deer destruction of clover

[kdm]

 I have about 10 acres of sweet clover & 1 1/2 acres of sainfoin that the deer are eating & tracking down. Anyone have a legal cure? It is amazing how much they can destroy in one night.

[Bee Happy]

I don't know if your state has special permits for crop destroying deer, or if you qualify, but that may be something to check into. (I remember a friend telling me about legally getting to hunt deer at night by spotlight with a special permit like that)

[BlueBee]

I feel for you KDM, the deer have taken over Michigan.  I think there are now more deer in the state than there are people.  They are so destructive.  They have destroyed tons of my ornamental plants and any attempt to grow a garden.  I have tried all the potions but nothing worked.  I have tried motion sensors and lights with no success.  I have tried fences with little success.  I have tried physically chasing them away, with no success.  I finally found a solution that worked well for me; it’s called a big dog!  

After I got my Alaskan Malamute, I never had any more deer problems.  They don’t mess a Malamute.  In fact, the Malamute solved all my raccoon, opossum, ground hog, and mole problems.  It’s funny, my malamute doesn’t bark (only howls sometimes), but the deer and rodents know to stay away.

[kdm]

 Thanks for the ideas. I am thinking about the nuisance permit, if there is a way of donating the meat. The clover is 2 miles from the house, so a dog wouldn't work.

[BlueBee]

I hear you; the dog solution can’t work in all cases.  I have seen herds of at least 36 deer in my neighbor’s yard.  Shooting that many deer in a semi suburban area would be a problem around here.  I’ll be interested to see what solutions others come up with.  The people who make up the rules pertaining to deer control are not usually the ones suffering with their destruction.  They start singing a different tune when the deer move into their nicely landscaped yards and quickly destroy thousands of dollars of landscaping.  The deer are so thick here, a lady at work had a deer jump from an embankment onto the hood of her car one morning coming to work.

I think Ted Nugent has even volunteered in the past to bring some balance to the population of deer in SE Michigan and provide the venison to the hungry for free.  Politicians said no.  The typical approach to a problem, do nothing and hope it goes away magically.

Good luck, let us know how many you take out 

[AllenF]

Put the word out in the fall and see how much help you have removing the deer problem.   People love a free hunt.

[tina]

I live on an island in North Qld and our neighbour brought in 3 chital deer ,they are now in the thousands. The sugar cane farms use flashing lights hooked up to a car battery, sometimes with a few mirrors around as well, plastic bags on poles work for a while too, but the deer get used to them after a week.

[wd]

watch out, Killer deer are on the rise http://youtu.be/15ut0KUHO9E

[don2]

If you can stand the expense a solar powered electric fence would do the trick.
That is if there is no electricity available at the sight. I have a garden now :)don2

[Keith13]

give em a steady dose of lead poison

Keith

[Bee Happy]

watch out, Killer deer are on the rise http://youtu.be/15ut0KUHO9E

I'm watching this video, just feeling the saliva forming. Poor guy in the beginning just didn't know what to do, and all I could think of was a hot pan with some fried onions.... hey sometimes dinner's a little more challenging.

[AllenF]

I loved that video.   

[preston39]

I have about 10 acres of sweet clover & 1 1/2 acres of sainfoin that the deer are eating & tracking down. Anyone have a legal cure? It is amazing how much they can destroy in one night.

================
Yes...a 30/30 with a scope.
We have registered angus cattle and the deer herds are getting totally out of control. Even coming in to eat expensive food in the feeders. They browse and get the most desired pasture in the fields and clover is high on that list.
Few understand how much it costs herdsmen for these guys.

[wadehump]

to many head hunters not enough ice box hunters

[greenbtree]

I have been planting tree seedlings to try to improve my property, I lose most to the deer.  I plant seeds, acorns, etc. too - the other day I saw a bunch of seedlings of oak and marked them with those little orange flags on wires so I wouldn't run over them with the DR mower while attacking the Autumn Olive.  The next morning most of them were gone!   I just pointed the deer right to them! You would think they would be cautious of something new, but no.  Bow hunters or gun hunters that I don't think are city yahoos that might shoot one of my foals by mistake are always welcome at my place - I even take them on tours and show them the scrapes and bedding areas!

JC

[Dimmsdale]

That video was hallarious!!  I'm sure he was real happy with the camera woman for sitting back and watching.  Should have been carrying a side arm!