how to keep the deer out? please help!!!!!!

[mdb]

i know this has been discussed, but let's try it again. how do i keep the deer out of my 30 acre dove field? 15 sunflowers, 12 in corn.

in the past, we've had problems, but this year, we already replanted once, and the way we're going, we're not gonna have a field at all. we have a depravation permit, but they are so skittish, you put the light on em and they're gone, only to return the next hour.

we've tried the pelletized processed human waste. seemed to work ok at first, but they get used to it.

electric fence may be the only way to go. anyone using it in a field this big? how much would it cost to strand a 30 acre field. i've read some research on a 3 strand offset system that is supposed to work. anyone use this system? how mush did it cost to set up? how'd you do it? any help would be appreciated.

eat up in the burg........

mdb

[catchdog]

Put up a 5 strand electric fence it will keep them out.

[mdb]

how high does it need to be? what kind of system did you use? again, i know nothing about electrical fencing. thanks,

mdb

[ducks031205]

do you want deer there after you are done with doves?

[mdb]

to be honest, i could care less about the deer. we've sunk too much money into this thing to have them eat it all. again. we've alway had a problem, but i guess this year everyone around us has planted corn and cotton. there's nothing else for them to eat so they're killing our field.

mdb

[Aging Baby Boomer]

I think a "depravation permit" must be something like what the Bill of Rights gives to people such as Larry Flynt!

However, if you have a "shoot to kill" depredation permit, forget the fence and put up a couple of deer stands on the edge of the field. Get in a stand an hour or two before sunset and let things get quiet. My guess is you'll be able to pick you shot(s) before it's too dark to see.

BTW - How did you get the GWs to give you a depredation permit for a dove field?

[mdb]

lmao. forgive my stupidity. years of DEPRAVITY, age, and a tatertown education hath rendered me severely limited in cerebral capacity. i will consult with webster or the ABB before i make myself look like a bumbling idiot next time.

we've sat (or is it set, now you've given me a complex), in the stands. the pressure has turned the deer nocturnal just like during the season. they don't come out until after dark. since we've been shining pretty early, they've really not started hitting it hard until the wee hours.

shine em at 10, and they're back out an hour later, but flip that light and they haul ass. i'm talking tail tucked, low to the ground busting it. they aren't dumb.

as to the permit, we raise corn for agri purposes. the permit is all encompassing(or is that incompassing?). damn, let's just say that it covers all our fields.

mdb

[img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Aging Baby Boomer]

What has worked pretty well for us is setting up a single strand of electric fence wire. We set the wire about two feet off the ground and use a good, hot box. Also, we use a small wire to make it harder to see at night. We enclose about five acres of sunflowers.

The down side is that takes about ten man-hours to set up each year and about ten to take it down after the flowers and foliage begin to dry. But it does work fairly well. The deer wander into the wire (and, of course, tear it down) several times during the first couple of weeks. After that they seem to just avoid the field.

And be sure to hunt 'em hard during the season and take as many does as you can with doe tags and doe days.

Good luck! They're a real problem. I feel your pain!

[Sportin' Woodies]

Put up a 5 strand electric fence it will keep them out.

no it wont.
we have 3-5 strand fences through our land. deer go under, through, and if in a hurry, over.

the 3 strand offset may work, ive got one but it is too hard to maintain, so i just deer hunt over my duckpond.

shooting the deer is the only fix

[LabLuvR]

You would need to reapply the Poconite if you have had a lot of rain. How long have you had the Poconite on the fields?

[Catdaddy]

How much is poconite and where is the nearest dealer?

[2thDoc]

i think the poconite is taken up into the plant, making it less palatable to the deer. ergo, you might have to re-apply. apply early and apply often.

Bunn-you can call bobby at 803-707-1117 and ask him about the poconite.

[mother tucker]

you can run a string around the perimeter of the field approx. 3 feet from the ground....take bars of DIAL SOAP and cut them in 2"x2" squares....drill a hole through them and hang them on the string approx. 5' apart. The deer will not pass this smell! alot of work, but very little cost !!!!!
depending on the rain this typically last around 90 days w/o re-adding soap !

[Sashimi]

Also, "poconite" must be a brand... some dealers don't have it by that name. I found it under the name "malagonite"- same stuff- fertilizer from human sludge....

Or- go to the dollar store, buy the stinkingest ass bro-ham cologne you can find- take rags, soak them in said foul smelling stuff, and hang them spaced around your field.

[LabLuvR]

Bunn,

Trying calling the Sumter waste treatment facility. You may be able to buy drums cheaper than the bags. Whether they still do that or not I don't know. A bag will be $9-10. Milorganite from Lowes or Home Depot is virtually the same thing.

[mdb]

luvr, we've reapplied the (human poop) as my wife calls it, 4 times. we've used 4-6 bags each time. i'm thinking if we directed our money towards an electric fence, we'd be almost there.

i see what you're saying about the time and effort of erecting and maintaining a fence through the season.

anyone have any kind of ballpark figure on how much it would cost for a fence? ABB, why does it take so long to put the fence up around 5 acres? what is the process? how long have you used this setup? any info would be appreciated.

mdb

[GBelly]

Poconite is the shit.....

[Palmetto Bug]

Have you though about hanging some cheap flashlights around the field? You may be able to use the solar powered lawn lights if they will last all night long. Perhaps a car battery powered light that will swing and twist in the wind? A cheap radio might help too. Maybe some Beastie Boys or Black Eyed Peas tunes would keep them off.

[LabLuvR]

How much are you applying per acre? I've got a feeling you are not using enough. I've kept deer off of my cucumbers, sunflowers and peas using it with great success. I generally apply just enough to keep the deer off my food plots until the peas can make it. On something like a dove field I would use a heavier application rate.

[GBelly]

Lablikker,

I applied 4 bags over a 12 acre area and had great results. The deer backed waaaay off the sunflowers.

Also, I pretty much just hit the edges(uo to 50 feet inside the stand).