Lost both rows of beans and part of my beets last night to deer. Next year if I have a garden it will be fenced! Any ideas to salvage what is left of our short Maine growing season--besides a 30-30 that is.
Don't know about replacing the beans - but the garden centers / nurseries around here (PA) are still selling off the last of their vegetable plants. You may have the same situation in your area and be able to pick up a couple that you don't already have at bargain basement prices.
Other than that, my commiserations. Only a few months until deer season opens. Revenge is sweet.
<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by RPM on 07/04/01 03:57 PM (server time).</FONT></P>
Dennis -- We've tried fences, human hair, dog fur, coyote pee, human pee, soap and pretty much everything else. I finally shot the damned thing and it fell over and crushed my tomato plant! Sometimes you just can't win.
The one thing I've found that really freaks them out is fishing line strung across the garden. They feel it, but can't see it, and that seems to give them the creeps.
All the barking in the world from my four dogs didn't scare em off, though when Tetley (my 108# field golden) ran up and bit one in the butt she went straight up /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif and took off running! I have my dogs trained to pursue only as far as the treeline, but am worried about one of them getting kicked, so have changed the rules to keep them growling on the porch.
I was reflecting back and remember one thing that worked at keeping the deer out of the garden. When I had my chicken tractors adjacent to the garden the deer never bothered my crops. Not sure if it was the movement or the smell blocking the scent of potential dangers, but the deer left everything alone that year.
Not sure what the DFG regs are where you guys live, but here a deer in your garden is fair game...no pun intended. The carcass goes to the foodbank, though.
This may sound wierd but horse manure works pretty well. Deer will not eat where there is horse manure and vice-versa. Liberally fertilize your garden with it. Give a try unless you like to get up at midnight and let off a few rounds and have all hell break loose with the neighbors and such!
The only thing with Horse Manure is that it still has alot of the hay seeds in it. Therefore, weeds spring up like you put grass seed on the garden. Did that a couple of years ago. Very few weeds. Put Horse manure on in spring rather than cow manure and bingo. Weed-City.
a teenie weenie little tractor that can be operated with wings (as opposed to hands), and uses attachments such as chicken fel, chicken bush hog, chicken tiller, chicken plow and so on.