Last year was the first we heard of deer in the area. They only ate 2 Sally and Bobs last year.
This year, there are tracks to the middle of my bed. Only a few leaves eaten....Sally and Bob again...AND....in a separate bed, EVERY...SINGLE...LEAF... of my new Blue Lightning!
Denise, I hope your next post is titled "Deer that tastes good" (I have a few recipies if you need them )
I get an occasional deer through here even though I don't live next to a creek or timber. This year they "topped" one of my tomatoes and trapesed through a seedling bed (and missed all the seedlings, some which were smaller than their tracks) before munching on new growth on an apple tree. Last fall they munched down two streaked seedlings given to me by a friend and although the hostas made it back this year they are much smaller than the third one and I'm sure I lost a year's growth. My worst encounter with them was when they munched off the scapes on a few breeders which were already pollinated and labeled.
Hope they recover nicely for you and the deer find a new place to browse. I'd be thinkin' of some extra protection for that Sally and Bob.
LOL DH would be happy to take care of that deer if he could...he's a bow hunter. No recipes needed! City limits...poaching....I'd be happy if it would just GO AWAY!!!!
Denise! send your DH to me for a few days! There is a yearling buck that has taken up residence IN MY BACK YARD! WHen I go out to shoo him, he doesn't even run anymore, just sort of ambles away into the woods. Here is there right now, as I type, bedded down under a tree that is canopied in wild grapes and honeysuckle. It will be breakfast soon and he and his woodchuck pal will be wandering my yard in search of tastiness
I am going through gallons of liquid fence because this bugger is so persistent!
Alexa
Last edited by caliloo on Jun 12, 2009 6:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Spring - An experience in immortality.
- Henry D. Thoreau
Gosh , Denise. I'm sorry the deer is finding your hostas so tasty, but please don't direct it my way. I'm really surprised that we haven't had a deer problem in the past. I have a huge field behind my house and we've seen deer many, many times, but they seldom come this way. *knock on wood* A friend of mine mixes up a recipe that he found in one of those Jerry Baker books and he swears it works well. You might want to go to the library and check that out. Wouldn't hurt to try and it might be cheaper than buying the Liquid Fence at the store.
not only in city limits, but in a fully settle suburb and within sight of the beltline freeway - always amazed at the adaptability of the wildlife...
so far, deer have been staying outside my fence for a change... haven't seen the coyote in over a month... we think foxes have denned up in our "back forty" - have seen them two at a time, and the big one has come up on our deck to chase the chipmunks and generally irritate our indoor cats - and we've had a surprisingly small number of rabbits this year...
we've found that while a pellet gun isn't going to kill a deer, that a few stinging BB shots can make it more likely to seek out other locales to hang out in...
I hear your pain. Early this year our "herd" was hanging around. When I see them, I usually let the dogs out, who chase them to the property line and come back - the deer seem to know where the line ends and will stop there! There is one good size doe who had been hit by a car and has no use for one of her front legs. She first showed up last fall - I felt sorry for her, since her mobility was seriously limited, and I didn't think she'd make it through the winter and the coyotes. I wouldn't let the dogs go on her & her yearling fawn. Well she made it through the winter all right, snacking from my bird feeder and various neighbors plants. Problem was spring, that she because of her limited mobility she thought she'd found a buffet - my hostas! I started not feeling so sorry for her - starting letting the dogs go (she could still run ok on 3 legs, just couldn't walk well). DH has a game cam, which he puts out in our woods when not being used for hunging to see what happens all hours of the day (we've gotten some great wildlife shots) so we knew she was seriously hanging around. She mowed down at least 15 of my hostas early - and they have all rebounded very well. And (knock wood) I haven't seen the doe on in person or on the game cam pics in over a month, so hopefully she found some easier pickings elsewhere. Or if she met her end, hopefully it was quick.
Saw 2 deer in the yard yesterday again...this time just eating leaves off the apple trees. My pug is not much help...he was out too, and didn't even see them.
They ate the tops of my blue baloon flowers and the top of my Mrs Black Dahlia.... but nothing else, and I too live in a city! I'm hoping the balloon flowers will send out side shoots with more buds, otherwise they won't be blooming at all this year.
Before criticizing someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them you will be a mile away and have their shoes!
Last year was the first we heard of deer in the area. They only ate 2 Sally and Bobs last year.
