Blueberries and deer

[k0ua]

Perhaps blueberry glaze on roasted Venison?:laughing:

 

[oosik]

We knew there would be deer problems when we first moved on the property. They were in the back yard to greet us the first day. The wife later planted some bushes and plants that were advertised as "deer proof". You guessed it - those were the first items the deer ate.

Every spring the deer will come thru the yard and taste EVERYTHING that we have planted. They will not necessarily eat it, but just a taste.

I have deer in the yard all year long - they really like the NASTY seed heads on the milk weed plants - and they do graze on my lawns.

 

[oosik]

We have some huge BB bushes. Though I'm sure someone eats some of them.... I have never felt there was much of an impact. In fact, I would have concluded that deer/birds/mice/boogy men don't like them. We get gallons & gallons & gallons & gallons of them every year. Did I say we get gallons!!

Picture of the bushes and a haul that I might get after about an hour of picking. I can go out the next day and duplicate it, then the next day.... as they ripen.

View attachment 459328View attachment 459327View attachment 459329

Richard,

Those are fine looking blue berries. When I lived in AK we went out in the spring and gathered low bush BB, high bush cranberries and raspberries. We would always hand pick them until one day we met a group of Inuit indians harvesting BB & high bush cranberries. Some were using the scoops with the multiple fingers on the front but the most productive were those with the cardboard boxes and short sticks. They bent the bushes gently over the cardboard box and beat on the limbs with the sticks. If the crop was good, a single individual could easily harvest 5-7 gallons per hour. Then they rolled the harvest down an inclined fuzzy wool blanket to remove sticks, leaves and unripe berries.