Advice Please on how to keep fallow off maize

[daw]

Got a call from a farmer who keeps cows and grows few acres of maize for silage.

There is a resident herd of fallow on his neighbours land, all female and their young. 40 +.

This year they have taken a liking to the farmers maize and have devasted one small field and started on the other two.

I culled two nice young bucks on the maize two evenings ago. But the only others I've seen in the locality are female and their young.

Any (sensible) tips on how to keep them off the maize please. They tend to be nocturnal in their visitations.

 

[Cranhill]

Apply for a Shooting at Night License from NE, it's sound like you've got justification

 

[daw]

I should have included that I know about the exemption to shooting out of season in the case of serious damage to crops but I don't want to go down that route.

 

[243varmint]

We have a similar problem. The farmer has put an electric fence around his wild bird seed areas.

 

[Monkey Spanker]

Couple of strands of electric fence should do it. Avoid netting as you are more likely to catch a buck. MS

 

[Blaser243]

Why do people frequently suggest shooting out of season. Sure, it can work, but a bit of electric fence is a much better deterrent and will be far more effective. We all enjoy our stalking, but shooting does and fawns at this time of year doesn't really sit well with me.

 

[Heym SR20]

Make a portable high seat and place it in middle of maize. Take rifle and good book and sit in highseat. Fallow will not appear.

 

[Monkey Spanker]

Why do people frequently suggest shooting out of season. Sure, it can work, but a bit of electric fence is a much better deterrent and will be far more effective. We all enjoy our stalking, but shooting does and fawns at this time of year doesn't really sit well with me.

Unfortunately, the majority of stalkers seem to think that the only way to manage deer is to shoot them! Shooting is only ever really a supplementary method to other methods in a lot of areas. We are always governed by seasons and the hours of daylight, so for Roe for instance, there is always one sex that you cannot shoot. Female deer seasons are the only ones that are really valid in my opinion, as they are in place for the welfare of deer. Shooting females in particular out of season doesn't sit well with me either! Planting maize next to a large group of fallow is unfortunately always going to have rather predictable consequences! The wire should have gone up at the start really as an early deterrent. You say it is only a few acres, so it may only need a strand or two along the boundary which can be powered by a car battery and a solar panel. A fairly quick fix for now, followed by a robust cull in November?
MS

 

[daw]

Why do people frequently suggest shooting out of season. Sure, it can work, but a bit of electric fence is a much better deterrent and will be far more effective. We all enjoy our stalking, but shooting does and fawns at this time of year doesn't really sit well with me.

I agree which is why I said I didn't why to do that in order to knock that on the head before it was suggested!

 

[Blaser243]

I agree which is why I said I didn't why to do that in order to knock that on the head before it was suggested!

Good man - not knocking you, just those who instantly jump in and suggest shooting as the default option.

 

[Uncle f]

Unfortunately, the majority of stalkers seem to think that the only way to manage deer is to shoot them! Shooting is only ever really a supplementary method to other methods in a lot of areas. We are always governed by seasons and the hours of daylight, so for Roe for instance, there is always one sex that you cannot shoot. Female deer seasons are the only ones that are really valid in my opinion, as they are in place for the welfare of deer. Shooting females in particular out of season doesn't sit well with me either! Planting maize next to a large group of fallow is unfortunately always going to have rather predictable consequences! The wire should have gone up at the start really as an early deterrent. You say it is only a few acres, so it may only need a strand or two along the boundary which can be powered by a car battery and a solar panel. A fairly quick fix for now, followed by a robust cull in November?
MS

This is sound advice indeed and I agree 100%
regards steve

 

[daw]

This is an annual crop together with grass and there has only been very minor damage in previous years.
I would guess that it is down to the drought damaging their usual fodder which has brought them to the maize for food and water content.
Unfortunately I suspect that the maize will be cut by 1st November and the Fallow will then be back to their normal grounds so no opportunity for a robust cull!

Thanks to all contributions and I will suggest 2 strand electric fence to farmer.

 

[biffo]

Make a portable high seat and place it in middle of maize. Take rifle and good book and sit in highseat. Fallow will not appear.

 

[SussexFallow]

electric fence doesn't work in Sussex.

 

[Blaser243]

electric fence doesn't work in Sussex.

Works on mine in West Sussex well enough!

It isn’t a complete solution because some do learn to hop over it, but it keeps more out than it lets in.

 

[Overlay]

Couple of years ago I had a near same problem with a few fallow does that were grazing the headland then moving into some maize

I applied a 2 metre band of safe organic short term en bittering deterrent onto the edge of the headland and installed a 100 mtr (50 mtrs each side of the main tracks into the headland) 2 strand electric fence a foot and three foot off the ground with a few lengths of hi viz tape to make a noise and movement, set a stealth camera each end, after 2 nights no signs of activity, they had moved to a new cut hay field opposite side of the wood

i left it up until they were going to harvest it, it worked out to be a good short term fix

I think if you generally unsettle they’re routine if your lucky it can work out to good effect

good luck

phil

 

[Monkey Spanker]

electric fence doesn't work in Sussex.

What height and how many strands? Did they go through it or over it?
MS

 

[highseat6.5]

electric fence doesn't work in Sussex.

I fenced a couple of maize cover crops of last year , I run three strand strands , the top one at a metre and the fence angled out from the top slightly , worked perfectly .The season before they had decimated the cover crop last year it was untouched .

 

[shortshot]

Gas gun last and first couple hours daylight. Electric fence unlikely to work now they have feed field established.

 

[nickxb]

I would have thought using electric fencing, possibly suspending something unusual such as old cd's, plastic bags would be a short term solution, but they would need to be changed regularly to prevent the deer getting used to it. other than that crow scarers set at night............providing you dont have too many neighbours, or even a radio. They may all have an effect but if the deer are lazy and hungry they may not work. Gopod luck