Deer

Common nam: White-tailed deer
Scientific name: Odocoileus virginianus

Biology
Adult body length (without tail): 4 to 6 feet
Adult body weight: 50 to 400 pounds
Coloration: Tawny above; white underneath, including tail.
Gestation period: 202 days
Offspring: 1 to 4 young (at one time) per year (usually 1 or 2)
Breeding season: October through January
Birthing season: April through June
Age at which young are weaned: 8 weeks
Activity period: Anytime
Range: Several hundred acres
Primary foods: Leaves, stems and buds of woody plants,
live bark, fruits, acorns, crops (e.g., corn,
soybeans, grains, vegetables, alfalfa), weeds

Pest status. White-tailed deer have multiplied within their reduced woodland, prairie and wetland habitats to the extent that their foraging on crops and ornamentals results in millions of dollars in loss and damage to agriculture, commercial and residential landscaping every year. The large deer populations in state parks and municipal parklands, and their foraging impact on woody plants and wildflowers, is resulting in a significant threat to the ecological balance of these otherwise protected lands. Damage to woody ornamentals is particularly devastating in the winter, when food is scarce and conditions severe for the overly-abundant deer populations.

CONTROL
Exclusion. Deer are best excluded from farms, orchards, nurseries and commercial and residential properties through the extensive installation of wire fencing around these properties. Fencing can be made effective for excluding deer in two ways: (1) by being higher than a deer can jump (i.e., at least 10 feet tall) or (2) by being electrified so as to deliver a high voltage, low amperage electric shock when contacted by deer. Electric fencing types, utilizing posts 4 to 5 feet tall, and designed to repel deer are commercially available from a variety of manufacturers (for brands, enter key terms in an Internet search engine).
Harassment / Intimidation. Having one or more trained, large breed guard dogs on the property can be an effective way to keep deer away when only a few acres of land require protection.

Chemical Control
Repellents. A variety of commercially-available deer repellents are available for application to the bark, twigs and new growth of woody ornamentals. Most repellents cannot be used on fruits, vegetables and crops due to their bad odor and taste to humans. Repellents may be based on soaps of fatty acids, fungicides, bitter compounds, predator urine or glandular extracts, irritating essential oils, garlic, capsaicin, putrescent egg solids and other agents. Some repellents that contain capsaicin can be used on crops according to product labeling. Few of these repellents retain their ability to discourage feeding by deer for very long. Therefore, reapplications will be necessary at intervals that depend on the product used.