I hate deer

[Andy Carson]

I see in my future growing one acre plots of field crops a battle with deer. It doesn’t help that I have planned to stagger the harvest of these crops. This makes for a more managable work load for me, but could also make for a year round feast for the deer. My neighbor told me that the corn that was planted on the field last year was barely worth harvesting because of the deer, so it is going to be a problem… I am interested if anyone has any legal methods of preventing deer from eating all my hard work. I have thought about fencing the whole damn field, but would like to investigate any less drastic and costly measures. Any tips are greatly appreciated. Any thoughts about putting up a “Please kill my deer” sign?

[Joshua Kingsley]

some wildlife agencys will give farmers a permit for removal of unwanted wildlife. That means the freezer is full and no cattle have to be culled for some people.

[KGerstner89]

@Joshua Kingsley 18864 wrote:

some wildlife agencies will give farmers a permit for removal of unwanted wildlife. That means the freezer is full and no cattle have to be culled for some people.

They do this in Texas you would get a tag for 50 bucks and does combined.

[Carl Russell]

Let’s have a DAP deer weekend at Andy’s.

Carl

[goodcompanion]

I knew a farmer over in New York State who would put a dead one on a post near a garden plot. Maybe nothing smells worse to a deer than a dead deer? Gross method, I guess it worked. When the carcass rotted below a certain stink threshold he shot another one and hung it up in its place. Sort of the farmer-gardener’s version of the medieval crime deterrent of the criminal’s head on a pike above the castle wall.

[jen judkins]

You need dogs, Andy. They need to piss on the perimeter of your fields. I had oodles of deer my first year here. With 5 dogs on the place….have only seen them in the distance since. They don’t come near the house or my crops.

[blue80]

coyote pee works too, but a bit tricky to get safely:D

Actually we gave some to my fatherinlaw for fathers day a few years ago, he said it worked….I think we got in online…

Kevin

[Andy Carson]

Jennifer,
Thanks for the advice. I have to say I laughed at the contrast between the advice and your sign off phrase. One might say that this is a case where “leaving a mark is NOT highly over-rated” 🙂 By the way, is it mostly the urine smell that is repelant or does there have to be an intimidating doggy presence as well? I have a couple pugs, and I would laugh if a deer (or anything for that matter) ran away from them, but maybe deer wouldnt know that the urine came from a silly little dog…

I’ll also check into the permit business as well. I do not relish the idea of killing lots of deer, mostly because of legal issues. I am doubtful, however, that bagging my legal limit is going to have any effect… By the way, what’s with this emphasis on hunting bucks??? Don’t deer qualify as a pest by now and doesn’t that mean most hunters are killing the wrong sex???

[KGerstner89]

Deers ain’t really qualified as pest the reason hunters can take both sexes is it gives them more chances to bag a deer. Most hunters now pass on small bucks so that they can grow bigger the next year, does are usually harvest for there meat but some of them can be a trophy to kids who go out on there first hunting trip. Another thing if your state gives out a culavation tag you can invite out frends and family to come hunt any time of the year.

[jen judkins]

@Countymouse 18876 wrote:

By the way, is it mostly the urine smell that is repelant or does there have to be an intimidating doggy presence as well? I have a couple pugs, and I would laugh if a deer (or anything for that matter) ran away from them, but maybe deer wouldnt know that the urine came from a silly little dog…

I think it is the smell or marking of territory. We only have one big dog and he is new. Two yorkies that weigh less than 5 lbs and two toy poodle crosses, maybe 10-15 lbs each. So size doesn’t really matter. Interestingly we just installed an invisible fence for them to keep them out of the road and pasture. I wonder if the deer will come back to the pasture. Thankfully all the garden is within the perimeter. Good Luck. Take your pugs for a walk!

[mitchmaine]

andy, you can walk that perimeter and leave your own mark, too. deer don’t like people anymore than they like dogs.

mitch

[jen judkins]

See guys can get away with looking cool doing that…:eek:

[Carl Russell]

I would be cautious about trusting urine alone. Deer are pretty clever, and they know when there is nothing there to chase them. You can by all types of predator urine from trapping suppliers.

As an alternative to the dead deer on a fence post you can get road kill and have blood meal made. Like whole deer sausage. When hung in muslin bags from branches and fence posts it will provide that alarming odor of dead brethren.

Either way, letting them know that a predator is on premises will be most effective. Scaring them away with dogs, or by shooting at them. Otherwise I know in VT there are folks who make some portion of their livelihood killing crop destroying deer. It is legal here, and it could be the simplest solution…hire a predator.

Carl

[cousin jack]

@mitchmaine 18880 wrote:

andy, you can walk that perimeter and leave your own mark, too. deer don’t like people anymore than they like dogs.

mitch

Don’t try this if the fence is electrified 😮

[Matthew]

@mitchmaine 18880 wrote:

andy, you can walk that perimeter and leave your own mark, too. deer don’t like people anymore than they like dogs.

mitch

If you do this walk backwards when peeing so you dont get your shoes.:D

I have heard human hair from a barber shop is supost to work, I couldn’t tell you if it works. I think a electric fence is the only way to keep them out, it is the cheepest and most efective fence. You dont need posts that close together but you do need some hight so they cant jump the fence. Orchards by me use electric fence on a inward slant so they can’t jump over. Just last week my wife said look there are two deer in our pasture, I watched them walk through a 4 stran barbed wire fence with wire 12 inches apart like it wasen’t even there. They just steped through and didn’t even slow them down.

I planted three acres of pumpkins a few years ago and the deer destroyed them they ate some took bites out of others (can’t sell with chunck missing) and roled others with thair hoofs killing the vine.

[Author]

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