Deer and potatoes---can they exist together?

madness · #21 02/26/12, 08:50 PM

Elkhound, I too have had potatoes mowed to the ground by deer. Only tried it once, so not sure if it was a fluke (bad year for wild food maybe) or the norm for the deer population here.

TNHermit · #22 02/26/12, 08:54 PM

I got deer trail that intersect from three directions on my place and they never bother anything. Now the neighbors cattle are another thing. And the birds and the cherries and grapes.

Copperhead · #23 02/27/12, 05:19 AM

Ahh, fond memories. My very first Deer Damage Permit was a potato patch behind a friend's house on the edge of town. The DNR made me use a bow even though we were on the back of a 50 acre field and along the river with a cliff on the other side. A doe and her two fawns were mercilessly scalping the tops off a half acre of potatoes. One busted carbon arrow later, after it went completely through the doe and shattered on the rocky riverbed, the fawns decided the pine patch close to town was better refuge and I was able to restore my depleted supply of venison!

Do I feel bad? Nope! The fawns survived just fine in their new habitat. After removing the one doe, my friend had no more trouble with the deer, even in his famous sweet corn

ronbre · #24 02/27/12, 04:32 PM

we have lots of deer and in 40 years here I have never had one ever touch our potato plants.

and they basically don't bother my gardens much..but I plant a lot of things for the deer ..where the deer can enjoy them..

I think a lot of deer problems are that there isn't enough planted FOR THE DEER to eat..so they eat your food.

DianeWV · #25 02/27/12, 11:26 PM

You can mix up an egg mixture and spray it on the foliage and the deer won't touch it. There's a 101 recipes but it's basically blend up a couple eggs, 1 T. dish soap, 1 T. veg oil to a gallon of water. I've done it with just the egg and water and that works too. The veg oil does help it stick to plants better. I use this mixture on young trees and shrubs.

BethW · #26 02/29/12, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronbre

and they basically don't bother my gardens much..but I plant a lot of things for the deer ..where the deer can enjoy them..

Our garden sits unfenced between two old apple trees. In season, the deer head for the apple trees every night and have never eaten our garden. It's funny, the garden's full of deer tracks, but they're only heading through to get to the apple trees.