This is war!

Overnight.....and in the rain....... something completely destroyed Geisha, Lunar Orbit, Sun Power, Sagae, Revolution and some Lady's Mantle and pansies. It's hard to find hoof prints in mulch. It looks like my lovelies were run over with a lawn mower set very low. Geisha was doing so well, and the others had barely unfurled a leaf. How dare they. The woods are absolutely filled with tender shoots of everything. I usually don't get into trouble until late summer or early fall. The hooved rats just walked down the driveway and started nibbling away.

Alright, I'm finished carrying-on......for the time being. Time to get out there and protect what's left with some more Liquid Fence.

Marie

You have my deepest sympathies on your loss. This is ghastly!

oh no...........!
Those are some lovelies....they really know how to pick 'em! Hopefully they will put out fresh leaves in short order.

And I thought that deer did not care for Lady's Mantle....criminy, they truly should not be THAT hungry!

I hope they back off........make haste w/ the liquid fence ;0)

The deer eat Lady's Mantle here too and pulmonaria. Boy, I hate those critters in my yard - lol. The problem is here there are way too many and they've eaten all the edible stuff in the woods, so they like the gardens.
Pam

Oh Marie, I'm so sorry.... I'm begining to fee the influx of deer here too now that I no longer have horses on the property... Hooved rats is right... Pretty hooved rats, but hooved rats just the same... I'm so sorry...

Diann

The good news is that I spent time today spraying Liquid Fence, and spreading Milorganite and slug bait. I just dare anything to munch on my plants. The bad news is that I found much more damage. I counted 8 Gold Standards and 3 young Sum and Substance that were also eaten down to the ground. They were hardly up so I guess that they were really tasty. The Gold Standards were mostly the ones near the end of a border I have, and the Sum and Substance were in a nice grouping right behind the border. I am so not happy with these varmints. Maybe I won't worry about saving my pick-up the next time I brake for them as I'm coming down the road. At least I've got insurance on the vehicle.

It's not nice to mess with my hostas.

Marie

Oh NO! Marie, I hope you win the war - or at least a battle.

Ann

I will not accept defeat. Now why can't they munch on ALL of that tasty creeping charlie? I am hopeful that since the hostas are just coming up that they can send up some new leaves. Those four Lady's Mantle were some of the first things to come up this spring and they were just so lovely. There are still some leaves left, so perhaps they will fill out again. Wouldn't you know it......the plain old green hostas that I inherited from my grandma were't even touched and they weren't even three feet away from the carnage. At least the deer have good taste.

Marie

Marie, that just terrible!!! I'd be fightin mad! Does the Liquid Fence work if you put it out often enough?
I have 2 eyes of Revolution. If yours doesn't come back, let me know.

Debbie

Debbie,

You are so sweet. I'm sure the hostas will recover eventually. Their roots weren't damaged.....just everything above ground.

The Liquid Fence works as good as anything I guess. I should have gotten it sprayed sooner. I just don't usually have a problem this time of year. I think that the smell of the Milorganite also keeps them away. I got that down earlier last year, so maybe that's why I didn't have the problem.

I get mad at myself and the deer everytime I see (or think) about those beautiful damaged plants.

Marie

Marie,

Like Steve told me,,,,a night vision scope and a silencer,,,,We could have a venison feed,,,LOL

So sad to hear of your lunchable lovelies. They'll come back,,,just stinks that all the first growth got munched,,,,grrrrrr

Yeah, but.....all I've got is a .22 ,and HELLO.....it's not deer hunting season. The DNR would have my butt in no time. Nothing happens around here that everyone doesn't know about in 15 minutes. I don't hate the deer.....I just hate them in MY YARD !!!

How awful for you. I can't imagine having the deer problems that some of you experience.

Hugs for you to help you feel better.
Lani

Ok, so get the rifle and the silencer and shoot the deer AND then run over it with your truck! Less damage to the truck that way. You got to think these thing through, girl!! :) lol *just kidding*

I'm thinking that your hosta will come back bigger than before because the dear deer did munch on them. I know that if you step on the emerging hosta eyes that it spurs something in the host to regenerate more eyes, thus, a bigger and fuller hosta. Let's hope that deer munching will do the same...

Diann

You bet, Ticker, I've found that to be the case too when it's this early in the season - and get that Plantskyyd on them - I've got rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and seven (I've counted them) deer that come through here and they have left all the plants alone since I put Plantskyyd on -

I went out about a month ago and saw about 10 munched on so I can feel your pain - devastating! Dax

Marie, I haven't had deer problem yet. They are here because I see them in our field behind the house. I read somewhere if you sting up fishing line around the area they are using, about 2ft and 4 ft high, they cannot see it and bump into it and then avoid the area. Has anyone tried this? It may work. I know it sounds redneck, but we always have fishing line around with bass fishermen in the house. I would be trying everything! Do you have dogs outside?
Teresa

Marie so sorry to hear those darn animals got to your plants> It is so disheartening to see them munched away. I must have a rabbit playing in my yard , only a couple have been munched on, almost very selectivly. Usually the deer come through and eat right down the edge of my gardens.( Or maybe I missed a couple with liquid fence.) But anyway, I need to get to the store today and buy some more.

Elaine

You are all so kind and understanding. I don't have a dog....just two cats who aren't much help with deer. I don't know if the fishing line will work since they walk right up my driveway sometimes. I've come down the road on my way home at night and as I've come around the corner seen them running out my driveway and up the hill on the other side of the road. I live in a heavily wooded area.

Good idea about shooting it first and then driving over it. Easy on the vehicle but perhaps overkill in the revenge department.

I haven't been able to find Plantskydd in the area, but perhaps I can find it on-line.

I am hopefull that my plants will recover.....and bigger and better would be great.

Marie

Marie, you can shoot them legally if they are in your vegetable garden. Maybe you could stick a veggie in there. LOL

We also eat venison. We have it in the deep freezer.

This message was edited May 10, 2006 10:58 AM

I don't think that's legal in Wisconsin......but if it is.....I've got access to vegie plants.

See, that is where running over them after they are dead with the truck comes in. That way, the DNR won't notice that you blew it's head off with a deer slug, er, or maybe they might anyway.. Better stick to Plant Skid and stuff like that. I have put out things called Deer Fortress and it seems to work ok.. Supposed to last most all season. We'll see...

Diann

Hi ya'll. We have a terrible deer problem down here. Our deer are much smaller than yours partly because they don't get enough to eat. And that means they graze on lovelies 24-7. We live on the edge of town, but never had them in our yard, until DH planted grapevines. They came in and ate the grape leaves and then started on my roses. I have about 22 antique roses. They pretty well stripped them as far up as they could reach. Fortunately they never got up close to the house where the hostas are.
Our solution was to rig a motion sensor in the area they liked to munch and ran an extension cord into the house (really long extension cord) and plugged it into a blender in the bedroom. We started out having it activated only when we went to bed, but they started munching earlier and earlier. So we turned it on about 8 pm. I was sitting on the bed watching TV with the cat in my lap, when blender went off. The cat dug her claws into my legs and shot out of the room. After I came out of the bathroom after doctoring my legs, I mentioned to DH that maybe we should find something besides a blender to use as an alarm. We harvested 4 or 5 deer that way. I guess mother nature hasn't replaced them yet, because we haven't had any more in our yard since. Here in Fredericksburg, you can protect your property even when it's not deer season.

I know it's not hunting season, but just shoot the darned thing at like 3 a.m., take care of what needs to be done with it and I'll come over and help you cut it up.

As far as the neighbors,,,,just keep a BB gun by the door and if the DNR comes a knockin' tell them your neighbors are nuts,,,,the deer ran away,,,they just didn't see it run.

when i lived on long island the deer ate an entire driveway of newly planted day lillies one night. a local nursery suggested putting dried coyote blood around them. they grew up and were never touched (i reapplied it after a good rain). dooley

dooley,

Where would one get dried coyote blood? Is that something they sell as a deterrent?

Kelly

It had to be a deer. Well you know what I would do no need to say more.

Kelly there is no determent that you are just going to throw out and it will repel deer. you need to put shed from mooseka out in the yard in dark corners and in places that a deer might think he would be lying in wait. That might help. that is what I do when i sprinkle my deer shoo out there. I have heard of people that use bells and sirens attached to triggers to keep them out and after tripping the thing a few times and running off 100 yards an d watchinbg they loose the fear of it all. I am sorry that thing have come to the piont where there just is not room for a over population of deer and man. but i will protect mine no matter what it cost the deer.

oz,

I'm in town so I really don't have to worry a whole lot about deer,,,although,,,we have had some in the field across from us and a Doe ran through our yard once during hunting season. Also noticed what I thought were deer tracks by the garbage one morning when we had a hard frost. Bill told me I was nuts deer wouldn't come this close to town. Methinks he's the one who's nuts,,,cause they do.

I usually have more damage from squirrles and rabbits.

Marie is in a heavily wooded area right on a lake. I'm surprised she hasn't gotten run over by them.

I tried dried coyote urine once. Supposedly the deer would be afraid to cross it. I sprinkled the perimeter of my hostas, and then the next night watched from the house as the deer gently walked over it and bent to nibble my hostas. That would be when I went flying out the door yelling and waving my hands at the varmints. So much for the coyote urine. I've had good luck with the Liqiud Fence, and for some reason they don't seem to like the smell of Milorganite either. I do think tho that as the deer get used to one product that you have to switch around.,,,trying to be smarter than the deer.

I'm not the one that planning to be run over. (Yeh yeh yeh venison.)

Want some hair to sprinkle around? I can start saving it again.

I've actually used cat hair, but it had no effect. The cat hair didn't bother the squirrels either. I guess my cats aren't scary enough.

Then they're not scardy cats,,,ahhhh,,,,,roflol,,,,can you tell I'm getting slap happy and Need to go to bed,,,,

I have heard of folks going to a hairdresser for human hair.

Kelly----- My son is a contractor and constantly works in the in the St Louis metro area and encounters deer on a regular basis. One of the largest deer ever recorded was found dead in the woods along the Missouri River in St louis County. The area is a industrial park and gambling area. It lies very close to the Hwy 70 Bridges. Milions of people around that area all the time. My son regularly encounters dear in subdivisions with lots of less than 3/4 acre. Yuo have deer in your area I am certain of it.

oz,

Yes we do. I have seent hem first hand. Last hunting season one ran right through my yard,,,couldn't believe it. I went out to take pics of the prints in the snow cause I Knew Bill wouldn't believe me.

He called later that day and I told him they were all suckers, I coulda had my deer from the Salon window,,,he didn't think I was very funny,,,they had been hunting for 2 days and he hadn't seen anything.

I've also had a customer that lives kitty corner from the back of my house tell me that one morning she got up Really early to get a drink of water and looked out her kitchen window and saw a deer right be my deck.

I have decided that deer are born having a death wish

Kelly-----You know what happened to them. They entered the deer's domain. You were allready in it. That deer that ran through your yard has seen I bet a lot of humans on a daily basis. You go look for them in there domain and they know you are there. If you do see them it is because they do not consider you a threat. Most good deer hunters I know put up tree stands weeks before the season. They also go back and check on it and spend time scoutiong from it. I got a notion the deer start to accept their presents.

oz,

They are spooked cause they are running. I agree though,,,they seem to be used to humans.

Kelly-----They are used to humans are they would not even be in the yard. Running they would do anyway. They are not going to let you walk up to them. At this time of year if there is a doe and she does not spook you stay away from her. My guess is there is a fawn laying very close by and if she thinks it is threatened she will put you in the hospital in seconds. We have a large deer heard along the road and they pay no attention to human IN CARS. But you get out and they run. Last year I was coming around a bend and surprised a doe and her fawn crossing the road. the Fawn was about the size of a small poodle. Right away dropped to the road and layed real still while the doe went off about 20 ft into the woods. I sat there for awhile and it would not move. I was sure it was going to get run down so I went over and picked it up and put it in tall grass on the side of the road. I am going to tell you I was scared the whole time. I never took my eyes off that doe. I looked her right in the eye the when I moved it.

A lady here 2 years ago almost got killed by a doe. Lost a eye and needed plastic surgery to get her back to a presentable stage. She had been going out feeding this one. She just went out there and did nort realize the doe was with fawn are see the fawn laying close by. They rear up like a horse and come at you with the two front hooves in a windmill fashion. And they a fast at it also.

oz,

That must have been something to actually pic up a fewn,,,,how cool,,,but i know what you mean about the does,,,,Don't mess with their babies. That's how all mothers are.

Scary story about that lady,,,,is she o.k. now?

I've also seen Bucks attack people,,,wouldn't want to mess with deer in the wild. If they're in my yard, they aren't there very long,,,they're running.

How neat... I never seen a dear.....yall aint killing them are you?