Oh Deer! - Get to Know Your Neighbor Presenter: Les Rucker - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Oh Deer! - Get to Know Your Neighbor

Presenter: Les Rucker

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College of

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Our Vision: A healthier world through environmental stewardship. Our Mission: To support the University

• f Maryland Extension

mission by educating residents about safe, effective & sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, & communities.

Credits

• Prepared by Leslie Rucker and Merikay Smith,

both Montgomery County Master Gardeners

• Special thanks to the US Fish and Wildlife Service,

the National Park Service, and other credited

• rganizations for the use of their photographs . . .

To the best of our knowledge, all other photos used are either taken by the developers of this presentation or are in the public domain

• No animals were in any way harmed during the

preparation of this presentation

Six Topics:

• 1. So what’s the big

deal?

• 2. About Deer
• 3. Plant selection
• 4. Repellents and

scare tactics

• 5. Fencing
• 6. Developing a

strategic plan

What’s the Big Deal?

• Deer population explosion
• Natural deer predators

Bobcats Coyotes Bear Mountain lions Wolves Cougars American alligators

Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Services

IMPACT ON NATIVE VEGETATION

• Understory density

has been reduced

• A forest without an

understory is a dying forest

• Birds and other

wildlife have fewer places to nest, reproduce, feed, and shelter Black Hills Regional Park

Maryland Farmers Estimate $7.7 Million (2008) Deer Related Crop Losses ~$2.4 Million in North Central MD (USDA) Deer do 80% of all wildlife damage to crops

Insurance Information Institute:

• Estimated $9.9 billion property damage &

medical costs in FY 2013

• Estimated 1.23 million deer‐vehicle collisions in

U.S. (FY 2012)

• Average claim $3,305

(FY 2012)

• Over 200 people killed

annually

What’s the Big Deal?

~2,019 deer collisions reported in Montgomery County in 2012

Montgomery County Police Department

Maryland is a “high‐risk” state with an estimated 34,000 deer‐vehicle collisions (7-1-2011 through 6- 30-2012)*

*www.statefarm.com Photo: Field & Stream Magazine website

www.cdc.gov/lyme

What’s the Big Deal?

“Deer Tick” ~ Lyme Disease

The

Blacklegged

Tick’s Two-year Life Cycle

Virginia Department of Health

May through Sept larvae hatch August larvae feed on variety of small mammals (white-footed mice, eastern chipmunks, meadow voles, short- tailed shrews, masked shrews, robins, etc.) May through July, nymphs becomes active and take their second

• feeding. Nymphs have

been collected from over 100 different species of animals as well as people.

Feeding Time for B. burgdorferi Transmission

CUMULATIVE PROBABILITY OF B. burgdorferi TRANSMISSION FOR EACH HOUR ATACHED

0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0

24 48 72 96

HOURS ATTACHED PROBABILITY

WEIBULL MODEL

T = (1 - exp[-λγ (t - G)γ ] )  k From DesVignes et al.

Cumulative Probability of B. burgdorferi Transmission for Each Hour Attached

36 hours

Virginia Department of Health

The Role of White-tailed Deer

An engorged female tick that drops off of a deer may have the potential to lay up to 3,000 eggs. Deer ears covered by ticks

Virginia Department of Health

So What’s the Big Deal? (Summary)

Annual nationwide estimates of deer damage are reported to be in the multi-billions of dollars!!!

• Car damages
• Personal health
• Agricultural crop damage
• Landscape damage
• Damage to forests and parks

Reliable statistics for wildlife-related losses are difficult to obtain and estimates are usually conservative

$

About Deer (Sub-Topic #2)

Chinese General Sun Tzu (±700~200 BCE) in “The Art of War”: “Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If ignorant both of your enemy and of yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.”

February in a fellow Master Gardener’s yard Whitetailed deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Photo by Merikay Smit

About Deer:

• Familial
• Habitual
• Neophobic
• A “prey” species
• Adaptable
• Territorial

Photo by Merikay Smith

Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Photo: National Park Service

Photos by Merikay Smith

Photo: US Fish & Wildlife Service

Plant Selection (sub-topic #3)

• General rules:

Do not like spiny surfaces Do not like unusual textures Do not like aromatic plants Rarely eat plants that produce yellow flowers

• Use plants that deer do not like
• REMEMBER: Deer do NOT read!!!!!!

Plant Selection:

• See University of Maryland Fact Sheet (FS) 655 for

listings (http://extension.umd.edu/hgic, select “Information Library”, and then select “Publications”) Trees Shrubs and Climbers Annuals, Perennials & Bulbs Rarely Damaged Seldom Damaged Occasionally Damaged Frequently Damaged Categories Sub-Categories

REMEMBER: Deer do NOT read!!!!

Repellents and Scare Tactics

• See University of Maryland FS 810 for listings

(http://extension.umd.edu/hgic, select “Information Library”, select “Publications”)

• Repellents generally more effective where

Low to moderate deer pressure Light to moderate deer feeding damage Small acreage Repellents not being used on adjacent properties Alternative food sources are available

• Taste-based versus odor-based

(Sub-topic #4)

Some of the Many Commercially Available Deer Repellents

• Systemic repellents
• Contact repellents
• Area repellents

Delivering Repellents

Repellents and Scare Tactics

• Dogs
• Homemade repellents and area repellents

Hair (human or other known predator, e.g., dog or wolf) Bar soap (High fragrance such as Dial, Cashmere Bouquet, Ivory, Irish Spring, Safeguard, Jergens, etc.) – MUST change location and brand of soap frequently Mothballs – CAUTION! Mothballs are poisonous to children and pets – Place in cheesecloth, net or stocking and hang 3 feet apart Fabric softener strips – must be highly fragrant – tie every 3 feet

Do-it-Yourself Formulae

“The recipes for natural deer repellents and the myths about deer repellent recipes abound. Some folks swear by

them, others swear at them. Either way, science

has been pursuing the fail safe combination of smells and taste deterrents for centuries with mixed results. The recipes usually consist of the same basic ingredients--human hair, garlic, pepper, strong smelling soaps such as Dial or Irish Spring, coyote urine, cat feces from large cats--such as tigers and other zoo animals, fertilizers, fabric softener, eggs and a variety of herbs, spices and vinegar. Taste deterrents include pepper, garlic and hot spices. Dozens, if not hundreds of recipes for both kinds of repellents can be found

• n the Internet or in popular gardening magazines.”

From: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/natural-deer- repellent-recipe#.UvPy3iwo6ic#ixzz2sZoGHz4R

Make your own deer repellent bags using Milorganite

Motion-sensing Deer Sprays:

• Battery or solar

powered

• Adjustable

sensitivity settings

• Sprays deer with

water which startles them

Produces effective but harmless micro-shocks. One set protects 1,200 square feet of plantings. Lure attracts deer to post, which gives them a mild

• shock. Scent lures work

short-range, won't attract deer to your property.

Electric Trainers May Teach Deer to Shun Your Garden

Birth Control

• Costly ($300 to well over $1,000 per treatment –

which must be done under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian, etc.)

• Hard to track
• Renders treated deer inedible
• Limited effectiveness – shots may only last one

breeding season and then only ±80% effective

• The same animal rights groups that argue for it

also argue against it

• Do an internet search for “Deer birth control” for

additional information

• Solid (privacy) fences
• Electric fences
• Living fences
• Living fences combined with pre-fab mesh
• High fences
• Dual fence lines

Fencing (sub-topic #5)

Electric Fence

• Deters deer
• No protection

from small animal pests

• If electricity

fails, fence can be breached

Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Phillip White

Fencing: needs to be high (8-10’+)

Developing a Strategic Plan

• Information provided on deer behavior, plant

selection, repellents and fencing should arm you with the information you need to develop your garden’s personalized strategic plan

• Must include alternatives
• Meanwhile, please help Maryland manage the

white-tailed deer population through population management alternatives (Sub-topic #6)

POPULATION DYNAMICS

To maintain a stable population, about 50% of the does must die each year.

Deer Population Dynamics

Initial Deer Herd (3:1 Ratio) After hunting season Each remaining doe produces 1.3 fawns Deer Herd Next Year 18 does + 6 bucks = 24 deer 9 X 1.3 = 12 new fawns 12 new deer + 12 remaining = 24 deer total 9 does + 3 bucks = 12 deer

Developing a Strategic Plan

• Population management in urban and suburban

environments requires an understanding by the community of the options and a level of consensus by citizens to allow local government to implement deer reduction strategies that use traditional hunting, managed hunts, and sharpshooters.

In Summary: Six Sub-Topics

• 1. So what’s the big deal?
• 2. About Deer
• 3. Plant selection and landscaping
• 4. Repellents and scare tactics
• 5. Fencing
• 6. Developing a strategic plan

This program was brought to you by The Master Gardeners’ Program of Montgomery County University of Maryland Extension Presented by: Les Rucker

Oh Deer! - Get to Know Your Neighbor