My First Deer

[theboman]

Well, it took 2-3 years but the deer found the growing garden.
I had some nice bean and corn growing on the upper rows last week and last night noticed they were nibbled to the dirt.

The lower part has much bigger corn and beans (we can pick next week) that the deer didn't bother. They didn't touch the cucumbers, pumpkin or watermelon at all. Guess they are picky.

This weekend the ol' yeller tape goes into use to weed the deer.... Now that I'm thinking about it I didn't see any deer tracks at all. Hmm, the groundhogs maybe back! I gotta get the .22 out again.

[DocHeb]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
the deer didn't bother. They didn't touch the cucumbers, pumpkin or watermelon at all.

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Yet.

[beenthere]

<font color="red"> Hmm, the groundhogs maybe back! </font color>


That is what I would be thinking, as well.

Watch the ripe sweetcorn, as the raccoon seem to be just one step ahead of you getting to pick it, from my experience.

[theboman]

Spent a few hours in the garden yesterday..hoed way too many weeds, picked 3 gallons of greenbeans (will be able to do that again this week) and looked for sign....
Not one deer track. The part of the garden that had intruders has very soft dirt so now I'm thinking groundhogs.
The corn that was ate to the ground is growing... Now that amazed me...I doubt it does much but thought it would die out.

On the lookout for my old enemy the groundhog. Shot one last year but not in the garden. A few years ago I dispatched 4-5. I'm thinking they have an aparment complex up around the barn that sits about 50 yards from the garden.

[theboman]

I seen the enemy.
I was preparing to leave for my radio gig and popped out of the house and seen something. It seen me too. I couldn't figure out what I was looking at as it stood in my neighbors yard..... It scurried into a ditch... Darn groundhog!
I do some chores...walk around the house and there is the enemy. I sneak into the house of the dispatcher (Ruger 10/22) and sneak to a place about 20 yards from the varmit. Plink... I missed.
I jump into the ditch and there the critter is sticking his head out of the hole and plink.... he vanished under cover.
Hmmm, I'm thinking that my scope has been nugdged outta place ... last year at 25 yards I dropped a groundhog in its tracks....
The quest contiunes... Oh, it's burrowed in a ditch that goes under they yard. Now I have fears of the tractor finding the den the hard way!

[Pat]

A neighbor always has a great garden which includes watermellon and cantelope. He had several incidences where he mentally marked a couple cantelope to be picked the next day or in two days but they disapeared (vanished) without a trace overnight. After several dissapointments he staked out the cantelope patch on an all night, if required, armed vigil. He shot 3 dogs. He said none had tags but I don't think he checked first so it wouldn't have helped them. Whoda thunkit?

[img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

[meledward23]

I agee.... Messing with my garden is grounds for immediate termination..... Good things kids can read [img]/forums/images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

Seriously, Where I am building my house I am going to have a serious deer issue. I am preparing for war. A horticulturist and deer dont mix.

Cant you get some cats to deal with the groundhogs? There are 5 cats at my barn, mice, rats, squirells they get buried weekly.

I am thinking about putting a cat walk all the way to the top of my barn so the cats can run the sparrows out. I just cant imagine me going up that high to mount the walkway. It's a good 50'.

[roughcut]

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<font color="blue"> Cant you get some cats to deal with the groundhogs ? </font color>

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Whats a cat going to do to a groundhog?

[theboman]

We have some wild cats that hang around our barn but that one ground hog I see ain't went nowhere.... I tried to plant a 170 grain 30-06 slug next to his ear the other day but he vanished before my eyes... When I streched my neck away he scampered.... There's always next time.

[roughcut]

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<font color="blue"> We have some wild cats that hang around our barn </font color>

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I don't think any kind of a cat is going to be a threat to a groundhog,unless you are talking about maybe a bobcat.