What do deer eat and don't eat?

[asprince]

Deer will also eat pecans. One year our trees were loaded and I paid someone to shake my trees so I could harvest all the nuts at once rather than waiting for them to fall. We waited a couple of days to harvest and there was nothing but lots and lots of shells under the trees. Not a single nut was left.

Steve

[JP]

Deer get used to lights and barking dogs, amongst other things.


...JP

[BjornBee]

You could put a small radio out near the garden and leave it playing talk radio all night on low volume. I've heard that works.

[Keith13]

Deer get used to lights and barking dogs, amongst other things.


...JP

But they never get used to a case of lead poison :devilbanana: :devilbanana:

Keith

[doak]

I tried the radio thing. Don't work. The deer only changed channels  :shock: :roll: :) ;)doak

[Brian D. Bray]

I tried the radio thing. Don't work. The deer only changed channels  :shock: :roll: :) ;)doak

Abd stood there for hours listening to Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, and easy listening. :-D

[fermentedhiker]

i've used coyote urine(don't ask me how they get it  ;) ) from agway.  They stayed away until it ran out.  Being browsers they periodically check things so they'll get you when you've not paying attention.

[Scadsobees]

Abd stood there for hours listening to Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, and easy listening. :-D

Naw...they get really paranoid and walk around looking for aliens.  Ever listened to that overnight stuff? :-D

Coyote urine...have you considered sending some boys out there to "mark" the area?  (paid to pee outdoors?  Like a boy's dream come true!!)  Seemed to work for coons in my little corn patch.

[Brian D. Bray]

Abd stood there for hours listening to Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh, and easy listening. :-D

Naw...they get really paranoid and walk around looking for aliens.  Ever listened to that overnight stuff? :-D

Coyote urine...have you considered sending some boys out there to "mark" the area?  (paid to pee outdoors?  Like a boy's dream come true!!)  Seemed to work for coons in my little corn patch.

Just be sure to pee higher on the tree than the deer or coyote can.  After all higher up the trunk means bigger and meaner.

[JP]

Human pee actually attracts deer.


...JP

[pdmattox]

You could put a small radio out near the garden and leave it playing talk radio all night on low volume. I've heard that works.

That will only work for a few days. In fact anything you do other than a high fence will not stop them.  I have done all of what has been suggested and the one thing that will slow them down is a depravation permit. I even tried a propane powered air cannon and they were out the next nite eating away. They even got used to me shooting them, one would drop and the others would just look on and say oh well we are gonna keep eating.  Good luck.

[David LaFerney]

a better question would be, "What do deer not eat?" They will eat tomato plants;

They sure will.  I sat in my truck while one browsed on my tomato vines near the end of the the season a couple of summers ago.  There was plenty of food available, she was eating them because she liked it.

Lat year I built a 6' electric (over wire mesh) fence too.  End of problem - so far.

[David LaFerney]

As my watermelons were about ready to harvest, something busted every one and ate the center. I blamed it on the deer. They will always eat my peas, but do not touch the butter beans.

Steve

I've had that experience with cantaloupes - but I'm pretty sure it was raccoons.

[mypestguy]

hey all I do nuisance wildlife work as a profession. Bees is more of a hobby that I truly hope to dedicate more time too. I can however answer any of your nuisance wildlife questions. One of the services we do offer is deer depredation.I am not trying to sell you my services but just want to pass on some info and help out.

Deer honestly will eat most anything and even in the dead of winter will eat things they pass up year round. Just like you and me, sometimes I want a burger other times I want steak and lobster. They love most any thing green we plant, and love our fruits,berries and vegetables as do most wildlife.If you ever looked around a forest even you would choose the best meals available.

Deer are now in great numbers across the United States and have been managed so well since the 30"s that many are finding urban locations the best place to call home. Hunting does not reduce their numbers well enough and for all those animal rights folks the herds just bigger each year and I expect them to be a bigger problem in years to come. The only thing to stop them is disease which usually happens with any wildlife that has too large of populations.

The best way to control deer is fencing, the problem is they can get over or knock down most fences so they need to be high(8'ft or greater) or or have two fences to stop them from getting a running start to get over them say about four feet between the two fences. The best repellant on the market is Bitrix.


If you want to stop snakes,moles,gophers and other burrowing animals from entering it takes a little more work and I recommend burying hardware cloth as a underground fence to stop them from gaining access from below fences.

[tshnc01]

I have a double electric fence, one with 3 strands and one with a single strand spaced about 3 feet apart(it messes up their depth perception).  Each spring I "bait" the fence by putting a bit of peanut butter every 40-50 feet.  A shock trains them pretty quickly.

...Tim

[DayValleyDahlias]

What deer do not eat, in my yard that is:

Nandina Domestica
Carex grasses
Rhodedendron
Clivia
Armeria
Society Garlic
Ferns
Corokia
Cistus
Purple Sage
Olea
Pineapple Guava
Pink Jasmine
Brugmansia
Leaves of Cymbidium Orchid
Grevellia
Eucalyptus

[mypestguy]

I find it is all seasonal. In the coldest days of winter when absolutely nothing is left they will eat all kinds of things they leave alone the rest of the year promise.If you care to listen to a few guys who address these problems for a living.

Deer Control Podcast http://recordings.talkshoe.com/TC-16456/TS-182185.mp3

Here is a podcast we did on Jan 16, 2009 on this topic.



Mike Flick the host,of owner of Anytime Animal Control operates 28 offices, found in eight states, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Missouri, New York,and in Wisconsin.

Mike offers consumers free tips they can do on their own to prevent deer damage each winter.

Food for deer become quite scarce as they like other animals compete with other species for food to graze on. As seasons change, the preferred food sources of deer change as well. The evergreen shrubs that the deer ignored while they were munching on your leafy garden in the summer months suddenly look pretty appealing in the late fall and winter when most plants have either dropped their leaves or disappeared by going dormant or dying. Deer develop new browsing trails as food sources change with the seasons, and repeatedly follow them through the season until new food sources begin to appear.

The most effective solution is fencing, and it has to be high, eight feet or more. For those of you with severe deer feeding pressure, this is probably your only real choice.There are repellents on the market but many of them are often impractical .

[BjornBee]

Thank you for all the suggestions and tips.

I have a fence that so far has kept the deer out. Two weeks ago, I was pulling some left over straw off the remaining strawberry plants and uncovered a rabbit nest. I thought how funny that I have a fence, and the rabbit goes inside (where the cats normally are not) and has her litter in the middle of the raised strawberry box...  :roll:

[doak]

I have 5 wires, top not 5 ft. high. The first night one wire got broke. No more wires get broke till I turn it off in the fall after all "MY" crop is in storage, they can have what is left. It's bow season by then. You cannot hear a bow fired from a great distance. But the meat is just as good. :roll: :-D :)doak