Been saving up some of the trail cam pics / videos for a post. We have been inundated with deer. OK, maybe not inundated, but there are quite a few around now. The first part of this post are the photos and then there are a few videos at the end.
Here is one casually strolling around at noon...
And at night...
And early morning when it's foggy...
And late at night when everyone is asleep...
And every time in between, ha.
They are just running around the front yard...
And over in the wooded area we cleared this year...
Look! It's a deer parade!
And here is one enjoying the midnight buffet of a hackberry tree.
2nd Family said there are two herds of deer that live on the large acreage behind us. They hop the fence to go to the pond next door for drink and then hop another fence to graze in our yard. "R" said if we put a pond in our front yard, they'd probably stay there all the time. For some reason they love our grass (maybe because I mow it constantly, it's different than the cattle grazing land behind us).
And check out this (albeit fogged up) morning video:
One...two...three...four!
We're torn on having deer on the property. They are beautiful creatures and we love to see them. We aren't hunters at all so they are safe on our land and in a way, we'd love for them to have a home at the front of our property where it's denser and we don't have the homestead and all the surrounding infrastructure. Of course we worry about the fruit trees and the garden. The fence around the garden is no match for deer and the fruit trees have zero protection.
So far, knock on wood, they have not done anything and they've been coming around for a long time, it's only now we have the actual video to know it. We read that some people put out deer feed to purposely bring them and it keeps them from eating their more valuable plants. We can easily do that. But then if we attract them, do we put more in the area and increase that chance anyway? Or is it that they are there anyway even without us adding food for them, so what does it matter?
Decisions decisions...
I love your dear pictures of your beautiful deer! The foggy pictures are especially appealing.
ReplyDeleteI think that since the deer have not harmed your garden and fruit trees yet, that they have enough natural food to satisfy them. Your regularly mowed yard always has fresh, tender grass so that may be the reason they frequent it.
Your Farm is such a haven for so much wildlife! I love seeing all your pictures of them. The trail cams were a really good idea.
That's a good point. There is a lot of natural food around. And 2nd Family's "R" said that they seem to love our grass, probably because we keep it mowed and 'freshly' growing.
DeleteThere is a lot of wildlife, we do enjoy that ('cept the snakes, ha)
Feeding them won't get them to leave the other stuff alone. And they have short memories. Just because they don't like chili peppers or marigolds won't stop them from tasting it every night just to be sure. And while they may not chomp it to the roots in one sitting because it tastes awful, doesn't do anything about the cumulative damage from nightly check-backs. At least 50% of my gardening time revolves around pest control. Some of our landscaping has to be fenced out all year. And the stuff that isn't fenced is never 100% safe. Even if it isn't to their liking. So every night I spend some time with the deer repellent and the Milorganite, and double checking the defenses. And even with all the vigilance, there will still be something that they eat the night before it was going to bloom. Might be geranium, might be iris, might be daylilly. You just never know. The one single thing that they will NOT ruin is daffodil. Everything else is at risk.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this info. I might have to get some repellent just to keep them away from certain areas. Plus I might have to make sure all future flowerbeds are types deer don't like, just to increase our odds (even if they do find some still tasty, ha). And daffodil, hmm, we can definitely look into that .
DeleteWhat great cam photos and videos.
ReplyDeleteYou need to put up a couple of DIY deer feeders and who knows what other wild life you may get.
I would place the feeders out in your wooded area tho.
Might consider putting up motion lights on your house. Maybe the motion light will keep the deer away from your fruit trees or consider adding deer fencing around your trees. (there are different types of deer fencing that can be used.
Thanks for sharing your cool cam pictures and videos
We do have two motion lights and they do click on and off, but apparently they aren't scared of that, ha. We'll do some research.
DeleteAs beautiful as they are,...you not only have deer, but a hackberry tree. Two things I do not miss about NC. But now, I fight iguanas and crabgrass.
ReplyDeleteI love your photos and videos!
LOL, I take it you remember them both well, ha. Thanks for the kind words, stay tuned for some more creatures, ha.
DeleteI live not far from you....in Bluebell ice cream country, and trust me when I say the deer will eventually find your garden. We have a 6 foot fence around our large garden. One year we planted watermelon in front on the garden because we ran out of space inside the fence and the deer quickly helped themselves to a meal. They ate everything I planted. They come so close to the house I've had them at my porch steps and my hot tub. Needless to say we no long plant anything outside the fence. We also have fruit trees. To protect them when they are young we make a cage of sorts from woven wire fencing. It has worked so far. It wouldn't be a bad idea to place a feeder far away from your garden and fruit trees. Make sure you have plenty deer corn in it. You can even get a timer to spin feed out at certain times per day. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteTiffany
Hi!!! You aren't far at all, love Bluebell that's for sure. Thanks for this info. Now I'm worried, though like I said, we've obviously had them for awhile and so far so good but maybe it is because the natural food is better. That's why I wondered about a feeder far away to keep them elsewhere on the property. We'll see. Need to do some research. Thanks so much and comment anytime!!! We appreciate words of experience, ha.
DeleteI agree they are lovely creatures to watch but they do incredible damage. I don't understand the "feed them" routine. They do not need to become dependent upon you. They're wild animals - keep them that way. Everything you've planted needs protection and starting before they discover it. We used to live on 8 acres and there was plenty for the deer to eat in the woods and fields but what I planted was also an attraction to them so I had to stop them. They tend to follow the same paths to eat and I interrupted those paths and they created new ones away from my yard.
ReplyDeleteGood luck. You'll need it.
I just read about the feed them thing. I can see that side though about becoming dependent. Thanks for the advice and words of wisdom!!!
DeleteAs for how close they will get to the house. We always fenced our arbovitae trees. Which are delicacy numero uno for deer. And that worked until the trees got taller than the 6 foot fence and the deer stood on the deck railing, 10 feet from the door and ate everything above the fence. No more arborvitae. They also eat barberry and spruce believe it or not. No thorn is too much for them.
ReplyDeleteWow! That's crazy! They are pretty eaters I guess, ha. thanks for the info.
DeleteIsn't it great fun to see what goes on when you are away or at night? I have two trail cams up much of the year and always enjoy checking to see what creature have come to visit.
ReplyDeleteYou were one of the blogs that inspired us to want trailcams! So thank you!
DeleteCheck out info on double fencing. Don't feed them. There is plenty of food unless there is a famine where you are. Protect the trees because they will eat them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, this sounds like sound advice!
DeleteWhat to do? What to do? They are so beautiful, but they do so much damage. We saw deer constantly when we lived in the country in Illinois. Some people up the street put out an old wagon with corn on it to occupy the deer. I didn't have a garden, and we had a very tall fence around our backyard. The dogs barked at the deer, but they weren't a problem for us other than the fear that we would hit one with the car. It happened to me once in Maryland and I thought I was going to die as the deer slid across the hood of the car but as I slammed on the brakes, fell off before hitting and possibly coming through the windshield. My car was in the garage for weeks. Moreover, it was a very emotional experience for me because I had killed such a beautiful creature. But I didn't hit the deer. The deer hit me. It ran straight into my car.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
They are beautiful indeed. Something so peaceful about watching them. But they do damage things. Sigh. I can't even imagine how you felt, grateful you were ok, and that's always first importance, but it would make me sad too. Hugs to you!
DeleteHugs back to you. I went home and cried that night.
DeleteThey will eat everything in sight. You will see 'rubs' on smaller trees that shreds the bark down to the wood. The reason bucks do that is to mark territory and to itch the velvet on their antlers. Have fed about 30 at a time at the farm - generations of them. Whole corn, but it will keep them around to feast on that which you don't want them to. Menaces for the home gardener. Mine even started eating all the lily pads in my goldfish pond.
ReplyDeleteSupposedly, if you guys pee outside near your plants the deer will stay away. I saw that factoid in the movie Doc Hollywood. Sounds silly but if it works...?
ReplyDeleteI tried that around my roses...it didn't work! :) No, I didn't pee outside! LOL!
DeleteHi 1st Man, I think the deer are a blessing. Yes, they eat everything near and dear (ha!) to the garden...if it were me, I'd protect the garden and build a deer feeder...they love apples, but you need to be able to afford to feed them. I think being overrun with deer is a good thing, mind you, they are my spirit animal so having them around me always makes me feel good. :) Now, if it were coyotes or skunks...I'd have a different outlook!!!
ReplyDeleteif you feed them more will come. then they will for sure strip your trees of all their bark and they will die. You could shield the trees with wire mesh. But they will just stand up on the trunk and eat higher up.
ReplyDelete1st Man,
ReplyDeleteI see your critter camera's are working well😊
Nice deer pictures and videos. I don't worry to much about the wildlife here. We moved into their territory, I respect them, and put out corn, grapes, and apples for them. My garden will have a tall fence and chicken wire barried to prevent garden damage.
I was looking at another blog that showed deer protection for trees. They had stood four pallets up to form a square barrier for trees. This might not be tall enough or wide enough. I don't know.
ReplyDelete