Protecting Gardens from Deer Damage

摘要

Deer are extremely adaptable, beautiful creatures whose ecological role is changing. Rangelands have been overgrazed by livestock, forcing deer to seek other food sources. Predators such as coyotes have been hunted, trapped and poisoned, causing deerpopulations to expand. Houses have been built in deer habitat, destroying food but leaving deer to forage in the new suburban environment. Mature forests are being clear cut, leaving the land to preferred foods such as grasses and shrubs that can cause deer populations to surge (Rue 1978; Halls et al. 1984). Today, native deer are either hunted for sport, seen as fanciful cartoon "Bambis," or reviled as backyard or agricultural pests. This vision of deer as pest, trophy, or cartoon represents a remarkable change from the immediate past. Deer were an essential food source for American Indian tribes and early pioneers. Indians regarded them as magical creatures, and deerskins were often used by settlers as a form of currency, leading to the slang term "bucks," meaning money (Rue 1978). Now urban and suburban perceptions are colored by a "not in my backyard" attitude. When deer dine on the prized 100 dollar yew, or trash the apple tree or rosebush, homeowners feel only distress and frustration.