Oh Deer! -

Get to Know

Your

Neighbor

Presenter:

Les Rucker

Please Silence Cell Phone

Thanks!

College of

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Our Vision:

A healthier world through

environmental

stewardship.

Our Mission:

To support the University

of 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

organizations 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

0 24 48 72 96

HOURS ATTACHED

PR

OB

AB

ILIT

Y

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 Smith

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 on 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