Carnivorous Deer ???

[Owly055]

WHODATHUNKIT?

I put meat scraps and fat trimmings from the local cafe out for the magpies every day. Some of this, is screwed down to a heavy plank sitting on a steel "table" outside me window. I cut up small pieces every morning and spread it and dry dog food out, and they flock in front of my window, squabbling over pieces, along with chickadees, and a flicker that hangs out here. The flicker having a long sharp "pecker", has the upper hand, and they stay respectfully out of reach when he's there.... unless he is looking away.

At night I take in the large pieces that are screwed down, which the birds peck away at all day, so the coons and cats won't get it, though I've killed most of the raccoons in the area.

The other night around 1:00 AM, I heard distinct banging sounds, and realized that I had neglected to bring the stuff in. I got out of bed and grabbed the 12 guage, thinking there was a coon out there, threw open the door and found two does tearing chunks off what I had screwed down, including a "hog maw", that the magpies and flicker wouldn't touch. (Hog maw is the outer lining of a hog's stomach..... disgusting stuff IMHO). I chased them off and removed everything but the hog maw, and leaving the light on, sat with a book at my desk and waited. Sure enough, they came back, and gobbled up everything I'd left. To put things into perspective, the temps here are running in the low 30's to high 20's at night, and there is tons of feed out there. The adjacent pasture has not been grazed, and hay and grain are being fed nearby. These deer just have a craving for meat obviously............ The meat is NOT salted, or I would attribute it to salt craving, but there are also salt blocks and crystalix mineral licks nearby.

I didn't get a look at their teeth...... I wonder if they have fangs ;-), but I did warn my neighbor not to let his children or dogs out unattended at night............ Deer here are like mice. There are hundreds of them and they are a pure nuisance. If they develop a blood lust and become predatory, we've got a real problem on our hands ;-)
H.W.

 

[kh54s10]

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

Man, that bound to give 'em some digestion problems. What state is this in ?

 

[stella_tigre]

Deer have been observed eating meat on trail cams. One instance may have been human remains I think? They have also been seen on nest cams eating nestling birds right out of the nest. Silly to pass up good protein, I guess....

 

[Vtdrinker]

Its most likely the salty flavor and dog food. I am not sure what state your in but feeding deer is some states might not be a good idea.

 

[day_trippr]

Please be far away, please be far away, please be far away...

 

[Mike_kever_kombi]

Reminds me of a story I read last summer.

They caught a deer eating human remains at a cadaver farm used for forensic science studies

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/deer-eating-human-forensics-decomposition/

 

[madscientist451]

I can't plant any fruit trees or grow a garden on my farm without expensive fencing.
Also, the deer dicks are very bad around here and I've gotten Lyme disease twice, and had one run into my car and cause a lot of damage.
Sure deer are fun to watch, and I don't shoot the ones on my property, but some days I feel like I want them to go extinct.

 

[Lefou]

Deer dicks?
OMFG, I'm laughing at this so much. When I'm finished, I'm gonna load the guns and be on the safe side. Damned if I'm gonna be sodomized and eaten, it just ain't right!

 

[Owly055]

Its most likely the salty flavor and dog food. I am not sure what state your in but feeding deer is some states might not be a good idea.

No salt at all.................

 

[Owly055]

I can't plant any fruit trees or grow a garden on my farm without expensive fencing.
Also, the deer dicks are very bad around here and I've gotten Lyme disease twice, and had one run into my car and cause a lot of damage.
Sure deer are fun to watch, and I don't shoot the ones on my property, but some days I feel like I want them to go extinct.

I'd always believed that you get lyme disease from wood ticks, not "deer dicks", even very bad ones......... I'm pretty liberal minded, but I really don't want to know what you are doing ;-)
H.W.

 

[JohnSand]

Deer dicks?
OMFG, I'm laughing at this so much. When I'm finished, I'm gonna load the guns and be on the safe side. Damned if I'm gonna be sodomized and eaten, it just ain't right!

Thanks for that, I busted out laughing. I was trying to think of a funny reply to the OP, but I know when too quit.

 

[Lefou]

I know deer are some pretty opportunistic eaters, but eating meat was new to me. Moved into my house here in NJ from Virginia about eleven years ago and decided top plant roses in the front yard.
Big mistake, those roses lasted about a week and got chewed to nubbins. Had no idea what did it, either .... then woke up one morning to four deer across the street on my neighbor's lawn. Buggers were eating his ornamentals and flowers, right on the front doorstep.
Surprised they didn't ring the doorbell and ask for handouts.
Once saw one cross a four-lane highway near Fort Belvoir close to work. It jumped a chain link fence over 8 feet high from a standstill, no running start, and headed off to the housing area close to the hospital and golf course. Never forgot that.

 

[Owly055]

I know deer are some pretty opportunistic eaters, but eating meat was new to me. Moved into my house here in NJ from Virginia about eleven years ago and decided top plant roses in the front yard.
Big mistake, those roses lasted about a week and got chewed to nubbins. Had no idea what did it, either .... then woke up one morning to four deer across the street on my neighbor's lawn. Buggers were eating his ornamentals and flowers, right on the front doorstep.
Surprised they didn't ring the doorbell and ask for handouts.
Once saw one cross a four-lane highway near Fort Belvoir close to work. It jumped a chain link fence over 8 feet high from a standstill, no running start, and headed off to the housing area close to the hospital and golf course. Never forgot that.

I have a solution to deer bothering my garden in the summer...... I use a motion detector light, and use the power to the light to run a solenoid valve from an old washing machine. This valve feed rainbird sprinklers in my garden set on short posts. Anything walks toward the garden, and the sprinklers start. This only works at night. A little black paint over the electric eye that senses day / night, and it works during the day also........... but it tends to be touchy.
Deer will get really bold, and need to be taught to fear people........... I drove one out of my garden one day years ago, hitting her several times with a shovel. She'd turn and stomp her hoof at me threateningly, I'd whack her, and she'd go a short distance, and I'd hit her again......... Eventually I was force to use a "permanent solution". Venison makes good dog food. I keep a very powerful single pump pellet rifle next to the door, and use it to make deer feel very unwelcome here.......... The pellet rifle has a silencer, and makes almost no noise, but you can hear a satisfying whack when the pellet hits the deer, and they typically go airborne and depart rapidly. One of my better investments!

H.W.

 

[Lefou]

Air rifles are restricted in the People's Democratic Republic of NJ. They are treated like other high caliber firearms. Trap a squirrel without the help of animal control officers and you may end up in court on animal cruelty charges.

 

[vanishingpint]

This says it all.

 

[vanishingpint]

And...

Apr 9, 2014 - Uploaded by adrenalinsam

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Wow! I never would've thought deer would eat a bird! I can understand if they were just going for salt in the meat scraps, but eating a bird alive! I learned something today!
Regards, GF.

 

[casualbrewer]

Probably will be most observed during summer months when the deer need protein the most for antler and fawn development. Lot of animals will eat some meat here and there to get protein. Bet all the people who believe eating meat is wrong would think again once they learn just about every animal on Earth ends up eating it at some point or another.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Probably will be most observed during summer months when the deer need protein the most for antler and fawn development. Lot of animals will eat some meat here and there to get protein. Bet all the people who believe eating meat is wrong would think again once they learn just about every animal on Earth ends up eating it at some point or another.

I'd take that bet.

Reasoning will never make a Man correct an ill Opinion, which by Reasoning he never acquired. -Jonathan Swift

 

[Zuljin]

I can't plant any fruit trees or grow a garden on my farm without expensive fencing.
Also, the deer dicks are very bad around here and I've gotten Lyme disease twice, and had one run into my car and cause a lot of damage.
Sure deer are fun to watch, and I don't shoot the ones on my property, but some days I feel like I want them to go extinct.

Wow! How big are these dicks?

 

[lschiavo]

They're smaller than a wood dick but much more firm and dripping with Lyme disease. You're getting too close if you're catching it. I assume the damage to the car was a puncture of some sort?

 

[casualbrewer]

I'd take that bet.

Reasoning will never make a Man correct an ill Opinion, which by Reasoning he never acquired. -Jonathan Swift

Yeah was more a figure of speech lol. Lot of people don't have strong reasoning skills. Hey I support the no meat eaters.... More for me!

 

[casualbrewer]

Back on topic, I actually just put out feeders for my deer today so they will have supplemental food through the winter. Maybe i should put out some meat strips lol.