Re: Deer Trouble

Just lay out land mines!


----------
> From: Michael Cohill <mcohill@neo.lrun.com>
> To: pumpkins@athenet.net
> Subject: Deer Trouble
> Date: Thursday, October 30, 1997 1:13 PM
> 
> If you can't shoot'em:
> 	My house overlooks the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area and we
> have huge herds of deer.  Right now there is a movment to start shooting
> deer in the National Park.  The herds have grown so large so quickly they
> are endangering people (highest deer / car accident rate in the US,) deer
> ticks bite children, farmer's crops are being destroyed, gardens
decimated,
> local flora being wiped out, etc.  This past winter many yearlings died
of
> starvation.  It's feared desease will spread through the deer population,
> etc. 
> 	As you can imagine the idea of shooting deer in a National Park is very
> controversial.  Every other method of controlling the population and
> preventing crop distruction is being considered, even birth control at
$250
> per doe. (Not much hope for that last option.)
> 	Two of the most succesful options small truck farmers and gardeners have
> tried are as follows;
> 
> 1.  Get a dog and allow it the run of your property, especially at day
> break.  Obtain dog hair from your local dog clipper and spread it around
> the perimeter of your garden.  This is what I do.  We have many deer
visit
> during the winter and very early spring.  Then I start letting my dog (a
> large mix) spend more time outside and the local groomer is more than
happy
> to be rid of their bags of fur before garbage day.
> 
> 2.  I've seen deer jump an 8 foot fence topped with barbed wire (an
> electrical station of some kind)  standing perfectly still, then boom! 
> they spring over the fence like it wasn't even there. It is real spooky
how
> they do that. 
> 	Instead of building an up-right fence, a few gardeners have started to
lay
> and stretch a chain link fence on the ground.  This seems to work like an
> invisable 20 foot brick wall.  The deer will not step on the fence.  It
has
> something to do with some kind of fear for their hooves.  And it's as
> though they can not judge how far this ground fence goes back so they do
> not attempt to jump it.  When they panic, they run around the fence -
I've
> not heard a deer psychologist's explination of why.
> 
> 	Of course, neither are fool proof, they are more preventative in nature.
> If deer really want in your garden. . . if they are starving, etc. . . . 
> well then?
> 
> So Marv - I'm not saying the new 7 foot fence you're building won't keep
> the deer out, but prehaps you can use it to cage in that giant pumpkin,
> keep it from running away and terrorizing downtown Altoona.  
> 
> Michael in Akron
> mcohill@neo.lrun.com
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