Deer or Rabbits

[crosers]

Does anyone know how to tell if deer have been scoffing my veggies?. I know I have rabbits as their droppings are everywhere and I have a hole in my fence. Something has been taking huge bites from my celariac, parsnips,leeks etc but i can't tell what and it makes a huge difference as to what size fence I eventually have! I have spotted deeer in the field next door and dread that they have cottoned on to what I have growing on my patch. ???

[crosers]

[loz]

The only thing I can think of is that deer would have larger droppings and pointy hoof marks.

Not much help I'm afraid.

There is a range of electric netting solutions available, which mean you can protect an area from a number of animals.  It's not as cruel as it seems,  as it is a low voltage shock that the animal gets (I know because I've had a couple).  My chicken netting keeps chickens in, and rabbits and foxes out.  :o

Loz

[crosers]

Hi, thanks like the sound of the soap, seems easy and cheap. Not too sure about electirc fencing cos of the cost and also I have been told that it shorts out easily if a tuft of grass etc touches it. I never see any big droppings so maybe I just have very tall rabbits -heres hoping.

[john_miller]

Sounds like deer. Over here White tailed deer are a huge problem but we can't do anything about them (except claim compensation from the State of Vermont) as they lure hunters to the state to spend lots of money and shoot them during hunting season. I don't know how they would be eating your parsnips but their favourites among my crops are melons (leaving tell tale teeth marks on the skin when they nibble them or eating the whole fruit except for the skin resting on the ground) or waiting for loose leaf lettuce to heart up with lots of very tender leaves just prior to flowering and then eating the middles out. Winter/storage/hard  squash fruit often gets sampled (but not entirely eaten but still useless to me) and spinach and beetroot occassionally get damaged.
I rarely see their droppings and my soil is far to dry in the summer to take a hoof print. The only substance that worked for me were moth balls- other growers around here and myself have tried everything with little success!