Can You Communicate with Deer by Closing Your Eyes?

[Astronuc]

I remember in Yellowstone National Park, far more people are killed or injured by elk than bison or bears. People think the elk are harmless, but if provoked they will charge, and they can gore one with those antlers.

Best to keep a distance from a buck, and slowly move away, or be ready to grab those antlers.

 

[Moonbear]

Bad idea? What is best if they seem aggressive and move towards you.

I only know what NOT to do with bucks. I'm not sure there is anything to do other than try to back away or hope a cute doe catches his interest and distracts him. I never had to be in close quarters with bucks; they're just too dangerous, so we never even attempted to work with them. Wild-captured does were bad enough.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Great! He seems to have laid claim to a spot directly between my office and the house. If he doesn't leave soon I may have to do something. I can't have to worry about this guy coming at me in the dark.

Maybe I had better start carrying the .380. Do you think the sound of a gun shot would stop a charge, or would I have to shoot him?

 

[Moonbear]

I don't know if he already started to charge. Maybe you should plant some yummy plants on the other end of your property to lure him over there and away from the office. It seems a tad early in the year for him to already be showing such aggression, especially since the does aren't even likely to have weaned the spring fawns, let alone being anywhere close to season (that starts in the fall). The males start producing more testosterone and becoming fertile again before the females, but that's usually around mid-late summer. If he's showing a lot of aggression at this time of the year, I'd be very leery of him, because it will only get worse.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I don't know much about deer, but I certainly didn't expect aggressive behavior this early in the year. The last two years [since the dogs died] they left before we had any issues; aside from Tsu's rose garden, which now looks like a clear cut with a toe tag attached to each stump.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I don't know much about deer, but I certainly didn't expect aggressive behavior this early in the year.

You brought this on yourself by chatting up his girlfriend.

 

[Moonbear]

You brought this on yourself by chatting up his girlfriend.

I think we better start collecting venison recipes for Ivan and Tsu.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

You brought this on yourself by chatting up his girlfriend.

But I only called her deer, not dear!

 

[Math Is Hard]

But I only called her deer, not dear!

http://members.aol.com/earlwerks/sounds/rimshot.wav"

 

[Ba]

Yosemite the only animal fatality that the HR department admits is from a deer. (Of course this was a parent putting a little child up on the deer's back to take a picture, I've never been sure if the child died or the parent.) Deer are dangerous much more so than bears. Bears will run away from everything but food(which might be you). Deer just stand there and look at you stupidly until they think that you are attacking them and then they charge. Venison is very good.

 

[Danger]

Ivan, a few well-placed landmines will solve your problem with minimal effort. (Don't even think about shooting a deer with a .380 unless you can get it through the eye. Those things can barely knock down a person, never mind anything bigger. You'll just piss it off.)

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Don't even think about shooting a deer with a .380 unless you can get it through the eye. Those things can barely knock down a person, never mind anything bigger. You'll just piss it off.)

Yes, it is starting to come back to me now. I was thinking that at such close range a chest shot would do, but I really would need something like a 30-30, eh.

Anyway, hopefully they'll be gone soon. With the unusual heat and dry weather of late, the creek is barely a trickle now.

 

[jhe1984]

I've actually had a little experience with this...

I am friends with a girl who lives on a ranch in a very small one stoplight town. A deer crashed into her glass door and injured its leg, so they helped it out and I think fed it and stuff.

I even want to say that she told me that the deer drank milk. But that part's uncertain.

Anyway, they ended up just raising this deer as a pet and it lives in their yard and they feed it and such.

They named him Poncho. Seriously - Poncho the dear.Comedian Ron White on deer hunting,

"Some of my friends try to get me to go deer hunting. They tell me that deer hunting is one of the greatest sports a man can participate in... I hit a deer in a van - going 55 MPH, with the lights on and the horn blowin'. My, that's an elusive creature. If you are ever having problems hitting a deer, its because your bullets are too fast. Just slow it down to 55 mph, throw a horn and headlights on it, and he'll jump right in front of it!"

 

[Astronuc]

Great! He seems to have laid claim to a spot directly between my office and the house. If he doesn't leave soon I may have to do something. I can't have to worry about this guy coming at me in the dark.

Maybe I had better start carrying the .380. Do you think the sound of a gun shot would stop a charge, or would I have to shoot him?

Maybe you'll have to start driving to work.

 

[turbo]

Get yourself a scarecrow. They are battery-operated sprinklers with motion detectors. Hook it up to a hose, aim the detector toward where the deer likes to hang out, and when he shows up, that noisy oscillating sprinkler will go off, jumping the heck out of him and spraying him with water. It shuts off automatically after a few seconds, and resets, ready to trigger again within 8 seconds. You can find 'em on-line for between $50 and $60 each. They are very effective, and lots cheaper than stocking the rose-garden buffet with new plants every year. Deer got my biggest habanero plant and lots of our herbs the night after we set them out in the garden last year. We bought two of the scarecrows to cover the 1500 sq ft garden and did not have another deer track in the garden all summer, although they often slept on our lawn.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Maybe you'll have to start driving to work.

Heh, I am. I'm not walking around here in the dark with an aggressive buck hanging around.

Turbo, sounds like a great idea. Maybe we can even bring back Tsu's rose garden.