Oh deer!

[RonP]

I too have a local deer population that has little fear for us, pretty much a given they will be in close proximity every sunset or before a storm... My 2 and 4 year old daughters love it because they can generally get within about 30 feet and get a good close up view before the deer prance off... I also have an audience all winter long when I'm out moving snow and even when I'm mowing during the summer, they seem to enjoy watching me work even if I'm using noisy gas powered equipment... Luckily our garden borders the pasture our three cattle dogs share so the deer have not wandered into the garden, knock on wood...

The positive thing is that if the deer are so comfortable in the area that generally means the coyotes are not around...

Yes, they are beautiful, but be aware...

My english springer spaniel is well trained to the command "GETUM".

He knows on hearing this command that there are deer on the property, and it is his responsibility to chase them off and back into the woods.

He will circle the house and give chase for about 40 yards before returning victoriously for a treat.

All is well, until spring time just after they give birth.

BEWARE...

Like a scene from Jurassic Park.
Deer become fearless and attack.
Chased my poor dog unmercifully through the woods till he was back in the house.
I kept them at bay with a garden rake, they surely would have attacked me also.

Poor dog is kept on a leash for 2 or 3 weeks every year during this time for his own safety.

 

[MeepBeep]

BEWARE...

Like a scene from Jurassic Park.
Deer become fearless and attack.
Chased my poor dog unmercifully through the woods till he was back in the house.
I kept them at bay with a garden rake, they surely would have attacked me also.

Poor dog is kept on a leash for 2 or 3 weeks every year during this time for his own safety.

As a life long outdoors man and hunter I know full well that that the Disney manifested 'Bambi' image that many believe is fact, isn't reality...

 

[Suzie]

The deer here are clever...whenever the hunters are around they find safety with my horses and donkeys, they will graze contentedly in the same pastures as them, knowing that the hunters will not risk shooting them, my dogs do give chase but have not managed to catch one yet!

 

[RichnSteph]

Same issue here. We live on a heavily wooded piece of land and have deer every morning and evening. Well..... I did build a feeder and I put corn out for them so that might be why they show up.

Ah it's all good. They are cute, my 1 year old daughter squeals when she sees them and that makes it all worth it. We won't have a garden until next year and I'm got plenty of time to get a fence put up. I did plant a couple hundred sweet corn seeds around the place and with a few rain showers I've got 6" high plants all over. Surprisingly the deer are not eating the corn plants, they happily eat the corn out of the feeder and just as happily destroyed my avocado and pecan trees though.

 

[MeepBeep]

These pictures are horrible just had the phone handy with the digital zoom and they were taken at dusk so light was in short supply but you get the idea, wasn't exactly ready for a photo opportunity and wanted to keep a little distance back, as the deer were much more aware of me than the girls...

Anyway my two daughters were trying to share some crackers with the deer last night, and the deer were actually curious enough to not only stick around by the two (mini) bucks in the first picture actually started to approach the girls...

 

[RonP]

Nice, but If they stomp their hooves, back off and fast!

 

[RichnSteph]

Nice, but If they stomp their hooves, back off and fast!

Indeed! A 110lb whitetail can do a heck of a lot of damage to us thin skinned mammals.

 

[MeepBeep]

Nice, but If they stomp their hooves, back off and fast!

Yep fully aware they can be aggressive, but as you said like most animals they do warn and they were showing curiosity not aggression last night...

 

[RonP]

I now see fawns everywhere.

Safe to let the dog run again.

 

[1 old hen]

If deer are destroying garden then see post in pest and predators intitalled deer. It has photos and post on fencing I have been using and have had lots of luck with. The fencing depend on your size of gardens. My cost was around 450.00 but my fence was installed in stages as the deer became more problem, as my post were in and the lower fence was to about 12 years ago and the addition of the top fence and 45 angles was added 2 years ago. my garden is 135x115 as my daughter and family use it to, and we all can.