Deer destroyed my Asian pear trees last night

allenwrench · Intermediate Crude Joined: Apr 23, 2008 Posts: 893

I have been eagerly awaiting to try some Asian pears and had some really nice ones on my new trees I had planted this year. I had fenced the trees off with heavy plastic fencing about shin to eye level high. Every day I would go in my back yard to examine them and check on their development, cradling the pears in my hand anticipating their ripening to fruition.

When I woke op this morning I had found the trees shredded and ripped in half. All the pears had been stripped and the branches strewn around the yard. Sickening how nature works sometimes - they come in the night and I wake up to their destruction.

But I guess it reminds me that nature does not bow to me ~ I bow to nature.

Next season will try it all over again and replace the trees with new ones and heavy metal fencing from ankle high to over my head in height.

"When the sun rises I go to work,
When the sun goes down, I take my rest,
I dig the well from which I drink,
I farm the soil that yields my food,
I share creation, Kings can do no more."

Ancient Chinese, 2500 BC

Mack12345 · Tar Sands Joined: Jun 02, 2008 Posts: 78

Very sorry to hear of this . i bet those pears would have been WONDERFULL !
Im glad to see you are taking it like a champ though . Life throws us a lotta curves , just gotta accept it and roll with the punches .

Think of it like this though . The deer that lives today becase of the food it stole from your tree , might be dinner on your plate one day . In the end were all just part of a cycle . What we eat now has likely eatten us before and will likely consume us once more in the future .

Ferretlover

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. What a disappointment!
_________________
"RRrrruuuunnnn!!!" ~Apocalypto

DomusAlbion

We've lost a few trees to deer damage but given the high deer population in our area we've done alright. I recommend two things:

1. The fence needs to be 8 feet tall. They can jump anything shorter.

2. Get a territorial dog that will actively patrol the area.

Our best dog for that job was a rescue dog, a Labrador retriever that would go out and walk the fence in the orchard. No trees were lost. Unfortunately, he got off the property and probably ate some baited meat and died from the poisoning. Even with the 8 foot fence we had one tree damaged this year but it has recovered.
_________________
"Modern Agriculture is the use of land to convert petroleum into food."
-- Albert Bartlett

"It will be a dark time. But for those who survive, I suspect it will be rather exciting."
-- James Lovelock

FoolYap

DomusAlbion

jdumars

It's threads like this that make me feel so inert in the face of a true collapse. How is any of this sustainable? Deer populations are completely out of control thanks to the way public and private lands are managed. They can literally wipe out an entire crop in a night -- as they did with our beans. Turkeys can dig up and destroy root vegetables, especially mounded or mulched potatoes. Birds wipe out fruit trees. The only way any of this is prevented is through some techno-fix or sleeping in shifts, which still requires the use of flashlights, guns or whatever.

It's thinking about and experiencing all of this that has caused me to basically give up on any kind of prep. I have come to believe that the only thing that will save anyone is flexibility, a healthy body and a ton of luck.
_________________
Dismantle globally, renew locally!

smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 6486

davep · Expert Joined: Jun 21, 2006 Posts: 1405 Location: Europe

coyote

My father, who was a bit of a farmer himself, taught me to make a tall wire fence that was very loose up top, almost flopping around. He said the looseness of it would be a deterrent for deer, and would make them nervous about jumping it. I don't know how useful this will be for all, but it did keep the deer out of our garden when I was a kid.
_________________
"If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst." — Thomas Hardy

joeltrout · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Sep 19, 2007 Posts: 1317

Consider yourself somewhat lucky. I welcome fresh venison and deer jerky any day at my house.

However that stinks it is at the mercy of your trees.

joeltrout

UncoveringTruths · Intermediate Crude Joined: Nov 04, 2004 Posts: 902

INGREDIENTS
1 (2 pound) venison backstrap, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
3 cups vegetable oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
Place the venison slices into a shallow bowl and pour in the milk and hot sauce. Stir to coat, then cover and marinate for 1 hour.
Heat the vegetable oil in an electric skillet to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt and pepper.
Dip the venison slices into the flour, then into the egg and milk, then back into the flour. Shake off excess flour. Fry in the hot oil until lightly browned on each side, about 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and drain briefly on paper towels before serving.
_________________
It's a cold cold world when a man has to pawn his shoes.

eastbay

What a drag.

This will be a serious issue in coming years. What will people do when we no longer have access to barbed wire or other metal fencing? What did early settlers do to defend against deer? Did they sleep in the orchard with their dogs? Obviously there are other means of defending fruit trees against deer without laying out money for steel wire fencing.
_________________
Got Dharma?

Everything is Impermanent. Shakyamuni Buddha

smallpoxgirl · Moderator Joined: Nov 08, 2004 Posts: 6486

Cashmere · Light Sweet Crude Joined: Mar 27, 2008 Posts: 1971

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a strictly outside guard dog for the orchard, animals, and crops.

8' steel fence?

Wow.
_________________
Massive Human Dieoff must occur as a result of Peak Oil. Many more than half will die. It will occur everywhere, including where you live. If you fail to recognize this, then your odds of living move toward the "going to die" group.