Re: CULT: Deer deterrents

Hi, Laurie,

Sounds to me like your real deer problem stems from your neighbor. Your 
best hope is to get him to realize that he is doing a great disservice 
not only to his neighbors and the environment in which he lives but 
perhaps more importantly to him, the very animals that he is trying to 
help. Feeding wild animals is really counterproductive. Artificially 
sustaining a population greater than the native browse can support not 
only causes overgrazing when he stops feeding, but ultimately leads to 
more starvation than if he had not intervened.

We have a thriving deer population here in the MO Ozarks where I live, 
but fortunately we also have an enlightened Conservation Department and 
general populace that understands the dynamics of wild populations and 
what is necessary to sustain them. I find deer tracks in my yard all the 
time where they have been feeding at night and see them on a daily 
basis, but they do little damage. They nip a shrub or such now and then 
to get an exotic taste, but there is plenty of natural food around to 
sustain them, so they don't really damage crops or ornamental plantings 
much.

Having deer stand in the yard or barn door is not normal behavior for a 
wild animal and hopefully your neightbor can be led to understand that 
he is doing more harm than good with his feeding. Maybe your local 
Conservation agent could make some suggestions about how his time and 
money could be more productively invested to help wildlife.

Meanwhile, you gotta problem.....good luck!
Bill Wells

laurief wrote:

> Hey Chris,
>
> >It seems to me that your successes will depend on how you manage to keep
> >your deer out.
>
> That's certainly part of it, but even without considering the deer,
> northern MN provides plenty of challenges for TBs.
>
> >  Excuse my ignorance here, but would some sort of scare
> >crow do the trick ?
>
> I doubt it.  Our local deer are quite tame.  My neighbor feeds a wild
> herd of up to 300 deer in severe winters and smaller numbers every
> winter.  In early spring when he starts tapering off on feeding, I
> inevitably end up with quite a few deer on my farm begging for food. 
> They stand in my front yard and stare in my windows until I go out to do
> barn chores.  Then they follow me across the yard and stand in the
> doorway of the barn until I relent and bring them the corn they so
> desperately need at that time of year.  Yes, I know, I shouldn't be
> encouraging them to stick around if I care about my irises, but I'm just
> not one to turn away an animal in need. 
>
> And dogs?  Forget it!  My three canine kids nap in the yard just feet
> away from where the deer feed.  As far as they're concerned, the deer are
> no different than the horses. As far as the deer are concerned, the dogs
> bear absolutely no resemblance to the coyotes and timber wolves of the
> surrounding forest.  If I'd had a camera in my hand at the proper moment,
> I could have posted a pic of one doe resting her nose on Raggie's back
> while he sniffed out bits of corn in the yard this spring.  Then there's
> the doe who used to stand at the edge of my iris beds and watch me weed
> ..
>
> >Moth balls ?
>
> Nope, too dangerous for the other 4-leggeds.
>
> > A couple hundred feet of 6 foot snow fence ?
>
> Possibly, but where would I get my hands on 6' snow fence???  All my snow
> fence is only about 4' high - and it was darned expensive at that height!
>
> >  What about a commercial deer repellent ?  Does this exist ?
>
> It exists, but I don't know if or how long it might actually be effective.
> >
> >What about actually feeding the deer ?
>
> Done that.  Doesn't help the irises any.
>
> >  Do they eat hay ?
>
> Rarely.  They prefer living vegetation or grains.
> >
> >Maybe you could plant some very inexpensive spring flowering bulbs that
> >you don't care much about to distract them from the iris fans.
>
> Anything I provide for them to eat will just lure more of them into my
> yard.  Again, it wouldn't save the irises - perhaps promote a faster
> death for them, though.  ;-)
>
> >These are just suggestions in hopes that you'll have a better bloom
> >season next year.
>
> Thanks, Chris.  I know you're trying to help.  A tall fence might be my
> only protective option.  I just don't know that I want to go to that sort
> of trouble and expense.  I'm more inclined to accept the deer as part of
> the natural selection process.  The irises that make it past that
> particular gauntlet can stay.  Those that succomb ... leave.
>
> Tough iris love here at Shadowood.
>
> Laurie
>
>
> -----------------
> laurief@paulbunyan.net
> http://www.geocities.com/lfandjg/
> zone 3b northern MN - clay soil
>
>
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