Yard Critter of the Week - White-tailed Deer

White-tailed Deer.

Or as Patty likes to call them, "Damn Deer"!

As we were watching the NFL playoffs last weekend, Patty remarked that one of our cats was intensely focusing on something outside. We have large sliding glass doors in our living room, which look out over our gardens and bird feeders. Usually, the critters the cats notice are small ones, like voles, squirrels, bunnies, and chipmunks, all previous yard critters of the week.

This is the view out our window that evening.

It took us a moment to realize that it was a big critter this time. And at the same time we were noticing it, it was noticing us. All I managed was a couple of shots with my iPhone. And then it was gone. But not for good. It, or others like it, have made additional appearances, as evidenced by tracks in the snow, objects moving in the woods, and late night sightings in the yard.

🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌

Deer are all too common throughout New Jersey, as a lack of predators has led to a population explosion, and this is problematic. Crop and garden damage (Patty's main beef with them), vehicle impacts, disease harboring, and forest understory destruction are all serious deer related problems.

Garden plant damage is the reason that White-tailed Deer are one of the few critters not welcome in our yard. Luckily, an chance overheard conversation at the Philadelphia Flower Show led to the purchase of a product called the Wireless Deer Fence, which has proven to be very effective at keeping deer damage to a minimum.

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.