It's difficult for the gardener to appreciate the finer qualities of Bambi while watching one knee-deep in a flower bed, munching away on precious plants. What's not eaten or torn up is stomped into the ground. A creature that weighs between one hundred fifty and three hundred pounds (68 - 136kg), no matter how nimble, can wreak tremendous damage simply walking on the soft soil of the garden bed.
When we first moved to this property, nearly thirty years ago, a deer sighting was a treat. After about ten or fifteen years of intense development in the area - as well as the garden - the treat became a trauma; a daily tally of plants destroyed or damaged. So began the battle of wits with Bambi, employing nearly every deterrent available on the market or brewed in the kitchen.
Whitetail Tales
Fawns are enchanting creatures. Huge brown eyes, out of scale ears, big rubbery black noses atop spindly legs that propel them as fast as greased lightening once they get them operating properly - which happens only a few hours after birth.
I spent two years clearing and building the deer fence. The second spring, I'd only gotten about half the way around the garden. One day, while working on the fence, I spotted a doe in the old veggie garden and went after her. She ran and I literally stumbled over a fawn. It must have almost brand new, because I was able to scoop it up - never got that close to it again.
Deer are basically silent animals although you couldn't have told that from this fawn. The moment I picked it up, it started bawling at the top of its little lungs. You would have thought I was beating it instead of gingerly carrying it as carefully as I could.
For quiet creatures, deer have a surprising repertoire of sounds. Young fawns bleat and older deer can sound like a hoarse sheep. When startled, they can make a very loud raspy honking blat - almost a scream. They can also whistle and snort through their noses. They do a lot of foot-stamping communication which sets up a vibration that can be felt by other deer over some distance.
Arms full of bleating baby, I headed for the east gate in the fence. Depositing the baby gently outside the fence, I retreated some distance and continued working, hoping the doe would come get it.
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6.
Feb 9, 2004 1:21 PM
In response to message posted by biogardener:
Good; you're ahead of the game there, Traute. Once your willows get mature, the ...
-- posted by Marge_Talt
5.
Feb 8, 2004 11:06 PM
Yes, I have been watching the wire mesh and snipping it where necessary to make sure that the trees can grow normally. I have even pulled some of the wraps off and used them on younger trees. I got ...
-- posted by biogardener
4.
Feb 8, 2004 10:38 PM
In response to message posted by biogardener:
Yes, Traute, wire mesh will keep the blighters from eating trees. You may have ...
-- posted by Marge_Talt
3.
Feb 8, 2004 3:46 AM
I have a lot of deer on my 20 acres of country property where I have been planting trees. Three years ago, they discovered my willows which I had grown in the low-lying areas by simply sticking branc ...
-- posted by biogardener
2.
Feb 7, 2004 12:36 PM
In response to message posted by Howie:
LOL Howie...your traveling tag - eat venison - totally cracked me up!
Well, like I ...
-- posted by Marge_Talt
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