting random animals in potentially free range areas.look into fencing laws and hogtight fences and what it means
Read up on free range and what it covers.  Stop going to rural places thinking people don't actually live there.  You might be amazed where people live and raise chickens.

[boneaddict]

That's what I was thinking.

[Woodchuck]

Chicken Lives Matter!!!

[Dead-Eye]

No difference in the laws eyes what so ever. It's a livestock animal. You kill a chicken or a cow that is not yours its the same thing, you are breaking the law taking something that is not yours, theft.

I doubt there's a single felony chicken-poaching conviction on the books in any court in the state, or the land, for that matter. Snuffy Smith used to get nailed pretty regularly for his chicken-stealing shenanigans in the comics, though.

About 12 or 13 years ago in Maine, there was a hunter who brought a Game Warden something he had just shot that he kept calling a "Black Wolf Trophy," and he was just SO proud of it. It turned out to be one of the first wolves seen in Maine in a long, long time. The Warden threw the book at him. Killing a wolf in Maine carries up to a $100,000.00 fine and a year in jail.

Just saying that if you're not actively hunting something, you probably shouldn't shoot it. Although there have been more than a few raucous BlueJays I seriously considered silencing over the years. . . .

[boneaddict]

Lol. No kidding.  I can admit I almost fell into the must shoot crowd this fall because of one of them p e c k e r heads (not a swear word if it's true)

[bobcat]

It kind of depends where the chicken is. Say out in the middle of Weyerhaeuser's Vail tree farm, a chicken that far from any homes isn't likely to survive the night. I don't see why it would matter if someone were to kill it. But then again, why not just leave it so a hawk, owl, raccoon, bobcat, or coyote can have a nice meal.

Now on the subject of pigs, if I see one out in the woods I'm shooting it. Sorry but we don't need feral pigs becoming established anywhere. I believe the WDFW encourages people to shoot them. If you're a pig farmer, it's your responsibility to be sure your pigs don't get loose. I doubt there's anywhere in the state where it's okay to have "free ranging" pigs.

[ForestDump]

Never thought I'd see a chicken shooting thread here. Wow.

Haha I mean what's a pheasant

[Fishnfowler]

This is so funny.  I can't contain myself.  When I was a kid, (about 16), in Southern Idaho, a buddy and I got into a flock of feral chickens.  We knew they were there and that they had been abandoned when the farmer's renters moved out.  The flock survived for a couple of years and had taken to roosting on top of an abandoned, falling-down barn.  After a particularly poor day of shooting we were walking back to the car and passed the barn with 20 or so chickens on it.  Call it what you want, but a couple of them came home with us and I've always been pretty proud of myself for it.  The farmer was a good friend and he thought it was hilarious that we shot some.  He told us to go clean them out and we made a trip to do just that, but they were all gone the next time we made it out there.  I've since seen some Pea-hens way up in the mountains, but never again a wild chicken.  I wouldn't pop a domestic bird on the side of a road and I don't think shooting grouse off the road is kosher either. 

[bobcat]

How about an ostrich? Saw one years ago running down a logging road where the nearest house had to have been at least 10 miles away.

[Stein]

Man must be the election or something all kinds of craziness going on.

If you see a cow along side the road are you going to blast it? COME ON PEOPLE!!! If it's not yours leave it alone!!!

THEIFT of livestock which a chicken is livestock, is a class c felony.
http://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9A.56.083

Chickens aren't livestock.

(1) Every person who, with intent to sell or exchange and to deprive or defraud the lawful owner thereof, willfully takes, leads, or transports away, conceals, withholds, slaughters, or otherwise appropriates any horse, mule, cow, heifer, bull, steer, swine, goat, or sheep is guilty of theft of livestock in the first degree.

[b0bbyg]

I know we had a WDFW employee stop by deer camp one year asking if we had seen any pigs wandering around.  Told us if we do shoot them, they should not be there.

Also had a neighbor get permission to shoot a young cow (bull) that was hanging around on their property. There are lots of farms around but
they were unable to figure out who owned it and nobody was showing up to claim it.   

[Special T]

How about an ostrich? Saw one years ago running down a logging road where the nearest house had to have been at least 10 miles away.

That would be a hell of a sight! Can we say BIG Thanks giving day feast!

[hollymaster]

Bet it was a rooster some urbanite couldn't keep due to crowing.  There's an awful lot of people around here that'll dump unwanted animals/birds in the woods and along the local rivers.  They pretend they're doing the animal a favor by setting it free.

[Bofire]

There are three chickens on Johnson Creek road right now, and I saw three up on Manke road by the reservation this week.
Carl

per   RCW 16.57.010     Chickens are not livestock.

[brushhunter]

ha this tread makes me laugh!!  just the other day about 10 miles from the nearest private property we found five chickens someone had let go.  waited till dark and caught 3 of them to add to our flock.  nothing wrong with it if it is truly away from everything.  some people think getting an animal is going to be fun until they have to take care of it.  then when they don't like it they let them go because they can't take butchering it.  no different that someone letting there gold fish go in a lake.  oh wait maybe it is a free range fish and you can't catch it!!! lmfao!!!