Deer are getting to be a pain

[archerm3]

in the rear around here. I don't want to offend anyone but as far as I am concerned we could kill all the deer around here and I would not miss them. They destroy our trees, shrubs, and crops. I rented a small piece of land surrounded by woods this spring and I would say that the crop is a total loss as they have eaten all the soybeans in the field. This was the second planting. I rented this too late this spring to take out any kind of Federal crop insurance so I guess I am just out. I am not sure if federal crop insurance would even cover this type of damage. Car versus deer accidents are more frequent around here then ever according to a deputy friend of mine. I don't understand why our state is so stingy with deer permits. When driving into this field last night we counted 20 deer in a 20 acre field. They have detroyed several little trees in my yard, my neighbor was complaining about them eating his shrubs. I don't want to see all of them dead that is just my anger but they do need thinned out. Does anyone else agree or are they not a problem in your area. I am all for wildlife and conservation but I feel I have a right to protect my investment also.

So when can I come to your place on a bowhunt?

The problem as I see it: most places that are overrun with deer typically do not allow an adequate NUMBER of hunters on the property. Lots of places won't allow hunters, and a lot of other places have given permission/leased hunting rights to a selective few, who try to manage the herd for maximum antler size, which generally means that the population stays at a higher level.

The solution is for acreage owners to get together with their neighbors and agree to allow mass quantities of hunters on the property, not just a few selective, high bankrolled trophy hunters. If just one guy lets hunters on his property and everyone else around him doesn't, it wont work, for the deer will learn where the hunters aren't allowed, and will just stay in those areas until after dark.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

The deer are jumping two fences to get in my garden... The only thing they have ate up is cucumber & sweet potatoes.

I read on another thread where they said that VHS tape wrapped around the garden works good....But i have tried that and it don't work at night.

After they leave the garden, they come up in the yard and eat on young trees & plants... I waited on them one night, and when they came up close to my home to eat on the raspberry plants i threw a pack of firecrackers in the yard.

I had to put up electric fence to keep them out....They need to put in some kind of law around here to protect your garden from the deer eating on it all night...Can't wait till hunting season.

 

[archerm3]

The states big business is costing my business money. I am a cash grain farmer. Corn and soybeans are our main source of income. I just wish we could meet in the middle on this. I am not a deer hunter but if I owned the land I would welcome all the hunters I could find to hunt it.

I find it strange that you don't have the right to hunt the property that you're leasing.

 

[archerm3]

And which animal kills the most people in the USA each year??
Deer

Like to see an official reference on that one..Not sure I believe that.

 

[tallyho8]

Like to see an official reference on that one..Not sure I believe that.

I have had difficulty finding a good reference to answer that question. But there is no doubt that the animal that kills the most humans is the mosquito. The second most seems to be humans.

The third is the answer that is so hard to find. Many state it is the hippo. Others say it is the cobra. Some say the elephant and some say the deer. Since the deer is the only one we have naturally in the USA, this is probably the correct answer if you don't include mosquitoes and humans.

 

[smfcpacfp]

Like to see an official reference on that one..Not sure I believe that.

Two motorcyclists in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan have been killed in deer accidents this year - one in daylight, the other at night. As a motorcyclists, that is disturbing. A friend of mine, once again on a motorcyclist, was in an accident with a deer a few years ago, but wasn't hurt much. I hit a deer while driving a state car some years ago and it had a fair amount of sheet metal damage. I have had numerous other close calls over the years. My wife and I came upon two fawns standing in the road the other day, but we were going slow and waited until they took off.

I used to love to ride my motorcycle at night in Ohio, but here in the UP of Michigan, I dread it because of the deer. I would say over the years there have been more car/motorcycle than deer/motorcycle deaths, but it would be pretty close.

 

[wolc123]

Deer are the number one killer of humans in the USA. I really dont think there is a close second. A guy in a van was killed a few years ago around the corner from my house when one came thru the window of his van. He left a couple kids and a widow behind. I kill all the deer I can legally every year, but a declining number of hunters in this country means the problem of too many deer is likely to get worse. The best way I know to bring deer numbers under control would be to legalize the crossbow in early archery seasons. Does must be killed to put a dent in deer populations and conventional bows are ineffective on does because they must be drawn in close proximity of the deer and does are nearly always in groups making it nearly impossible to make the draw without getting busted by at least one set of eyes. A crossbow eliminates that problem and for me personnally would be at least 10 times as effective as a doe killing weapon. I manage to bring down a buck with a bow about every other year but it has been more than 5 years since I bagged a doe with one in spite of many more sightings. If you can, write you local polititions and ask to make crossbows legal in your home state. Be advised that some selfish bowhunters will fight this because they want all the deer for themselves and care not at all about crop damage, car-deer collisions, etc.. The last thing they want is hordes of folks including women, children, disabled, and elderly who struggle with regular bows, infringing on "thier" time. I love deer, especially for dinner, but I can clearly see that there are far too many of them around. Give us hunters the proper tools, and we will do what is necessary. There is a way out of this problem and it is the crossbow. It is really that simple.

 

[wushaw]

Deer are the number one killer of humans in the USA. I really dont think there is a close second. A guy in a van was killed a few years ago around the corner from my house when one came thru the window of his van. He left a couple kids and a widow behind. I kill all the deer I can legally every year, but a declining number of hunters in this country means the problem of too many deer is likely to get worse. The best way I know to bring deer numbers under control would be to legalize the crossbow in early archery seasons. Does must be killed to put a dent in deer populations and conventional bows are ineffective on does because they must be drawn in close proximity of the deer and does are nearly always in groups making it nearly impossible to make the draw without getting busted by at least one set of eyes. A crossbow eliminates that problem and for me personnally would be at least 10 times as effective as a doe killing weapon. I manage to bring down a buck with a bow about every other year but it has been more than 5 years since I bagged a doe with one in spite of many more sightings. If you can, write you local polititions and ask to make crossbows legal in your home state. Be advised that some selfish bowhunters will fight this because they want all the deer for themselves and care not at all about crop damage, car-deer collisions, etc.. The last thing they want is hordes of folks including women, children, disabled, and elderly who struggle with regular bows, infringing on "thier" time. I love deer, especially for dinner, but I can clearly see that there are far too many of them around. Give us hunters the proper tools, and we will do what is necessary. There is a way out of this problem and it is the crossbow. It is really that simple.

So your saying the crossbow is the answer to culling deer to prevent overpopulation.
I'm sorry but if hogs can be taken by any means 24/365 days a year by any means and their population keeps on growing, I really think your not seeing the big picture here.

There are less hunters every year. Less natural predators (mountain lion & wolves)
It has been proven somewhere that we (humans) cannot compete with mother natures natural way of doing business.

 

[archerm3]

So your saying the crossbow is the answer to culling deer to prevent overpopulation.
I'm sorry but if hogs can be taken by any means 24/365 days a year by any means and their population keeps on growing, I really think your not seeing the big picture here.

There are less hunters every year. Less natural predators (mountain lion & wolves)
It has been proven somewhere that we (humans) cannot compete with mother natures natural way of doing business.

I disagree that there is less hunters every year. Check out the sales figures on the sporting industry, they show incredible growth year after year. The problem is that there is less places to hunt for the majority of the hunters. Because hunting is so popular, more and more land is getting leased out to hunters that don't want to shoot does and control their population; they want large bucks and lots of em, which takes a large population. Or else these hunters have paid big bucks for their leases and don't want any darned strangers hunting on "their" land. Meanwhile, the deer migrate to the specific properties where they aren't hunted, like the backyard's of the suburban sprawl/acreage developments or non-hunter friendly farms.

It's hard to control a population when 100 deer on a 1000 acre hunting lease, in which the deer will roam over the neighboring 3000 acres, and those 100 deer spawn 100 new deer every year, but the owners of that hunting lease only take 10-20 deer per year on that land. Meanwhile all the neighbors get the youngster deer when the Boss Doe kicks them out of the home range.

If you do the math, increasing deer permits won't solve the problem, because access to the specific properties where the deer are is still the problem. That hypothetical hunting lease won't let strangers in and won't let their members free for all the deer (well, some do) because if the hunting opportunity on that lease becomes too difficult, it won't be worth the exorbitant fees that they pay to hunt, "great property". Those clubs that have unlimited kill quotas, well, they push all the deer off the property, and then the club/hunting lease members get upset and find new clubs to join where the hunting is better.

I suppose no one can tell that I've had a hard time finding a place to hunt, no matter the cost. I refuse to hunt game farms.

 

[polo1665]

Two motorcyclists in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan have been killed in deer accidents this year - one in daylight, the other at night. As a motorcyclists, that is disturbing. A friend of mine, once again on a motorcyclist, was in an accident with a deer a few years ago, but wasn't hurt much. I hit a deer while driving a state car some years ago and it had a fair amount of sheet metal damage. I have had numerous other close calls over the years. My wife and I came upon two fawns standing in the road the other day, but we were going slow and waited until they took off.

I used to love to ride my motorcycle at night in Ohio, but here in the UP of Michigan, I dread it because of the deer. I would say over the years there have been more car/motorcycle than deer/motorcycle deaths, but it would be pretty close.

Well, you'll get no relief from the dread if you come back to Ohio now. I am verrrrrry cautious about riding the bike to work in the AM. The deer are getting real thick in alot of different places. A big fat groundhog can give you a bit of trouble too, if you aren't careful.

Mark