Can we talk deer?

[Karl_K]

Ultrasonic and light based repellents work somewhat nothing is 100%.
Less so during the rut where they will often ignore a lot of it.
A fence with dogs in it is the only 99% effective thing.

 

[Ellen]

Ultrasonic and light based repellents work somewhat nothing is 100%.
Less so during the rut where they will often ignore a lot of it.
A fence with dogs in it is the only 99% effective thing.

Well hello stranger, long time, no see!

I've never heard of these things, would you mind elaborating a bit on what they are and how they work?

 

[Karl_K]

Well hello stranger, long time, no see!

I've never heard of these things, would you mind elaborating a bit on what they are and how they work?

Howdy!!!!

The ultrasonic uses high pitched sounds above human hearing in a random pattern to scare them off.
The light based ones use led lights that at night look like the eyes of predators and flash on and off randomly.
The do make some that combine both methods in one device.
The problem with both is unless they are moved often and sometimes even then the deer get used to them.
During the rut the bucks just dont care sometimes and ignore them.

 

[Ellen]

Howdy!!!!

The ultrasonic uses high pitched sounds above human hearing in a random pattern to scare them off.
The light based ones use led lights that at night look like the eyes of predators and flash on and off randomly.
The do make some that combine both methods in one device.
The problem with both is unless they are moved often and sometimes even then the deer get used to them.
During the rut the bucks just dont care sometimes and ignore them.

Interesting. My mom just said the other day, I wonder if there's some kind of high pitched whistle that would scare them. That made me remember what I think was some sort of deer whistle device that was on my sisters old Camry. (or maybe I'm making that up? lol) But I never thought to look up something like that.

As you know, it's just the rutting season I'm having the trouble with, so I don't know if it would be worth a try or not. I will definitely look into this though and price it out. I also got the stuff Elizabeth ordered. It's supposed to rain the next 2 or 3 days, so I will apply it after that.

Thanks for chiming in, it's at least something else I can consider adding to my arsenal!

 

[Karl_K]

Interesting. My mom just said the other day, I wonder if there's some kind of high pitched whistle that would scare them. That made me remember what I think was some sort of deer whistle device that was on my sisters old Camry. (or maybe I'm making that up? lol) But I never thought to look up something like that.

Deer whistles for cars are a thing and they are still fairly common and they debatably help some in areas where there are a lot of dear crossing roads.
Some studies say they dont work that well, but I know people who travel all the time in deer heavy areas some of whom have hit a deer before and they swear they work.

 

[Ellen]

Why do you say "detestably"?

 

[Karl_K]

Why do you say "detestably"?

speel check is evil

 

[Ellen]

 

[Ellen]

This is amazing. It's been hot, dry, no rain in weeks. I get the stuff for the trees, and it needs a solid 24 hour dry period. No fudging. So now rain has been in the forecast almost every day. It rained hard tonight, so the trees won't be dry til late tomorrow morning. If I am lucky, I can apply it by noon. By afternoon Tuesday there is a chance of rain again. And then, a cold front comes in, and after watching a video on the prerut season, cold weather is often what kicks things off. Usually not til the middle of Oct., but with my luck, it will come early. So I am literally down to the wire here.......And if it rains before the 24 hours are up, I have to repeat.

For those that pray, a small one for me would be appreciated.

 

[Karl_K]

knee mail outgoing.

 

[Ellen]

Thank you!

 

[missy]

Sending you good thoughts and lots of good luck dust @Ellen.

 

[Ellen]

Thanks Missy!

Count down to 12:15 tomorrow, CST.

 

[Ellen]

Thankfully I made it through the first hurdle. Now all I can do is wait......

 

[Blingalingaling]

Good luck, @Ellen! I hope this method works for you!

 

[Blingalingaling]

Sorry you are having this issue @Ellen and I do not have anything to offer in terms of suggestions. Just that I agree with @sonnyjane.


And for your enjoyment here are some deer we have encountered along our rides. They belong here and have been here much longer than any of us.






I have been too upset to talk about tis till now. Just the other week I had to stop traffic on a busy 4 lane road in Deal NJ because a baby deer got separated from another deer who crossed before he/she did and now he/she was attempting to cross this very busy road. I almost had a heart attack because the cars speed down that road despite the Deal police presence being strong. Anyway I got off the bike and went into the middle of the 4 lane road and I put out both arms while coaxing the baby deer across the 4 lanes to his mate. Unbelievably I think the deer understood I was trying to help him across as he looked at me and all the cars that now stopped as I was holding my arms out and he looked at me again met my eyes and then crossed to his mate. What a huge relief. But I did feel sick for a while knowing it is probably just a matter of time till one of them gets killed again on that road. We have encountered dead deer along that busy road more than once. Makes me so angry because there are no deer crossing signs there and it isn't my town so nothing I can do that will make a difference. If I was politically connected and lived in that town I would get signs up saying careful deer crossing etc. But I know the people in that town don't want "ugly" signs "littering" their roads. That is how they think. Grrrrrrr makes me so angry!

Sorry for the threadjack. Off my soapbox now.

I hope you find a way to resolve this problem that is good for both you and the deer.

@missy, your photos of the deer are just beautiful! What you did to save the little doe was so courageous and wonderful! I live in an area where every year there are wild geese that feed in the grass near largely traveled roads where people speed by. I have stopped traffic, too, for the families who dare to cross, oblivious to the danger. I am often amazed by the fact that an adult will lead the goslings while another adult will take up the rear! Sometimes I see them crossing, as they take their time, and I hold my breath, just praying that others will give them the right of way!! Thankfully, most do.
Once, several years ago, my husband and I were driving home from the Cape with our three young kids, all under 8, in our minivan, doing 65 mph in the left lane of a three lane highway. A deer appeared out of nowhere and there was no time to avoid it. I heard my husband call out, "OH, NO!!!" and then the impact, the airbags went off and I saw the deer, a huge one, fly off to the side. It was awful. My husband, miraculously, was able to slow down and steer off the road and it was all I could do to get the three kids out, carrying one in my arms, frightened that the car might explode. The entire front end was demolished. But we were fine, thank goodness. We all were heartbroken over the experience. Of course, the kids wanted to go back and see if the deer was all right...so we had to explain to them that, tragically, the deer could not have survived.
The kind trooper who picked us up from the side of the road and took us to safety told us that this happens along that stretch of the road several times a day. He said we were lucky to have been in a car that was high off the road, or we could have been killed because the deer often go through the windshield.
Since then, I always worry when I see the signs for deer and it literally breaks my heart when I see them lying dead on the side of the road.
They are such magnificent animals, but they do wreak havoc on plants and I wish they had the fear/instincts not to walk onto roads where so many of them perish. We just have to try our very best to avoid hurting them.

 

[missy]

Since then, I always worry when I see the signs for deer and it literally breaks my heart when I see them lying dead on the side of the road.
They are such magnificent animals, but they do wreak havoc on plants and I wish they had the fear/instincts not to walk onto roads where so many of them perish. We just have to try our very best to avoid hurting them.

Yes I feel the same way @Blingalingaling and thank you for doing everything you can to keep them safe. It breaks my heart and we see dead deer around here at least twice a month. Just the other day a dead deer was laying on the bridge highway we cross to get from the Highlands to Sea Bright and it was horrific. Of course I couldn't help crying and I am sure people were thinking what the heck is wrong with this cyclist crying as we were crossing the bridge. And there was nothing we could do as she/he was already dead. It took 2 full days for the body of the deer to be removed. The image is still with me. That was the first time (and hopefully last) I ever saw a deer on the bridge highway. It's a real shame what we humans have done to their environment taking their land and they have nowhere else to go. Heartbreaking doesn't adequately describe how I feel about it.

Dear @Ellen I apologize for the continuing threadjack but appreciate you allowing us to discuss it here. I am hoping you are successful in your endeavor and sending more good thoughts your way.

 

[Ellen]

No problem Missy!

 

[Ellen]

Ok, so I had a small amount of the deer spray left over and it's only good for 3 months. I didn't want it to go to waste, so I waited for all the rainy weather to pass and went to spray what I had left this morning. There wasn't enough for my big sprayer so I just bought a cheap spray bottle. Unfortunately, it was too thick and clogged almost immediately. So I just poured some down the trunks.

Now, the day I first did this it was windy, so I donned a mask with a built in respirator thingy, gloves and glasses. And I poured it in the sprayer after I had the mask on, outside. Today it was pretty calm, so no mask. Oh. My. Word. This stuff stinks to high heaven. And now the WHOLE back yard smells like a rotten blood bath. Good thing it's been too cold to open the windows, cuz there is NO way I could. Wow Elizabeth, no wonder that guy said it made him want to wretch. Just hope the deer find it as distasteful as I do.

 

[Blingalingaling]

OH boy!!! I hope this does the trick and you'll be rid of the deer for a while!!! Crossing fingers!!!

 

[Arcadian]

@Blingalingaling Mass has a deer problem mainly because they refuse to a.) allow hunting or b) keep allow the towns to cull enough of them to keep them in check. Its also the reason why Lyme Disease is so damn prevalent in the state. We lived in Natick and dog or not, they always ran through out backyard (we have a greyhound and a few times the deer would look a little confused....lol but so would the dog!!)

 

[Ellen]

OH boy!!! I hope this does the trick and you'll be rid of the deer for a while!!! Crossing fingers!!!

Thank you, me too!!

@Blingalingaling Mass has a deer problem mainly because they refuse to a.) allow hunting or b) keep allow the towns to cull enough of them to keep them in check. Its also the reason why Lyme Disease is so damn prevalent in the state. We lived in Natick and dog or not, they always ran through out backyard (we have a greyhound and a few times the deer would look a little confused....lol but so would the dog!!)

We have a problem here too, way too many deer. They just keep coming further into residential areas, when there should be plenty of woodlands for them. There's been a mom and twins living around my neighborhood since spring. They camp out under the neighbor's bushes at times. They graze in all our yards, and don't run from us at all. One was feeding in my backyard one day when I came home. I got out of the car and it was about 25 feet away. It just looked up at me like, oh, it's you and went back to feeding.

 

[Ellen]

It didn't work.

The only good things I can say about it is, it got an end one it had before, and it did not annihilate it. It "should" come out of it.

*goes to work on plan c*

 

[Karl_K]

It didn't work.

The only good things I can say about it is, it got an end one it had before, and it did not annihilate it. It "should" come out of it.

*goes to work on plan c*

Sorry to hear that but am not really surprised.

 

[missy]

It didn't work.

The only good things I can say about it is, it got an end one it had before, and it did not annihilate it. It "should" come out of it.

*goes to work on plan c*

Aww sorry @Ellen. Hoping Plan C works better for you.

 

[Ellen]

Thanks guys.

 

[Ellen]

Karl, I have a question. My son who lives down the street from me, and I were talking last night. He was saying that when he walks late at night he hears resident coyote packs howling. I said I was up and sitting on my breezeway a few mornings ago around 4 AM and heard exactly what sounds like an elk calling. He laughed and said I couldn't hear that because they weren't any in IL. And in researching, "supposedly" there aren't. Though there is record of one being killed last year in Macoupin county. So my question is, is there any type of deer that make that sound? Or could it possibly be one after all? Because I definitely heard it, and I have heard it once before maybe a year ago.

This is what I heard.

 

[Karl_K]

Karl, I have a question. My son who lives down the street from me, and I were talking last night. He was saying that when he walks late at night he hears resident coyote packs howling. I said I was up and sitting on my breezeway a few mornings ago around 4 AM and heard exactly what sounds like an elk calling. He laughed and said I couldn't hear that because they weren't any in IL. And in researching, "supposedly" there aren't. Though there is record of one being killed last year in Macoupin county. So my question is, is there any type of deer that make that sound? Or could it possibly be one after all? Because I definitely heard it, and I have heard it once before maybe a year ago.

This is what I heard.

It would not surprise me if there were elk in IL.
The official story for years and dnr treated sightings like UFO sighting that there are no black bears in il and that has been proven wrong.
But that said deer do make similar sounds but not in that tone, but given the right conditions and environment it could be close.
It could have also someone playing around with an elk call.
A buddy of mine loves to mess with people with animal calls.

 

[Ellen]

It would not surprise me if there were elk in IL.
The official story for years and dnr treated sightings like UFO sighting that there are no black bears in il and that has been proven wrong.
But that said deer do make similar sounds but not in that tone, but given the right conditions and environment it could be close.
It could have also someone playing around with an elk call.
A buddy of mine loves to mess with people with animal calls.

My son said that, that maybe they were practicing before going hunting, but would they really do that at 4 in the morning? That's not nice. It was really loud though, so wherever they were (because it sounded like it was a couple blocks away), if it was indeed a "someone", it would have awakened some people.

Thanks for your thoughts! To be continued......

 

[WinkHPD]

I read somewhere on line that some guys did this to their property line to keep coyotes away. Maybe I should enlist hubby..... Guys love peeing outside for some reason.

As a hunter I can attest that deer often come into the camp area and dig up, paw and lick the areas where there is urine. At one area where I used to camp at the very top of Kelly Creek on the Montana, Idaho border, we actually brought in a cube of salt for the deer one year. We did NOT hunt near to camp and we put the cube out for them as we were leaving camp for the season.

The next year the cube was gone but there was a fairly large area around where the cube had been that had been thoroughly trampled by elk and deer. It would be highly illegal to bait an area with a salt cube and then hunt anywhere near it.

I am told that urinating around the perimeter of a camp in wolf territory is a good way to keep wolves out of your camp, but I have never needed to test that theory. The few wolves that I have seen in the wild were always leaving the area and never threatening in any manner. I have seen no more than four or five wolves in all of my years venturing into the wild areas in Idaho and Montana. I have seen large quantities of tracks and scat, so I know that there way more wolves around than I have seen.

As for your trees. It will not be inexpensive. We have a cattle problem at our duck club and have found that a solar powered three strand electric fence works extremely well. We put a couple up in the areas we want to protect in the Spring, and take them down after the cattle have been moved off of our property in the Fall. Our young and delicious trees came through the past couple of years completely unscathed.

If you do find it necessary to use during the rut I recommend taking the wire down soon after the rut is over and to keep your camera ready to use during the rest of the year. Deer are beautiful and if you are not in an area where they are being hunted you may want to consider setting up a feeder and then getting some extraordinary photos as they come and go, and perhaps if you are lucky, of the fawns in the Spring. If I ever retire, I will spend some time in the Spring and Fall in Yellowstone with my camera. There I can take magnificent landscape photos, and of much more interest to me, photographic shots of the animals I love.

Wink