Though I realize the deer are in dire straits due to the snow, I am still PISSED!

They have eaten all of our shrubbery. The bushes have been in place a minimum of 20 years and have never been touched by them. The photos below are of holly bushes planted next to our home. Prior to the assault they were completely healthy and covered with leaves and berries.

The damage was done in a single night. Last night they attacked the back yard with similar results. Attila's huns didn't wreck this much havoc!

I am PISSED OFF!!

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And just why are you not in favor of feeding your favorite hunting species ?

hehe

Just kidding... That's awful.

Check with the state wildlife department. They may pay for damage or give extra hunting permits.
They have some program here to help keep people who have damages happy.
Or at least a little happier...

you can have a deer stand in your bedroom. And no limit eiother!

Or at least around here if they are destroying crops, you can whack them. Not sure about your peice of woods.

Unfortunately ornamental shrubs aren't seen as crops!

I thought that eating holly would be toxic to those four footed bastards. It's high time to thin-out the herd.

It is high time to kick ass, buy an additional chest freezer, take no names and live off the bounty of the land!.

I understand hollys are supposed to be toxic too, but maybe this particular kind isn't, or they're just that desperate.

Shooting here isn't very practical based on location. It simply isn't safe due to homes and highways.

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Sounds like it's high time to try out bow huntin' !

shooting at deer where the cars and houses aren't in your line of fire.

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Then when you hear the jaws snap shut, leap out with a baseball bat or length of good ol' iron pipe and bash the infernal creature's skull in.

If so, prime powder and wad a couple of cases. Then take a couple of cotton balls stuff them in, then add water. Weigh the water so that it is not over 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 oz depending on what you usual load. They wont go far, but in there range they are very discourageing to critters. And unless your neighbors are petting them, you wont hurt them either.

Notem, I have seen this but never have done it myself. my home loads usualy involve more lethal measures, like taking .50 roundballs from a muzzleloader and beat them with a hammer until they are about the diameter of a 12 ga. Then load them. They also dont fly as far as real bullets, but they are erratic, and not recomemded to sane people.

Bow hunting is out. I don't do it and by the time I practiced enough to feel confident in a quick kill rather than a lengthy and long track the woods would be green again!

LOS is possible in a narrow window but I'd need to use a light, I'm only home then, and that's kind of a give-away as it could be seen from the highway.

Bear traps have potential and you could shoot them in the trap, but they don't make economic sense as they cost more than the shrubs.

I don't see myself dropping deformed balls in my muzzle loader, but it is an interesting bit of information.

Load them into a shotgunshell. I managed to get 4 of them in there. Works a lot like buckshot, only with poor flight abilitys.

I suppose you could just use pepper spray.

I was thinking more along the lines of buck and ball.