During most of the year, male and female deer self-segregate into small herds. In the fall or early winter, herds break up as the deer search for a mate. Then, in May or June, fawns are born --- usually one or two per doe.
Female groups consist of one to a few does and their offspring. Young bucks leave their mothers when they are a bit over a year old and travel outside the territory to live in a bachelor group. Daughter deer stick around longer, usually staying with their mothers for two years until they are ready to mate and give birth to their own fawns.
Deer pressure on the garden is usually greatest in fall and early winter as the newly enlarged female herds search for enough food to get their fawns through the winter. Due to overpopulation, many of the deer are literally starving in the autumn and are willing to eat just about anything they can find, including supposedly deer resistant plants. This makes fall the most dangerous time for gardeners trying to stay ahead of the deer!
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I used to love our deer too, until reality struck and I realized how overpopulated our region was. The deer are difficult for us to deal with, but the problems they present in the surrounding woods are worse. Oak trees, for example, are not able to regenerate in many parts of the eastern U.S. now because starving deer munch them to the ground. Like everything else in nature, deer are beautiful in moderation, but when the balance tips, problems ensue.
Comment by
anna
— Monday evening, February 14th, 2011
To the author of the comment F*** you: you are an imbecile. Deer are the biggest (sized) pest known to man. I shoot them for fun. One can only take so much - they're cute until they make your kid cry, then it's time to "adjust" the deer population. So sorry. You are welcome to come and get as many on the tick-infested vermin as you want. Dead or alive. Let me know, K?
Comment by
TomAss
— Friday night, August 26th, 2011
Re: F*** you (above)
I love deer, too!
Especially the young, tender ones!
Tasty!
To the author of the comment F*** you: you are an imbecile. Deer are the biggest (sized) pest known to man. I shoot them for fun. One can only take so much - they're cute until they make your kid cry, then it's time to "adjust" the deer population. So sorry. You are welcome to come and get as many on the tick-infested vermin as you want. Dead or alive. Let me know, K?