Sambar Deer problem

[EarPlug]

Wow...seems they are an aggressive pest.

Sambar deer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

from the article.....

There is a considerable debate about how they should be managed, in particular, conservation groups believe their environmental impact outweighs their social value, although this is contested by hunting organisations who aim to preserve deer populations for future generations. Sambar deer are currently listed as protected wildlife game species in Victoria and New South Wales, and a game licence is required to hunt them. They are declared pest species in in all other Australian states and territories and can be hunted at any time with no bag limits. Environmental and conservation groups want them declared a feral species in all states, due to their exploding populations and negative impact on biodiversity and native species.
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?

 

[oosik]

Many year ago - at least 50 - after a very contentious legal battle - orchardist v WA state Dept of Game - the Game Dept agreed, as part of the legal settlement, to assist the orchardist in reducing orchard damage caused by the deer. My father was a biologist working for the Dept. I can remember, as a lad, going out at night with my dad, into the orchards and firing off all sorts of military munitions. Rocket grenades, parachute flares, large fire crackers woven into burning hemp rope hung in trees, high power carbon arc lighting etc. For the time all were there, shooting off all this stuff & having a world of fun, the deer did retreat. As soon as everybody left, the deer returned. So then they went to installation of eight foot high deer fencing which did not work at all. Either the orchardist or his help would accidentally leave a gate open somewhere or if the fence went over a small hill - the deer could jump the fence. One night I actually saw two mule deer jump an eight foot high fence as it went over a small hill. The fencing worked if the orchard was on flat ground. After about 5-6 years the Dept discontinued all such activities. As I drive over to my home town in Omak, I still see deer fencing - its either ten feet high or has electrified outriggers - around orchards. Installation and maintenance of this type fencing is excessively expensive but it must be providing protection.

 

[Threepoint]

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.

+1 to forgeblast's use of fishing line. We use 30 lb-test mono-filament that they can't see. The White Tail in our area will not run through it or jump over it, since they can't figure out what it is, so it only needs to be waist and chest high. We've used it with great success to protect everything from shrubs to a 40 meter-long copse of Leyland Cypress. But you're right, if you can't string it around the access points, it my not help much in your situation. None of the topically-applied potions like Deer-Away, pee, etc. ever worked very well for us, and keeping the application up proved quite a chore.

 

[OldMcDonald]

KJ, How much land do you have to protect? It seems to me they should not be any more difficult to kill than 'roos, except that they are not going to be active until the light is fading (for US info, kangaroos will be active well before dusk) and spotlighting is not an option given their preference for heavy cover, so you need to stake out a position. If they are coming as close as the house garden then just sit on the verandah and wait. What do you have to shoot them with?

 

[Beltzington]

According to many folks on this forum you need more coyotes as they decimate deer herds

I just watched a show where the Game Wardens used a propane cannon that went off every couple minutes and doing that solved the exact same problem with White Tail deer in Maine.

Your and/or the Sambar's tolerance to noise might preclude this solution. Good Luck!

 

[KiotiJason]

KJ, How much land do you have to protect? It seems to me they should not be any more difficult to kill than 'roos, except that they are not going to be active until the light is fading (for US info, kangaroos will be active well before dusk) and spotlighting is not an option given their preference for heavy cover, so you need to stake out a position. If they are coming as close as the house garden then just sit on the verandah and wait. What do you have to shoot them with?

Ross are very easy to shoot as there are no where near elusive as the sambar. We are on 50 acres and it's difficult to explain but hunting through the surrounding scrub is difficult. It seems crazy but yes Sambar a considered a protective game animal in Victoria even though they are introduced. The local gov have had professional shooters in the parks to help control the numbers. The area around the house is about 3 acres but surrounded by flowering plants and shrubs. Now they have eaten all of the agapanthus around the garden and up and down the driveway. It seems they have been out munching away every night! I've only ever been able to stalk up to 1 and got within 40 foot but typically they are honking and long hone before you ever see them. I've had people here with bows but no success.

 

[RobertN]

I was at a shooting range here in the Calif foothiils a couple years ago. The deer were accustomed to the noise; we had them walk right on the range during a shoot session. Not in season; had to cease fire, and shoo them away.

I just watched a show where the Game Wardens used a propane cannon that went off every couple minutes and doing that solved the exact same problem with White Tail deer in Maine.

Your and/or the Sambar's tolerance to noise might preclude this solution. Good Luck!

 

[RobertN]

Best thing for deer is 8' or taller fence.

 

[Mendonsy]

Are you in a location where you can put up an electric fence??
I had a lot of problems with whitetail deer eating everything. I put up a 4 foot hot high electric fence using two stands of the white tape. The fence is powered from a photocell so it is only on from dusk to dawn. After a year of the electric fence being up, I can just put up the white tape. The deer won't go anywhere near it.
If you have a severe problem you can put up two rows of fence about 4' apart. Deer will go over a tall fence but if there are two rows close together they won't try it.

 

[boggen]

i remember reading something about, "vertical lines" vs horizontal lines. i don't remember what type of animal. but the straight up and down vertical lines, seemed harder for the given animal to judge jumping distance, vs horizontal lines / top of fences / electrical wires, etc... i think article went into something about field of vision. predators have narrow view, while everything else has much wider view. *eyes spread apart further, and eyes are more offset at an angle vs straight in front of them* at if not able to judge height for jump they would back off.

kinda guessing one of them stinking trick view pictures, that make ya go cross eyed, or cause your eyes to look off center from one another. but for non predator animals.
or how different strip patterns on a shirt can make you look fatter vs skinny. type of thing *shrugs*