Sambar Deer problem

[KiotiJason]

Hi all,
I've got some problem deer they are eating the line tree and some of the plants around the garden. It looks like a group with some young ones at foot. Before you say it, they only come out at night and I have very rairly see them during the day. They are coming in from the bush along the creeks which are heavely wooded. I don't have a problem shooting them I just can't get at them. Is there any tips that you guys can help to discourage them. The dogs are all old and sleep inside. These deer are making a mess of the place. Any ideas would be appreciated. I've added a pic as I don't know if you guys have Sambar in the US. These are big so when they start ripping into plants they tear them up bad.

 

[Bird]

I don't think I've even heard of Sambar deer, and certainly have never seen one like the one pictured.

 

[forgeblast]

One thing that will work for white tail deer is fishing line strung at different levels, it seems they dont like walking into something they cannot see. Other then that we have to fence in everthing otherwise it will be eaten.
You could try "liquid fence"

 

[KiotiJason]

I'm not sure the fishing line is going to be practical as they have so many entry points. I have standard stock fencing and they just jump over it. Never heard of liquid fence. There is one tree in particular that they have been rubbing on, I've tried putting pee on it but it makes no difference. I've had problems in the past were the destroyed all of my orange trees by rubbing and eating them.

 

[texasjohn]

Wow...seems they are an aggressive pest.

Sambar deer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Takes an annual kill rate of 40% to avoid population increase!

I think that the only way is to shoot them...perhaps let friends know you want them gone, for free. This assumes you are in one of the areas where they are unprotected from any hunting restrictions. Any chance you can headlight them at night?

 

[bullbreaker]

Don't have any experience with sambar's but your stateting they are practically nocturnal ? Just some thoughts how bout setting up solar lights from box stores around smaller areas your fighting to protect . The kind you poke in ground and folks put lineing up driveways,etc . Also erecting scarecrows with heavy fishing line set up with cans and or something to make some sound to get them to run off to some other place. Maybe also research what they don't like to smell and hang up in trees so they get wind of it and take off like dogs bedding . Then again how many are hitting your area at night ?

 

[dave1949]

Were sambar imports to Oz? You need some tigers too maybe.

They sound like real pests.

 

[EddieWalker]

No such thing as a totally nocturnal deer, but they can sure seem that way because of how elusive they are to see. My thought is that they are just now expanding their territory and have come onto your land. Just like wild hogs here. For years, most people around here never saw them, then as their numbers grew, the become more and more common. Since they are destructive and not native to your country, the best thing to do is get rid of them. Are there any government agencies to assist you with this? Another good source would be to see if any of your neighbors have had any success in hunting them. I know that outfitters from Australia come to the US all the time to hunting conventions and shows to find Americans to pay to come there and hunt them. Success is pretty good for those hunters, so it's just a matter of getting to know what their patterns are and when to be in the right place to get them.

To get rid of them, you have to make them not want to be there. Shooting them is a great way to accomplish this. You don't have to kill all of them, but once you kill a few of them, the others will get the idea and look for other areas where it's safer. Put up game cameras on trails and where you see activity. Find out when they are there. Most animals do not like the heat, and are very active at first light and last light. They tend to nap and chew their cuds during the day. With a full moon, they can be very active at night also, but if there isn't any moon, or their are clouds blocking the moon, they bed down for the night. They can see better then us in the dark, but the cannot see in total darkness.

If it's legal, baiting them with either corn or oats or something tastey works good too. It brings them in to where you can get a clean shot off at them. I killed 8 hogs like that last year in two months. Planting a specific crop just for deer also works once they discover it. Then once they start to frequent it, you can start reducing their numbers.

Some animals are such a problem that spotlights are legal in hunting them. Check your laws and be sure, but if you can, it's very effective.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[eddie48]

No such thing as a totally nocturnal deer, but they can sure seem that way because of how elusive they are to see. My thought is that they are just now expanding their territory and have come onto your land. Just like wild hogs here. For years, most people around here never saw them, then as their numbers grew, the become more and more common. Since they are destructive and not native to your country, the best thing to do is get rid of them. Are there any government agencies to assist you with this? Another good source would be to see if any of your neighbors have had any success in hunting them. I know that outfitters from Australia come to the US all the time to hunting conventions and shows to find Americans to pay to come there and hunt them. Success is pretty good for those hunters, so it's just a matter of getting to know what their patterns are and when to be in the right place to get them.

To get rid of them, you have to make them not want to be there. Shooting them is a great way to accomplish this. You don't have to kill all of them, but once you kill a few of them, the others will get the idea and look for other areas where it's safer. Put up game cameras on trails and where you see activity. Find out when they are there. Most animals do not like the heat, and are very active at first light and last light. They tend to nap and chew their cuds during the day. With a full moon, they can be very active at night also, but if there isn't any moon, or their are clouds blocking the moon, they bed down for the night. They can see better then us in the dark, but the cannot see in total darkness.

If it's legal, baiting them with either corn or oats or something tastey works good too. It brings them in to where you can get a clean shot off at them. I killed 8 hogs like that last year in two months. Planting a specific crop just for deer also works once they discover it. Then once they start to frequent it, you can start reducing their numbers.

Some animals are such a problem that spotlights are legal in hunting them. Check your laws and be sure, but if you can, it's very effective.

Good luck,
Eddie

I have had good luck with putting Dryer anti-kling sheets around the plants I want to save. The deer here in Connecticut don't like the smell. I suspect down under that you would have to put them upside down to work

 

[oosik]

I've lived out here for 32 years with lots of muleys and a few white tails. I've tried, at one time or another, every "cure" that I've read about and most IMHO are a lot of hooey. Bars of fragrant soap hung in the trees, dryer sheets, deer repellent plants, all types and brands of urine, motion sensor activated lighting and music, etc, etc & on and on. They may work for a brief spell but if the deer are hungry, they will bypass this and eat at my fruit trees. High deer fencing may work but it is expensive and looks like H3LL.

Sooo - I've sort of learned to live with the deer and everything else out here. I chose to move out here with all the animals.

I know this is probably not what you wanted to hear and Lord knows, I'm the furthest thing from an animal activist but trying to curb a hungry deer can be expensive, time consuming and very frustrating. However, properly cured deer jerky is VERY tasty.