C728 deer damage control options

Deer Damage Control Options
Recruit Effective Hunters
White-tailed deer are enjoyable to watch, photograph and hunt, but they can cause damage in rural as able and capable. Landownerstypically manage hunting opportuni- well as suburban areas of Kansas. As deer have increased in our state, they are becoming more of a problem in some areas.
enjoyment of their family and friends.
Hunting programs are among the most effective damage control techniques known to reduce deer damage, but they require foresight, planning and commitment by everyone. The acquaintances. Remember, theirefforts will determine the success or Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks establishes an annual deer permit quota for each deer management unit.
They look at various factors in establishing these quotas, and damage problems are a primary consideration. While the deer permit or antlerless deer permit.
Although application dates vary, Department provides the legal framework for harvest, land- owners and the public hold the key to regulating local deer herds because the landowners control hunter access, and the public controls attitudes about hunting. Your input is vital.
each year. You can help by remindingthem of the application period andproviding them with applications.
The Objective
sufficient harvest of adult female deer.
of a deer herd because it doesn’t affect artificially by paid hunters or naturally Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service by diseases. Here are some explana-tions of methods to reduce deerdamage. These methods are printedhere with permission and modifiedslightly for Kansas conditions, ScottCraven, extension wildlife specialist,University of Wisconsin, and ScottHygnstrom, extension wildlifedamage control specialist with theUniversity of Nebraska originated thelist. Most agricultural venturesinvolve a relatively long term commit-ment and substantial investment. Deerdamage control options should be Figure 1. Propane exploders are a common scare device.
evaluated with that in mind. Ingeneral, larger acreage may translate Australian shepards or blue heelers.
Scare Devices
Repellents
materials that affect deer behavior.
aren’t applied directly to plants.
tiveness depends on several factors.
repellents directly to plants; their taste tion of use, application rates and costs.
Wilbur-Ellis Scram 42-S® and others.
Ro-pel® (benzyl diethyl [(2,6 xylyl-
carbomoyl) methyl] ammonium
saccharide (0.065 percent) thymol
sprayed or painted on individual trees.
(0.035 percent))
Deer Away® Big Game Repellent
(37 percent putrescent egg solid)
Tree Guard® Deer Repellent
Miller’s Hot Sauce Animal Repel-
(denatonium benzoate)
lent® (2.5 percent capsaicin)
studies. It is registered for use on fruit apply to fruit-bearing plants after fruit Hinder® (15 percent ammonium
sprayer and does not discolor leaves.
soaps of higher fatty acids)
Tankage (Putrefied meat scraps)
treat the entire field; for fields greater strip around the perimeter of the field.
Deer Fencing
are available to meet specific needs.
Thiram (7 to 42 percent
tetramethylthiuram disulfide)
electric shocking power and uniquefence designs present both psycho- logical and physical barriers to deer.
Permanent woven-wire fences provide Figure 2. Peanut butter fence.
the ultimate deer barrier. They requirelittle maintenance but are expensive to build. Fencing in general is expensive.
Peanut Butter Fence
by deer and grounding by vegetation.
Visible Grazing Systems (VGS) Fence
and they learn to avoid fenced areas.
Temporary Electric Fencing
the swing corner assemblies andapply light tension.
the line posts at 30 inches aboveground level.
Figure 3. Visible Grazing Systems (VGS) fence.
open area outside the fence sodeer can see it.
Vertical Deer Fence
orchards and other fields frommoderate to high deer pressures.
Figure 4. Offset or double fence.
Because of the prescribed wirespacing, deer try to go through thefence and are effectively shocked.
Offset or Double Fence
fence (Figure 5), follow these steps.
Permanent High-Tensile Electric
To build a deer-proof woven-wirefence (Figure 7) follow these steps: pounds of tension and splice theroll-ends together.
the 4-foot level and repeat steps 4and 5.
Figure 5. Seven-wire vertical deer fence.
Fencing Tips
Slanted Seven-Wire Deer Fence
• Fiberglass or treated wood posts.
Permanent Woven-Wire Fencing
labor, is $1.50 to $2 per linear foot.
Fence Construction
because of the many differentfence types. Gates should beelectrified, well insulated and operation. Gates range fromsingle strands of electrified wirewith gate handles, to electrified Figure 7. Deer-proof woven wire fence.
Figure 6. Slanted seven-wire deer fence.
Sources of Supply
fence charger before fenceconstruction. When you aren’t Out-of-Season Shooting
Exploders
Repellents
Maintenance
control permits contact your localdistrict wildlife biologist or the (Bar soap and Tankage) LakeshoreEnterprises, 2804 Benzie Hwy., Supply, Rt. 1, Box 121 Sturgeon, MO.
45, Elroy, WI 53929, (608) 462-5771.
Information Sources
for this Publication
Prevention and Control of Wildlife Dept. Nat. Res., N.Y. State Coll. Agr. and Damage, 1994, Hygnstrom, S.E., R.M.
Life Sci., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y.
Timm, G.E. Larson, ed., Univ. ofNebraska Cooperative Extension, Lincoln, How to Build Fences with U.S.S. MAX- Low-Cost Electric Deer Fence for Many TEN 200, United States Steel, Pittsburg, Small Acreage Applications, 1993, by J.
Kays, Cooperative Extension Service,University of Maryland System, High-Tensile Wire Fencing, 1981, by Agriculture, 1983, by J.B. McAnninch, A.W. Selders, J.B. McAnninch and R.J.
Illustrations from Controlling Deer Damage in Wisconsin, Scott Craven and Scott Hygnstrom, University of Wiscon-sin-Extension.
Control of Wildlife Damage in Orchards Building an Electric Anti-Predator Fence, and Vineyards, 1977, by J.W. Caslick and Charles D. Lee
Extension Specialist, Wildlife
Brand names appearing in this publication are for product identification purposes only. No endorsement is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products not mentioned.
Publications from Kansas State University are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.oznet.ksu.edu Contents of this publication may be freely reproduced for educational purposes. All other rights reserved. In each case, credit Charles D. Lee, Deer Damage Control Options, Kansas State University, January 1998.
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
It is the policy of Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service that all persons shall have equal opportu-nity and access to its educational programs, services, activities, and materials without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or disability.
Kansas State University is an equal opportunity organization. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, asamended. Kansas State University, County Extension Councils, Extension Districts, and United States Department of Agriculture Cooperating, Marc A.
Johnson, Director.

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