Longtime followers of this blog know that I have battled the deer for many years now. This spring they have managed to breach the rear defenses on my property. The first time I yelled at them to get out of the yard, one of the does believed the literature that she could jump eight feet. She couldn't even get over six feet. She crashed into the top of one of the wire screening sections and broke it right off the welds.
A few days later, a doe and her yearling were back. The doe (same dummy?) tried to jump over another wire section and broke the welds on that one. The yearling, knowing he couldn't jump six feet, tried to go through the wire section where there was an opening of about 18" high by 5" wide. He got stuck. He started struggling and baying and I had no idea what to do. He finally worked his way loose but left a lot of fur behind.
So now I am faced with trying to figure out how to keep them out of my yard in the future. They destroyed my split rail fence and now my wire sections. I am sure that we will soon be seeing the does with their fawns.
Meanwhile, while I have very few pictures for A to Z with me actually in them, here is one taken last week at the birthday party when I did not know someone was taking photos with me in them. This was Charlie seeing all the decorations for his birthday party for the first time:
I have to admit the deer look sweet but I know they can do damage. Speaking of sweetness the picture of you and your grandson should be framed
ReplyDeleteWhen the deer first showed up about 15 years ago, someone from MSU suggested I feed them feed corn. I did. It kept them out of the yard, but I think it only made things worse. They started sleeping in my back yard! They are incredibly destructive. The yearling was coming right up to the patio door before I shooed him away. Does have left their fawns in my yard to sleep during the day. I fear that someday someone may get Lyme disease from a deer tick.
DeleteAs for the pic, you are right. I am going to print it off and get a frame today!
Most of us would be thrilled to see deer that close but of course, if they are destructive. How do they get in in the first place? If they can't jump your fences where do they get through. You could always shoot them and dine on venison.
ReplyDeleteWonderful picture. I can really see the love on your face for Charlie.
I live on an open five acre park. They walk through bushes, jump fences, crawl under fences, and since we cannot fence our front yards, they walk down the streets in broad daylight and dine at leisure in the front. One woman was killed on a freeway when a deer went through her windshield. A few years ago they crashed through a store nearby and actually just walked through the open front door of another store. I wish we could shoot them but everyone thinks they are sooo cute. My costs in this fight is into the thousands of dollars.
DeleteReally are a problem then. I have no idea what you could do other than move I guess. No, I know!!
DeleteBack in the early 1990's Ted Nugent was living here and asked out Board to allow bow and arrow hunting in the 100+ acre nature preserve we own. We all thought he was nuts and said 'NO.' Oh, how I wished we had listened to him. I would definitely change my vote. Back then it was rare to see deer out in the open. Now there are everywhere! He warned of us this menace but we didn't listen. In that preserve? They have decimated all the wildflowers including the Great Trillium which is the Township flower.
DeleteBeing a Southern California city dweller, I look at the picture of the deer and think "Oh, how beautiful!" But then, I remember our trip to Valley Forge in Pennsylvania and seeing hundreds of deer overrunning the park. They were protected so they were unafraid of people. They were also starving because there were just too many for the food sources. I'm not a fan of hunting, but, at least in that situation, it may have been preferable to letting them starve. Maybe some sort of birth control program so they can't breed as much (that's probably a silly city dweller idea which probably couldn't work... but I hate the thought of killing them).
ReplyDeleteWell, they have plenty of food in the suburbs and because they have few predators, other than the automobile, does are now having twins. I too was anti-hunting. That was before I had to deal with the problem.
DeleteI have a solution, it's called hunting season. But seriously, I don't know a solution for you. They would prefer to forage in more isolated places, but apparently there isn't enough nearby.
ReplyDeleteAnd your grandbaby is a doll!
We are on the down hill side of this A to Z thing now!
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Bow and arrow hunting was allowed here until the mid-70's. Then the increased population of people brought it to a stop. Thing is, we never even saw a lot of deer until about 15 years ago. They have absolutely no fear of people. Charlie is a doll, thanks.
DeleteGrandson is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMy backyard pictures of deer, also in West Bloomfield, are in groups of 5. Sometimes in the back yard and sometimes welcoming me at the garage door. I was hoping, when I saw the picture, you would have a solution.
If I had a solution I could make a mint. There is a group of three does and one yearling that are traveling together around here. My neighbor came home from church yesterday to find them eating all of her ivy in the front yard. Here husband tooted the horn and they couldn't have cared less. That is actually an old picture taken back when I thought seeing them was something special. I think I am going to fence the entire yard with 6' wood panels. I'll lose my view of the park, but the deer are pretty lazy and are likely to just wander into a yard that is more easily accessible. Maybe yours, lol.
DeleteAs for my grandson, we had guests over who said that they bet he gets away with a lot because he is so cute. They're right.
are they like horses then - not being able to go back out the way they came in - that always puzzled me:) just popped in from the a-z to say hi and hope you are enjoying the monthly madness:)
ReplyDeletehttp://didyoueverkissafrog.typepad.com
I'm told they enter a yard looking for an exit. They seem to get confused if you try to shoo them away.
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