Unappreciative deer-GRRRR

[Gravel Road]

Last year I got chinese chestnuts from Wayne and stored them in the fridge all winter. Planted them in starter pots, transferred to larger pots, and kept them watered all summer. A few weeks ago I got 15 of them in the ground before it froze. They were planted close to a barbwire fence to provide some protection and landscape material cut and placed around each one. This weekend I happened to go by them and every one of them was pulled out of the ground and missing or nipped off All that work for nothing.

In another plot I had planted about 10 persimmon and used landscape material and tree tubes and pvc stakes. Most of them had been knocked off the stakes by rambunctious bucks. The only ones that hadn't been messed with were two pears that were tubed and had steel cages and T-posts. At that point I just decided to leave for the day.

So frustrating! I want to plant some dolgo's this spring but might have to cage each one. Dang deer are just like kids, don't appreciate anything

 

[Drycreek]

I had several tubes knocked over by deer and hogs also. I put them back, they got knocked over again, .......and again. They finally left them alone and that didn't happen this year. Never could figure out why..........

 

[Fishman]

Sounds like you need to teach some of those deer a lesson. About 150 grains of lead at 2000 feet per second should teach them to be more appreciative of what you are doing for them.

 

[Gravel Road]

Sounds like you need to teach some of those deer a lesson. About 150 grains of lead at 2000 feet per second should teach them to be more appreciative of what you are doing for them.

Darn right. I'm going to give it a try on 1 Jan. There is a 1day doe season and I'll try to knock the chestnuts out of one-ha,ha.

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[dogghr]

I think you might have a groundhog skunk coon problem. Deer maybe taking part. That hurts regardless.


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[Gravel Road]

I think you might have a groundhog skunk coon problem. Deer maybe taking part. That hurts regardless.


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It could be a multi critter problem. Last year I had loblolly pines that were either nipped off or pulled out of the ground and just laying there. They were unprotected without even any landscape cloth. I was thinking that pack rats might have done some of the cutting?

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[j-bird]

Last year I got chinese chestnuts from Wayne and stored them in the fridge all winter. Planted them in starter pots, transferred to larger pots, and kept them watered all summer. A few weeks ago I got 15 of them in the ground before it froze. They were planted close to a barbwire fence to provide some protection and landscape material cut and placed around each one. This weekend I happened to go by them and every one of them was pulled out of the ground and missing or nipped off All that work for nothing.

In another plot I had planted about 10 persimmon and used landscape material and tree tubes and pvc stakes. Most of them had been knocked off the stakes by rambunctious bucks. The only ones that hadn't been messed with were two pears that were tubed and had steel cages and T-posts. At that point I just decided to leave for the day.

So frustrating! I want to plant some dolgo's this spring but might have to cage each one. Dang deer are just like kids, don't appreciate anything

I feel you! I had a nice 3 gallon chestnut tree destroyed by a buck (it was pushing 6 feet tall and it was reduced to a tattered stick). I'm still looking for the guilty S.O.B. and I'm going to shoot him!

 

[Mitch]

It doesn't matter the tree, mine all get tubed and t-posted. Once they grow out of the top of tube then I put a cage around them. I feel your pain, I put a ton of work into my trees and if I saw any deer messing with them, it would be a quick dirt nap.
Deer just need to be patient and they eat what the tree provides LATER! lol

 

[Southern Indiana]

10 extra minutes 2 t-posts and 4-5 foot fencing and that will cure what ails you


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[Gravel Road]

10 extra minutes 2 t-posts and 4-5 foot fencing and that will cure what ails you


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I know but all the expenses and time sure add up. There's no way I can spend that on the lower priced stuff like plum, hazelnut and elderberry. Might have to plant sheer numbers and hope for the best.

 

[j-bird]

I know but all the expenses and time sure add up. There's no way I can spend that on the lower priced stuff like plum, hazelnut and elderberry. Might have to plant sheer numbers and hope for the best.

Something I learned in my habitat journey is that if you don;t have the resources (time or money) to do it right the first time.....you will pay for it later. I fully understand that you can't protect every tree and shrub you plant. However you can't fault the deer for being deer either. I have since figured in the time and money to protect any trees planted in my initial project scope. It means the projects are smaller, but they also tend to be more successful as well. Good luck

 

[Gravel Road]

Something I learned in my habitat journey is that if you don;t have the resources (time or money) to do it right the first time.....you will pay for it later. I fully understand that you can't protect every tree and shrub you plant. However you can't fault the deer for being deer either. I have since figured in the time and money to protect any trees planted in my initial project scope. It means the projects are smaller, but they also tend to be more successful as well. Good luck

The first of planting trees I spent two days with the post hole digger on the tractor and planting several hundred shrubs/trees. Survival rate was probably 5%. Each year the learning continues. Tried a dibble bar last year and everything gets put in at least landscape fabric now. The good stuff will get caged now!

It is amazing how fast new things get examined. Must be the smell of fresh dirt.

 

[gasman]

I too tried the planting by volume and hoping some of them would make it method. Does not work well. Wasted a lot of money on trees and materials along with my time planting and hoping for the best. Switched over to tree tubes and t posts the last few years. Planted way less trees but have way better results. The new trees have almost 100% success rate and have passed up the few older trees that made it. Each tree cost more to plant but when you figure in the cost of all the trees that died from not being protected the costs equal out. Same with time, it takes a few more minutes to tube them but it equals out with the time wasted on planting the ones that get eaten. Check craigslist for used t posts, it cuts the cost down substantially.

 

[j-bird]

The first of planting trees I spent two days with the post hole digger on the tractor and planting several hundred shrubs/trees. Survival rate was probably 5%. Each year the learning continues. Tried a dibble bar last year and everything gets put in at least landscape fabric now. The good stuff will get caged now!

It is amazing how fast new things get examined. Must be the smell of fresh dirt.

Many folks have switched to planting plugs to reduce the work required for large plantings.....I am not certain you can use plugs or not, but it may be worth looking into. Not to beat a dead horse....but if your only getting 5% survival.....would it not be worth the effort to cage them? Hear me out. For example - you plant 100 trees. If you are only getting 5% to survive - why not only plant 5 but protect those 5 properly. Now I realize you are planting maybe 100's or even 1,000's of trees. But if your only going to get 5% of 1,000 trees (and 1,000 trees is a lot of work) - why not only plant 50 and put the time and money into protecting just those? I think you would be money ahead and not suffer near the frustration....I don't know the dollars and time behind planting what you are....but it may be worth considering. The only times I have seen large numbers of trees planted have any real survival rate was when they where essentially a re-forestation project when they plant roughly 700 trees an acre for acres and acres....this simply overwhelms the deer. Good luck.

 

[g squared 23]

Many folks have switched to planting plugs to reduce the work required for large plantings.....I am not certain you can use plugs or not, but it may be worth looking into. Not to beat a dead horse....but if your only getting 5% survival.....would it not be worth the effort to cage them? Hear me out. For example - you plant 100 trees. If you are only getting 5% to survive - why not only plant 5 but protect those 5 properly. Now I realize you are planting maybe 100's or even 1,000's of trees. But if your only going to get 5% of 1,000 trees (and 1,000 trees is a lot of work) - why not only plant 50 and put the time and money into protecting just those? I think you would be money ahead and not suffer near the frustration....I don't know the dollars and time behind planting what you are....but it may be worth considering. The only times I have seen large numbers of trees planted have any real survival rate was when they where essentially a re-forestation project when they plant roughly 700 trees an acre for acres and acres....this simply overwhelms the deer. Good luck.

I learned this the hard way, thinking I could outplant the deer. The problem wasn't the deer; ?something? dug up my expensive 2 year old plugs, and took a bite out killing the trees instantly. So now everything is going to get a cage, or I'm not going to bother. I'd rather put the leftovers in pots at home and plant them the next year. Otherwise you're just p*$$ing away good trees and shrubs.

 

[Gravel Road]

Many folks have switched to planting plugs to reduce the work required for large plantings.....I am not certain you can use plugs or not, but it may be worth looking into. Not to beat a dead horse....but if your only getting 5% survival.....would it not be worth the effort to cage them? Hear me out. For example - you plant 100 trees. If you are only getting 5% to survive - why not only plant 5 but protect those 5 properly. Now I realize you are planting maybe 100's or even 1,000's of trees. But if your only going to get 5% of 1,000 trees (and 1,000 trees is a lot of work) - why not only plant 50 and put the time and money into protecting just those? I think you would be money ahead and not suffer near the frustration....I don't know the dollars and time behind planting what you are....but it may be worth considering. The only times I have seen large numbers of trees planted have any real survival rate was when they where essentially a re-forestation project when they plant roughly 700 trees an acre for acres and acres....this simply overwhelms the deer. Good luck.

That was my first ever attempt at tree and shrub planting. No site prep at all, thinking that the plum and native plants would be fine. I was hoping that they would at least survive, but maybe be slow growers for a year or two until they got established. Not quite successful Between excess rainfall that spring, high grass shading the plants out, and the critter damage, the poor things didn't stand much of a chance. Surprisingly, quite a few of the loblolly pine survived the assault even after getting heavily nipped.