Feeding Deer

It looks like the timing of my next hike is changing.  But in the meantime, I wanted to post a photo or two showing the local deer.  My wife bought a deer feeder a couple of years ago (they are legal here), and set it up in our large back yard.  We now seem to have over 30 deer each day expecting food.  By the way, we don't use the feeder as preparation for hunting.  It's only because my wife likes deer.

Some things to think about if you are thinking of purchasing a deer feeder.  First, you have to keep them operating.  Battery replacement is a minor nuisance, but they don't last forever.  Worse was the damage from raccoons.  They tore up the shield around the motor and damaged the motor to get at the corn.  My wife has trapped and relocated probably half a dozen raccoons.  We actually had to replace the feeder since the company stopped supporting the model we had and we couldn't get replacement parts.  The new one has a 20 year warranty.  Great if the company stays in business.

Then you have to buy and load bags of corn.  It takes lots of corn.  And the corn isn't that cheap.

Then you have the damage to your yard.  The area around the feeder is totally devoid of plant life.  While we were between feeders, my wife fed them daily by hand around the yard.  Grass is pretty scarce in several large areas.  And with the good weather, the herd(s) seem to sleep around the yard.  There is deer scat everywhere!

Finally, every time you open the garage doors, you get a herd of deer slowly approaching waiting and hoping for corn.  Your wife will name many of them and claim to be able to recognize them as individuals.  I don't have any idea how to reverse this situation, unless we happen to go bankrupt!

On the bright side, the deer are interesting to watch, especially the fawns.  Here are a few photos.  I didn't include the large herd shots, as it just looks like a crowd of deer.