Allotments 4 All

We have Muntjac deer on the allotments. They have a track which runs through thickets at the end of my plot and I have seen them a number of times, in fact they are so common that I've seen on in our town in park - Jephson Gardens in Leamington. They look at a distance a big brown dog.

I keep them off crops by fencing off things that I know they like such as the growing tips of runner beans, by fencing off sections. Once things grow to a certain height or are tough to eat (cabbage leaves) they don't bother.

Has anybody got any other ideas? Apparently they can be killed and eaten as they are not protected species.

They are a real pain - I find I have to keep my purple sprouting broccoli netted all round in the winter.  The birds come down from above but the deer can get their head under things.   If it snows you really need to worry because I find will eat everything green above ground level.  I am not sure they are so worried about how tough they are when there is nothing else to be found.

They seem to be great for strawberries and eat the leaves in the spring and somehow this makes them fruit better.   But there is a point to get the nets back on big time.  Once they get a taste for strawberry leaves I find they do not seem to want to stop.

Have you tried urine?  It is supposed to deter them.  But is need replacing every time it rains.

Thanks.

I have tried netting and even urine. Netting and fencing off work O.K. I believe they will only eat things below their head height and will not reach up. This means that climbing beans are O.K. once they get up to about 3 ft..

All brassicas have to be kept covered all the time as they are eaten by pigeons, rabbits and deer. I didn't mention badgers which make growing carrots out of the question.

Davee,
They are a pest and I understand that you can shoot 'em and they are good eating!
Muntjak are getting brave as you see them during daylight hours which a few years ago was rare.
They are moving further north as years pass. As with the grey squirrel, time for a major cull I would suggest!