Not so wild life!

Just a few of our resident deer..... wonder how we have any yard at all with these guys hanging out. I am standing on our deck and they are just (about)30 feet away - well aware that I am out here. Earlier this same day I went to get the newspaper and there was a 5 point resting much like this by the driveway less than 10 feet from the paper. He didn't get up to his feet until I was almost to the paper and then he just stood there and watched me - no sense of urgency to wander on. I was more nervous than he was.

OK, they do get alarmed once in awhile. Here our next door neighbor's Jack Russell terriers came out on their second floor deck. Once the deer figured out what was going on they settled back down as they were. Later the same day we were out in the yard and found elk scat! Haven't seen any elk in our yard but they are on the butte. The elk and the deer are really gorgeous but I do wish they would stay out in this undomesticated, natural part of our yard but nooooo, they love just about everything we ever plant - deer proof plants and all.

Oh and those deer sprays and other repellants.... we've tried the really icky ones that smell like rotten egg and putrified garlic because those are the ingredients.... hmmmm they might work if you spray the repellant on a dog and sic the dog on the deer. Mainly the spray stinks up the yard and the garage and your hands. The deer don't particularly like the taste but they have tasted (as in biting off and spitting out) every bud on our day lilies just in case one didn't have the rotten egg/garlic gunk on it.

We've read about motion sensors that will turn on a light, doubt it will work with these guys. Motion sensors that turn on a sprinkler - might work once or twice to get them to walk a few yards away. Gordon has even tried a pellet gun, but they have learned that it will sting but only for a moment, so they wait for it and then wander off. The only place they haven't bothered our plants is on our second floor deck and in the house. Waiting for the day we come home and several are sitting in the deck chairs while another is in the house gathering goodies for the gang. Given half a chance I think they just might go for it.