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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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While I'm normally not a wildlife poop fancier, I do like to check out what we find along the rail on local hikes to try and determine the source. Coyote is fairly easily identified by the similarity to dog, but with hair from small rodents, cats or rabbits visible in it. Bear is a much larger pile, and is often full of wild berries.
One interesting related fact, Llamas have droppings that look a lot like deer, but more consistent in their symmetry, and it has no smell at all. They tend to always "go" in the same spot so it's easy to gather, and makes great fertilizer without the unpleasant odor.
When we lived in Baltimore (county) the deer would literally come right up to the kitchen window and stare in if the birdfeeder was empty. I loved it. It got to the point that my dogs would not even chase them anymore because, what was the point, there were so many and they would be right back 10 minutes later. The down side was driving - always expecting one to jump out in front of you (gave up my motorcycle after a friend hit one). Living in Texas I have yet to see any deer. Everyone tells me they are around but not like Maryland. Of course I don't get Lyme disease anymore so, there's always a positive
Deer are so flighty they will even turn around and jump right INTO a stopped vehicle. Saw it when a buck was crossing a road; cars all stopped to let it continue, but something made it suddenly do a 180...into the fender of a truck that had been stopped for several moments already.
I also saw one dash smack into a panel of wire mesh that was hanging from a tree to discourage deer from entering the yard. This deer had gotten into the yard from elsewhere, had a good clear exit to one side, but instead smacked into the wire mesh, getting a foot stuck in it and making that stupid giantbawlingbaby noise. The things that make them move are food, mating, and BLIND PANIC. Maybe they aren't as dumb as they appear. Maybe. Bring on the predators!
why would you live in a rural area if you didn't want to have wildlife around you? I live in a suburban area of Los Angeles but we have deer, bears, coyote, bobcats, mountain lions, rattle snakes among other animals and I'm always surprised when people where I live complain about the nuisance of animals.
Had another experience of this today with a good size spider inside. It wasn't a black widow but now that I am looking up the mental image on the net, might have been a brown recluse. Maybe........
A number of things. I'm generally live and let live, I am a biologist so I have my curiosity, and generally recognize the usefulness of things, such as the spiders (I have seen a few types) keeping the other undesirables at bay in my home.
As said, part of living in the country.
Of course, it doesn't apply to all things and one should keep rather open eyes around, give wide berths, to say the least.
But as said, it is part of living out where "they are".
I'm new to rural living. The first time I saw three deer 30' away thru my window, I think it's a mother leading 2 adolescent children, I was very excited. But then I start to find they poop close to the house; sometimes even on my deck. I'm not sure how to make of it now.
Do you like to have deer around your house?
Nope. I like all wild animals but I don't want any of them hanging around my house and that goes for deer too. I don't want any of them getting habituated to humans, I don't want them near my grandkids, I don't like the ticks or diseases they can carry and I don't like their destruction of humans' properties and gardens.
Regarding deer - during spring when does have fawns that they bring to visit human properties the does can be extremely dangerous and will attack humans and their pets or livestock quite viciously if they think they are too close to their fawns.
This incident happened in my province. Watch the video through to the end to see how this doe attacks a very old, deaf and partially blind dog and a cat in a residential neighbourhood when they got too close to her fawn that she brought visiting. This can happen to humans too:
Now there's an interesting question, what if you like seeing deer "around the house"?
This morning, there was the deer I've been seeing and soon followed by a smaller fawn.
The house is at the top 5th of 10 acres and somewhere down in the untamed 2-3/5th, the previous owners had set up a deer feeder. As said, it is down in the untamed and with fears of rattlesnakes running through my head, I'm not too anxious to head down there.
But....if I want to put out feed for deer (and the like), how far should I put it from the house? A thing to keep in mind is that the deer are here in this region, I see several each night on my way to work. The deer have been here "forever"; when I use to live in town, I often saw them during the day on my bike rides around..............and the buzzards often feast well along our roads.
I'm new to rural living. The first time I saw three deer 30' away thru my window, I think it's a mother leading 2 adolescent children, I was very excited. But then I start to find they poop close to the house; sometimes even on my deck. I'm not sure how to make of it now.
Do you like to have deer around your house?
For most of us, the wildlife is one of the things we love about living in a rural community. I love the deer wandering around out yard, the other creatures as well: an occasional fox, racoons, bunnies, chipmonks, squirrels, even turtles and ground hogs, not to mention the ugly armadillos. We have them all plus some I haven't mentioned. What I don't like is their eating the blueberries, the blackberries and the fresh produce still on the plants.
I will also add, if you are like me, you will never get tired of seeing all the creatures that wander in and out. stt oe, e dad
All last winter, spring, and early summer we used to catch sight of a 'dork' deer on the trail cam and sometimes walking through the yard while we were out. We called it 'messy mouth'. Keeping track of it became a hobby. Then sometime during the early summer it disappeared. I missed it. In late summer my husband came across the remains of a dead deer on our property. It was a bizarre scene. The outline of the deer was black on the ground, but very little skin or tissue left. The bones were somewhat scattered by wildlife. We are guessing that the deer had been hit by a car and died in this secluded area not far off from the road. I fear it may have been 'messy mouth' who wasn't the brightest bulb in the pack.
I have counted over twenty deer at any one time on my back acre, and sometimes they even come to the front, and stand like lawn ornaments. They don't bother anyone, and I don't have an issue with their poop. It is impossible to have a vegetable garden though as they eat everything is sight. They like my property because I have apple trees, and when the apples fall they will eat them. Sometimes they can even reach up to get them. In the summer I see them sleeping back there.
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