Deer are causing damage in Batavia and residents say the problem is as bad as they can ever remember it, but that doesn't mean a solution will be easy to find.
DEC Biologist Art Kirsch led a two-hour meeting on the issue Wednesday night, but offered no clear answers and said it could take years for Batavia to thin its deer herd to a less destructive level.
City Manager Jason Molino agreed.
"We've got the right folks at the state level to help us," Molino said. "We've just got to get the right folks in the community to participate and try to come up with a solution. Unfortunately, the solution isn't a cookie-cutter solution and I don't think the time frame is either. I don't think what anyone can predict what type of obstacles we might receive in the process."
Several residents told of the problems they face, including Gus Galliford.
"We're concerned about the deer just ravaging our property," Galliford said. "They're coming in numbers we've never seen before. I built my house 25 years ago and lived in the neighborhood all that time, but after this past spring, they're just destroying the whole thing."
The deer have cost his family thousands and thousands of dollars, Galliford said.
Kirsch said an overpopulation of deer are a problem on at least three levels: ecological damage, car accidents and transmission of disease.
His best suggestions for now: fencing, repellents, and fertility control.
Molino suggested the city may need to set up a committee to study the issue and recommend a solution.
Reporting for story provided by The Batavian's news partner, WBTA AM/FM.
Batavia should ask the DEC
Batavia should ask the DEC for a pass to push (to a safe area) and shoot. And they could have a lottery for the hunters!
According to an article, from
According to an article, from the University of Vermont Extension Department of Plant and Soil Science, found at http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/articles/deerfences.html , "White-tailed deer can jump almost eight feet high, so effective upright fences against them should be this high."
So, what does this mean?
Well, in Stafford, it would appear that a deer could jump from James Pontillo's property, onto Tom Englerth's property (as the fence height on Pontillo's side is 6'). But, the same deer couldn't clear the fence from Englerth's side, as it is 8' high on that side.
Interesting!
Actually Ed... I'll find the
Actually Ed... I'll find the cornell article but that 8' height was from a standstill for an average deer.
Over at the Cornell Ag Gardens they needed 15' fences because if the are running ...they can easily clear 10 to 12'.
I found a similar article....
I found a similar article.....but cant find the cornell article. This one is good though because it includes mitigating factors that influence deer/fence behavior. Definately not a simple issue by far.
Oh heres the article LOL
Oh heres the article LOL http://www.invisible-deer-fence.com/deer-facts/behavior-motives.htm
Kill them and eat them, use
Kill them and eat them, use arrows
In reality, Kyle, I remember
In reality, Kyle, I remember watching a video on youtube, showing one deer clearing a 14' fence, with a second one ( right behind it) NOT clearing it and plummeting to the ground. But, I couldn't find that video.
Besides, the 6-foot vs 8-foot limit in the article I found fit perfectly for my 'jab' at the Pontillo/Englerth controversy. That's why I used it.
:)
I forgot the Stafford Fence
I forgot the Stafford Fence Debate.....touche'
Kill them and eat them. Use
Kill them and eat them. Use arrows and traps.
To elaborate. If an animal is
To elaborate. If an animal is destroying my property, and the "Officials" are going to meander and discuss options while more damage is done to my property, I would kill the animal using the safest possible method for the terrain and area. Back yard of a residential area, arrows. Backyard of a sub urban area, depending on the nature and location of neighbors, a quiet rifle.
Might sound weird but Dove
Might sound weird but Dove soap. Fruit farmers up north strap it on their young trees and deer won't go near it. Try it it works.
Robert. We tried that Dove
Robert. We tried that Dove soap method, back when I was just a kid.
As the trees grew taller and taller, we slowly weaned them off the soap treatment.
To our dismay, we learned that the trees had grown so accustomed to the Dove that they retaliated.
Hence, the countryside is now teeming with 'weeping willows'.
Ed. Don't know why that
Ed. Don't know why that happened to you but it works for multi million dollar fruit growers. They don't spray it on a small piece of Dove soap does the job.
If you research that Robert,
If you research that Robert, the smell in dove soap that we humans can't smell but the deer can is an odor similar to the pheremones in the urine of predators.
It's much easier to get wolf or coyote urine products from hunting stores as the dove doesn't last very long in the out of doors because of humidity and rain.
This site is not a joke but you can find useful versions of this stuff to use from here
http://thepeemart.com/
Kyle. I went to Pee Mart's
Kyle. I went to Pee Mart's website. Interesting.
Their home page says, "This is not a cheap diluted version or a synthetic copy. All of our urine is 100% natural, full strength, with no water added!"
Sounds like a perfect job for Mike Rowe.
Got anything for repelling "annoying people"?
Kyle. Sorry didn't need to
Kyle. Sorry didn't need to research it I don't have a problem with them. The big fruit growers use it. Works fine for them. They put it on the young fruit trees. They have probably done the research. Just saying.
I like how people have become
I like how people have become such sheep that when they encounter a problem like this they complain to the city or some official instead of solving the problem. "Oh there are these terrible scary deer destroying my property whatever shall i do?" Oh i know "Lets call the town board or whatever and make them handle the problem"
What really?
Sheeple.
Robert. Comment #12 was a
Robert. Comment #12 was a joke - Well, it was meant to be, anyways.
Guess I gotta work a little more on my delivery.
Hey Ed.... you asked, Got
Hey Ed.... you asked, Got anything for repelling "annoying people"?
My sarcastic side had an immediate response.
(unzips) I might have something for repelling annoying people Ed.
Kyle. TMI
Kyle.
TMI
Anyone can go to the hardware
Anyone can go to the hardware store find a lawnmower muffler "a long skinny one" i have found one its 8"x2" drill out the center peace of metal and attach. Its 10x quieter than a bb gun. Just don't let Cuomo find out! Shoot and eat.....Yummy!
Re: Comment #21
Re: Comment #21
Gotta hand it to you, buddy. That's one of the funniest comments I've read, recently.
So, let me get this straight.
1) Purchase lawnmower muffler
2) Drill out the metal center (piece, I assume you meant)
3) Attach the muffler
4) Shoot
Just wondering. How big a lawnmower does it need to be (to kill a deer)? And, just what am I shooting at the deer? Exhaust gases?
I just don't get it, I guess! But then, my daddy always did say I was a little slow. :)
Ed, I found your attempt at
Ed, I found your attempt at humor very amusing. was laughing at how you tied the two topics together until somebody came along with statistical proof that your joke was wrong.
Please don't be deterred as it is good to laugh, for some of us anyways.
Bow and arrows is a bad
Bow and arrows is a bad solution for the City. A badly placed shot can cause the animal to run miles before it bleeds out and dies. I don't think we want dying deer running amok in the streets and backyards of Batavia.