Thread: Attracting deer onto your property / farm

Hey guys,

The farm I live on shares a boundary with Pirongia forest, there are not a lot of deer in there but there are some. There haven't been any seen on the farm in years, however the farm over the road had a handful visiting last year.

There is a walking track in the bush line above the farm that might hamper deer coming through...

It would be great if you could lure some deer through to the farm - any suggestions on "bait / lures" to build up some visitors? would the scent carry far or would they sort of need to be coming through already to really work out?

cheers

Salt block?

It works better if you really really want the crop to feed your own livestock rather than have it stolen by deer.
Up the road 2 years ago that was happening, in desperation the farmer who lives off the property a got a bird scarer that worked for a while but really pissed off the neighbors going off at random all night. He was eventually forced to turn it off at night by sleep deprived locals but by then the deer had gotton used to it anyhow.
2 of us shot it one evening, we counted 17 on what was left of the crop and shot 5 before they twigged that the noise wasn't the bird scarer. As we were picking them up the others started wandering back out.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

It works better if you really really want the crop to feed your own livestock rather than have it stolen by deer.
Up the road 2 years ago that was happening, in desperation the farmer who lives off the property a got a bird scarer that worked for a while but really pissed off the neighbors going off at random all night. He was eventually forced to turn it off at night by sleep deprived locals but by then the deer had gotton used to it anyhow.
2 of us shot it one evening, we counted 17 on what was left of the crop and shot 5 before they twigged that the noise wasn't the bird scarer. As we were picking them up the others started wandering back out.

I knew a Safari park operator who had bird scarers set up for that reason. The deer got so used to it that if the client missed a shot, the deer often just stood there thinking it was the scarer going off

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Originally Posted by Marty Henry

It works better if you really really want the crop to feed your own livestock rather than have it stolen by deer.
Up the road 2 years ago that was happening, in desperation the farmer who lives off the property a got a bird scarer that worked for a while but really pissed off the neighbors going off at random all night. He was eventually forced to turn it off at night by sleep deprived locals but by then the deer had gotton used to it anyhow.
2 of us shot it one evening, we counted 17 on what was left of the crop and shot 5 before they twigged that the noise wasn't the bird scarer. As we were picking them up the others started wandering back out.

Lol have seen farmers here try to use bird scares on pigeons here in the UK! They don’t work. Yep they might keep em off the crop for a bit. A Pelion has a memory of 10 days. So if he has a bad experience it takes him 10 days to forget it, not sure about deer.

Trying to convince farms that dead ones don’t eat crops can be quite hard at times.

We have deer around here and only this year did one or 2 come in to the brassica crop. Clover, lots and lots of clover, spread it everywhere that is a bit of "unused" ground. Will stay for years, will feed your own stock, and you dont have to do anything with it. The deer around here travel about 2km to feed, and its always the clover they head to.

They love my hay crop. But as @Marty Henry says the best way to attract them appears to be by doing something intended for a different purpose, which attracts them out of spite. Planting trees always brings them here. Young poplar poles of cv. 'crowsnest' are particularly sought after right now, I've just been looking at a heap of them that have been ringbarked by deer since I last saw them on Saturday.

Actually my experience suggests the best way to attract them is to go actively looking for them, rifle at the ready. I can almost guarantee that this will bring them in in droves... about an hour after the rifle goes back into the gunsafe.

Don't let me visit , as where ever I am there never seems to be any bloody deer

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

Actually my experience suggests the best way to attract them is to go actively looking for them, rifle at the ready. I can almost guarantee that this will bring them in in droves... about an hour after the rifle goes back into the gunsafe.

Either that or go out without the rifle that works too.😂

Make sure there are no sheep. Lotsa sweet grass.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Make sure there are no sheep. Lotsa sweet grass.

That's an interesting comment. Are you suggesting that the sheep just eat the hay too short for deer to enjoy, or are you saying there is something else about sheep that deter sheep?

Originally Posted by Ben Waimata

That's an interesting comment. Are you suggesting that the sheep just eat the hay too short for deer to enjoy, or are you saying there is something else about sheep that deter sheep?

I'd also be interested in what TeRei says.
Theres something wrong with the deer around here then as there always in with the sheep, once I even got one into the sheepyards with a mob.
I have heard before you won't find deer in with sheep and cattle but experience tells me they arnt the least bit worried and often use the livestock as a early warning that something is happening.

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Originally Posted by BRADS

I'd also be interested in what TeRei says.
Theres something wrong with the deer around here then as there always in with the sheep, once I even got one into the sheepyards with a mob.
I have heard before you won't find deer in with sheep and cattle but experience tells me they arnt the least bit worried and often use the livestock as a early warning that something is happening.

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3 course meal.......beef steak,mutton chops and venison steak...PERFECT.

be careful what you wish for is all i can say. they are fine in small numbers but when they eat yah grass and get's shot by elmer fudd on doc land it probably won't feel very nice or charitable. They will be difficult to get rid of once they know you have good food.

probably better off convincing a farmer mate to plant the sugar beets and then help him out once they're there.

Some cover to go with the food.

Plant out some gullys and or let some unproductive land regenerate.
If they have food and shelter you will get a resident population rather than just transients