Mule Deer in Lemhi County - Co-existing with Deer

The ideal solution to the problem with deer in town is to never allow development in deer winter range. While this is hardly feasible in existing communities, it can be a factor other communities use when planning future developments. Since deer are found in our own community and are not likely to leave because our backyards are their traditional winter range, what can be done to co-exist with the deer? The first line of defense is to protect your property from deer damage. If you are currently building a new home, consider leaving most of your property in natural landscaping using the native plants already growing on the site. These plants have evolved with deer and can withstand browsing. They will probably also be attractive to deer, keeping them away from your ornamental plants. Minimize the amount of ornamental plantings and choose plants that deer do not like or are resistant to being browsed. Like us, deer have food preferences and some plants are ignored or avoided by deer. Others can tolerate browsing with few ill effects. You can stop by the Fish and Game office and pick up a free copy of Living With Wildlife. This guide contains lists of plants that deer like as well as those they do not so you can protect existing plantings and choose others in the future. The Internet can also be a good source for lists of deer resistant plants in our area. Fencing parts of your property or your entire property is another tool to deter deer. If you have a few plants the deer seem to enjoy you can fence these until they grow large enough to no longer be attractive to deer. Since perimeter fencing can become costly, you might want to consider this option only if you are having significant problems or are trying to protect an orchard or smaller groups of fruit trees. Deer are excellent jumpers so these fences need to be 8 feet tall to be effective. If fences are not an option, repellants are available that can be sprayed on ornamental plantings. Most of these work by either smelling or tasting nasty. Since deer select their food primarily by smell, these types of repellants can be quite effective. Fish and Game has a number of products available free to homeowners to spray on their ornamental plantings as well as recipes to create your own deer repellant. Visit with local nursery staff to get their recommendations. One of your most effective tools for discouraging deer can be the family dog. The presence of your dog may be enough to encourage deer to go elsewhere. Walk with your dog around your property so both of your scents will be in the area. Allow your dog to bark at deer you see near your yard. Do not, however, allow your pet to chase deer. The simple presence of a dog is often enough to discourage deer. Keeping your yard clear of spilled bird seed and downed fruit can also help to make your yard uninteresting to deer. Pick ripe fruit before it falls. Rake up fallen apples in the autumn to prevent them from becoming an attractant. The same goes for other fruiting plants such as crabapples that may attract hungry deer. If you enjoy feeding the birds, hang your feeders high enough so deer cannot reach them to knock feed to the ground. An important aspect to all of these methods is to make sure that your neighbors are also making efforts to deter deer. Of particular importance is to make sure that no one is feeding the deer. If a well-meaning neighbor is feeding the deer, nothing you do to protect your property will be effective. It is understandable to want to help wildlife as you watch them from the warmth of your house as they paw the snow in search of food. Remember, deer have been surviving winter without any help from us for thousands of years. Handouts from humans only cause more problems and rarely benefit the animals you are attempting to help. You have checked with the neighbors and they are all doing their best to deter the deer. No one is feeding them and you have done everything you can think of to prevent deer damage to your property. But the deer are still coming. Now what? Your next step is to give Fish and Game a call to discuss your situation with a biologist. Chances are the biologist will make a trip to your property to evaluate your situation. Other recommendations will be made including the use of hazing to scare the deer away. Hazing is used as a deterrent for many wildlife situations. It usually involves using loud noises or shooting offending animals with rubber shot that certainly smarts but does no damage. Deer learn that when they approach an area, they will receive an unpleasant welcome, thus encouraging them to stay away permanently. When you live in an area like ours, occasional problems with wildlife, especially animals like deer is inevitable. With good planning and preventative strategies, co-existing with deer is possible.