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Post by emmsmommy on Jul 26, 2020 22:37:00 GMT -5
They've been within two feet of my potted tomatoes in the backyard as I can see where they've ate the comfrey down to the ground. I move the sensor to the driveway alarm to the backyard every evening and have caught them nearby twice. Thinking of putting more comfrey closer to the edge of the field to keep them away.
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Post by James on Aug 16, 2020 10:51:04 GMT -5
I put a radio in the corn patch tuned to the local talk station. It keeps the raccoons out. Might work for deer?
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Post by Wheelgarden on Dec 30, 2020 14:41:45 GMT -5
Three does, three fawns, and a five-point buck all in the driveway this morning. They just stood there, staring, til we had to insist that they move. I think they've gotten used to us. If they leave my garden alone and keep their ticks to themselves, it's all right.
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Post by breezygardener on Dec 30, 2020 16:22:09 GMT -5
They just stood there, staring, til we had to insist that they move. I think they've gotten used to us. We can always tell the relative ages of "our" deer by how they react to us. Older does who have been around a few years look up & then ignore us. They know we don't hunt & keep our dog on a leash. The youngsters wait a little while to observe us, then skedaddle based on what their mom's do. The bucks always hightail it quickly, although one autumn morning we did get to watch a large rally of SIX bucks of varying sizes & racks fight it out Bambi-style over about half a dozen does in our front yard. I don't know how that came to be, but it was interesting to watch. From INSIDE the house.
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Post by James on Feb 9, 2021 10:48:25 GMT -5
"They just stood there, staring, til we had to insist that they move. "
You gotta do something to make them afraid of you. If nothing else run out and scream and holler! Throw a rock at them. I know it is likely illegal to shoot them. You likely only have to shoot one and the others would move on.
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Post by breezygardener on Feb 9, 2021 17:23:01 GMT -5
Mother Nature just gave me a pornographic show - a large buck, with only one 5-point antler intact (they're shedding them now) - mounting a large doe in our front yard. Where is Hugh Hefner when you need him?
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Post by mcool61 on Feb 12, 2021 23:59:04 GMT -5
she tells me that deer were never a problem when she was a kid We never had any deer in this area when I was a kid. My dad was an avid deer hunter so if we were anywhere near the state park we'd detour through it in hopes of seeing a deer. Now 50 yrs later I can't drive 5 miles at night without dodging one or more. I think years ago, more people hunted & kept them thinned out. Now there are fewer local hunters, fewer fences, less livestock on small farms so plenty of food for deer & it shows. They are everywhere. I looked out the window one day & had 5 deer eating apples along with a possum & a rabbit was nearby. It's like wild kingdom around here sometimes.
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Post by binnylou on Feb 13, 2021 10:20:17 GMT -5
We had four of them wander through the yard a couple of days ago. I know they are around. The yard to the south looks like somebody has been playing fox and geese.
And, they are digging in the snow to get to the turf. I’m sure glad I continue to cage our young trees. Deer seem to be especially fond of the young bald cypress. I found deer damage before I considered it time to install the cages last fall.
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Post by gardendmpls on Feb 13, 2021 23:14:59 GMT -5
I think years ago, more people hunted & kept them thinned out. In the 1400's the US deer population was estimated to be around 45 million, of which 30 million were whitetail deer. In the 1890's the whitetail population was estimated to be about 300,000.Now it is back up to over 30 million, due to conservation and restocking efforts. Other deer populations, such as elk, moose, blacktail deer and mule deer, are in decline. Some reasons for the decline are an increase in forested areas (less open forests do not have as many of the types of trees deer browse on), the spread of chronic wasting disease, increased predation (coyotes, coy-wolves, various wildcats), drought, habitat loss and others. A good compilation of summaries of studies can be found here: www.deerfriendly.com/decline-of-deer-populations
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Post by SpringRain🕊️ on Feb 14, 2021 15:44:28 GMT -5
No deer since one appeared a few years back, but there certainly are a lot of visitors. One cat, which I'm sure is one of the 2 cats my next door neighbor has, visits me regularly, leaving prints on the sidewalk, up the stairs, across the porch, and apparently then down onto the ground. I'm wondering what she finds enticing about that particular area next to the porch and will have to give it some attention later when it's appropriate to be outside.
Sometimes she visits the back yard, walking along the driveway up to the garage, as do the squirrels, rabbits, and a dog with footprints about 3.5" across. The dog seems to be a newbie.
I need to get a webcam to record them all so I know who my unknown friends are.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 3, 2021 0:24:20 GMT -5
Nine deer on the yard this morning. Two full grown and seven youngsters. I think they are checking on the garden status.
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Post by emmsmommy on Mar 3, 2021 21:20:12 GMT -5
We have 4-6 every evening that sneak up and lick the bird feeder in the backyard clean. We bought my daughter one of those kits to make a bird feeder our of a soda bottle and they love knocking it down every chance they get. The birds usually have it emptied by evening and I’ve started bringing it to the porch and filling it and taking it back the next morning. Oh and when you get up in the middle of the night and come back to see a figure walk past your bedroom window, it does give you a chill, until you realize it was just a deer.
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Post by James on Mar 8, 2021 12:25:45 GMT -5
Light up a cherry bomb and toss it at the deer. Shoot em in the butt with a pellet gun. Call Fish and Game Department and tell them to remove the deer or you will! If you live within a city limits, it is likely illegal to shoot a firearm. Ya gotta protect what is yours or go without. Your choice.
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Post by binnylou on Mar 8, 2021 12:49:47 GMT -5
I was gonna say just shoot the damned things. James , why is your answer always to just shoot any critter that comes on to your property? Yes, they are a problem during garden season, but I don't agree with your idea to just shoot them. Especially since we enjoy watching them. Part of being a gardener is finding ways to deal with Mother Nature's challenges. Sometimes,removal is the only thing that works, but if there is another solution, why take the easy path?
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Post by James on Mar 8, 2021 13:06:06 GMT -5
"James, why is your answer always to just shoot any critter that comes on to your property?"
binnylou, I grew up on a farm out in the wilds of Avon. We had 150 acres of land. Some down by the river, some was up on the mountain. So we got a good variety of critters, both big and little, both feathered and furry. ....... and many of them liked to destroy our crops. Hey this was our living, our income, our food. Well you either defend what is yours or else go without. Your choice. You gonna pull the trigger so you can eat, or ya gonna sit there and starve while the critters eat your dinner?
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