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Had enough of ticks and deer

Discussion in 'Nature/Habitat/Garden Corner' started by OSimpson, May 25, 2011.

  1. Winston

    Winston Junior Mint

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    I am so sorry that my post 'read' that way. Please forgive me. The tone of it was supposed to be kind of funny. That failed.
     
  2. Sesame

    Sesame New Member

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    lol. no worries. i am a city transplant - not very knowledgable about wildlife.

    shall let you know if ninja deer invade my "yard" :)

     
  3. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    I've never seen a deer jump over that high of a fence before but Im tempted to believe it if they are ninja-type deer! :rolleyes3:
     
  4. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    The Maryland Department of Natural Resources states the following:

    http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Hunt_Trap/deer/wtdeerfacts.asp

    So it's far from being unheard of. Note that they are able to clear a 7-foot fence from a standing position...
     
  5. Rhaegar

    Rhaegar Member

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    I would pay money to see that. I can see a cat doing it, even a big cat, but a deer that weighs a few hundred pounds...wow.

    Then I remembered that I had the Internet and went searching. I was disappointed to not find exactly what I was looking for. However I did find this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-1FrmLRR0o
     
  6. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

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    I had a deer leap over my SUV while driving. Was braking/bracing for contact and whoosh! Up and over he went, rather easily too.
     
  7. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Lucky that he didn't hit you, I've seen the damage that they can cause vehicles....*shudders*
     
  8. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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  9. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    I have personally watched several deer bound over an 8 foot fence with very little effort.
     
  10. wahoogeek

    wahoogeek New Member

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  11. T8ergirl

    T8ergirl New Member

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    I heard that NPR story as well and it was depressing. I'd much prefer to live in an area with woodlands of the type they describe in the protected area. Although, I do feel sorry for the deer. They're just doing what deer do.
     
  12. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    I agree....
     
  13. OSimpson

    OSimpson Certified Master Naturalist

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    HERE IS SOMETHING I FOUND THAT SEEMS TO ME A WINNER. WE ARE CHECKING INTO IT.

    An environmentally friendly deer feeding station developed by the USDA Agricultural Research Service can reduce tick populations by up to 77%, according to a new study.

    Ticks can carry diseases that infect humans and animals alike. In the northeastern U.S., the blacklegged tick is a known vector of Lyme disease, and the lone star tick transmits the pathogen that causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis. One community in Gibson Island, Maryland installed the USDA deer stations, hoping to reduce their populations of disease-carrying ticks.

    The patented feeders, called the "4-Poster" Deer Treatment Bait Station, use four paint rollers to apply tick killer to the head, neck, and ears of deer as they feed on corn placed in the feeding tray. Tick counts on Gibson Island, Md., showed that the treatment annually achieved at least 77 percent control of both tick species, compared to pretreatment years.

    The deer stations may be the best alternative to traditional outdoor treatments for ticks, which require the application of pesticides across large areas.

    What is the Problem?

    Tick populations of both the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum and the 'deer tick', Ixodes scapularis, continue to spread geographically throughout much of the country, due in large part to a continued increase in deer herds throughout most of the United States. As tick populations increase so does disease risk, and there are currently ten known major tick-borne infections in the country affecting humans, most of which are carried by species of ticks which feed on deer. One published study has estimated that Lyme disease alone may cost society over two billion dollars a year. It is now apparent that controlling tick populations is a highly effective way to reduce local disease risk.

    What is the '4-Poster' Deer Treatment Bait Station?

    United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) - Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) has granted an exclusive license of the ARS patented '4-Poster' Deer Treatment Bait Station to the American Lyme Disease Foundation, Inc. (ALDF). The device was developed by researchers J. Mathews Pound, J. Allen Miller, and Craig A. LeMeilleur of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) - Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and patented on November 29, 1994 under United States patent number 5367983.

    The '4-Poster' device is specifically designed to kill species of ticks that feed on white-tailed deer and especially those for which white-tailed deer are keystone hosts for adult ticks. In this regard, two primary target species for '4-Poster' technology in the U.S. are the deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, that transmits agents causing Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and human babesiosis, and the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, that transmits the agent causing human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME). New tick-borne agents of infection have been identified, and the existence of yet others is suspected.

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    How does the '4-Poster' work?

    The '4-Poster' basically consists of a central bin containing clean whole kernel corn used as a bait and two application/feeding stations located at either end of the device. As deer feed on the bait, the design of the device forces them to rub against pesticide-impregnated applicator rollers. The rollers in turn apply tickicide to their ears, heads, necks, and shoulders where roughly 90% of feeding adult ticks are attached. Through grooming, the deer also transfer the tickicide to other parts of the body. Studies (see below) have shown that use of '4-Poster' technology has resulted in the control of 92 to 98% of free-living tick populations in areas around the devices after three years of use.

    What are basic requirements for maximum efficacy?

    For maximum efficacy in areas where both deer and lone star ticks are found together, the '4-Poster' device should be maintained essentially on a year-round basis. An exception would be if temperatures remained below freezing for extended periods of time. In areas where only deer ticks are found, the devices should be maintained continuously from September through May to impact the entire adult feeding/breeding season. However, adult ticks are not active during prolonged periods of snow cover or below 45° F air temperature. Where only lone star ticks are found, maintenance of the devices from late January or early February through mid to late September will significantly impact both immature (larvae and nymphs) and adult stages on deer.

    What have been the research results with the '4-Poster'?

    Two studies have been completed, and data are currently being collected and compiled from a third larger study that involves sites in five states in the northeast. Sites that are deer-fenced or where movement of deer is otherwise 'controlled' have better results than 'unrestricted sites,' where deer are able to come and go as they please. Unfenced deer pick up ticks outside the immediate study area and thus are able to reintroduce ticks to treated areas. This is especially true for adult deer ticks during the fall when deer (especially bucks) often expand their normal territorial range, and tick feeding activity is at its peak. Results may also vary depending upon the tickicide used.

    Site one: Located near Kerrville, TX at the Kerr Wildlife Management Area, two 96-acre deer-fenced wooded plots were used to test efficacy of the '4-Poster' technology in controlling free-living populations of lone star ticks. A single corn-baited '4-Poster' was placed in each pasture, but only the device in one pasture was treated with an oily formulation of the tickicide amitraz. After three years, a 92 to 97% reduction in tick numbers was observed in the plot where deer were allowed to passively treat themselves at the device. Lone star ticks in this region of Texas characteristically have a one-year life cycle. In contrast, deer ticks have a two or three-year life cycle, and hence a meaningful level of control may take longer to appear.

    Site two: Located at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland (a single 600+ acre deer-fenced facility) an exceptional 96 to 98% reduction in free-living nymphal deer ticks was noted after three years of treatment using permethrin (tickicide).

    Sites in five Northeastern States:

    Data is currently being compiled after five years of study at sites in MD, NJ, NY, CT and RI. Treatment was terminated in the spring of 2002, but tick sampling will continue through 2004 because the tick's two-year life cycle necessitates observing efficacy of treatment for two additional years.

    4-Poster 'Tickicide'

    The EPA has approved a specially formulated 10% permethrin based tickicide for use in treating ticks on deer. As with any pesticide, labels regarding its safety are included with its shipment to the Licensed Pesticide Operator.

    For additional information contact:

    Dandux Outdoors
    3451 Ellicott Center Drive
    Ellicott City, Md 21043
    email info@dandux.com
     
  14. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Yea, but isn't that like reducing the impact of one problem while increasing the other? Sure, ticks are awful and all, but I also think attracting more deer to your property, as well as the impact this would have on your neighbors, a whole other nasty issue to deal with.

    Have you considered what the impact would be of having more deer come to your property and affecting your vegetation, as well as that of your neighbors, would be? I for one would be 'ticked off' (no pun intended) if one of my neighbors were attracting more deer to my yard and having them eat through all my plants, flowers, etc. As well as possibly 'increasing' the amount of ticks in the area because of the increase in deer...

    Just a thought...
     
  15. kevinq

    kevinq Member

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    From an earlier post, a May 2010 Loudoun Independent article notes that the American Lyme Disease Foundation cited a study in Maryland that showed the stations killed off more than 90 percent of the local tick populations.

    http://www.loudouni.com/news/2010-05...illing-devices
     
  16. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Interesting article by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries about how feeding deer between September and January is illegal. Additionally, the article goes on to state the following:

    http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/news/release.asp?id=263

    So setting up the above mentioned 'feeding station' might not be the best 'solution' to your tick problem, in addition to my earlier comments...
     
  17. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Interesting article...didn't know that they banned year-round deer feeding in Clarke and two other counties as well....



     

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