Deer vs veggies

[izzy_mack]

The field in front of my house has up to 70 deer in it in the evenings (about 40 most nights) they come down from the hill/woods to graze on the grass then head back over the river. If I didn't have 6foot fences I would have no garden.

[Frnc]

I'm really jealous now of all the people who can see deer from their houses. And no, not because you could eat them!
I'm a pescetarian.

[rik_uk3]

How would you kill the deer?

[rik_uk3]

How would you kill the deer?

[grenfell]

How would you kill the deer?

Think we're only really talking here of keeping them out of gardens , killing one for food would be a completely different matter. In the current situation one would have to go down the legal route to shoot them. There are others on here who could explain the details better than I but I would imagine that there would be an onus to prove they are a pest and almost certainly a requirement for permission to shoot from the landowner. You'd probably find it easier to find a roadkill carcass.
If we are talking post shtf type of thing then I suppose almost anything could be employed from guns to the currently illegal bow and arrow. Saying that I tend to think that in a slow crash a lot of the deer may already have been poached by the time one gets out the bow. Also a deer isn't exactly a lightweight thing so ideally would need to be killed near to home to reduce the effort and to reduce the chances of being spotted. That may mean the irony of not having the fences around the garden to entice them in so they could be shot.
Personally I think we are a long way off the latter scenerio , thankfully.

[jansman]

How would you kill the deer?

Think we're only really talking here of keeping them out of gardens , killing one for food would be a completely different matter. In the current situation one would have to go down the legal route to shoot them. There are others on here who could explain the details better than I but I would imagine that there would be an onus to prove they are a pest and almost certainly a requirement for permission to shoot from the landowner. You'd probably find it easier to find a roadkill carcass.
If we are talking post shtf type of thing then I suppose almost anything could be employed from guns to the currently illegal bow and arrow. Saying that I tend to think that in a slow crash a lot of the deer may already have been poached by the time one gets out the bow. Also a deer isn't exactly a lightweight thing so ideally would need to be killed near to home to reduce the effort and to reduce the chances of being spotted. That may mean the irony of not having the fences around the garden to entice them in so they could be shot.
Personally I think we are a long way off the latter scenerio , thankfully.

You are correct about the legality. Even with correct certification and permission,a deer stalker has to be trained about where to shoot for a start. You can’t just loose off a .243 round if you don’t know what’s at the back of your chosen deer,as if you miss,it’s going on for a good distance.

In 2022, quite rightly, humane killing is paramount. However,it should still be paramount even in a SHTF situation. For a start,it’s the right thing to do.Secondly, a slaughtered animal that is stressed dumps adrenaline into its system,and it can make the meat almost inedible sometimes. We see this with beef and pork from time to time,and it is tough,and often stinks. The beauty of proper shooting is that the deer is grazing one minute,next,it’s all over.

[GillyBee]

And if you think hunting a deer with a bow and arrow is practical in a real SHTF WROL situation have a watch of the 3rd episode of "Surviving the Stone Age". They got their deer in the end - but was it ever a lot of work. The other episodes also show just how hard living off the land can be. The experts were all genuinely knowledgeable & experienced in what they were asked to do. (I met one of them at a bushcraft show teaching her skills.)

Apparently the land was not as pristine as the camera made it appear. A herd of cattle had grazed all the vegetation a couple of weeks earlier at the river and the forest was "managed" - but not for survival so a lot more like UK challenges that it appears from the films.https://www.channel4.com/programmes/sur ... /66897-003

[grenfell]

How would you kill the deer?

Stuff

You are correct about the legality. Even with correct certification and permission,a deer stalker has to be trained about where to shoot for a start. You can’t just loose off a .243 round if you don’t know what’s at the back of your chosen deer,as if you miss,it’s going on for a good distance.

In 2022, quite rightly, humane killing is paramount. However,it should still be paramount even in a SHTF situation. For a start,it’s the right thing to do.Secondly, a slaughtered animal that is stressed dumps adrenaline into its system,and it can make the meat almost inedible sometimes. We see this with beef and pork from time to time,and it is tough,and often stinks. The beauty of proper shooting is that the deer is grazing one minute,next,it’s all over.

Agreed humane killing should be paramount. Should being the operative word and if things were to get that bad that it was a choice between the family starving or animal welfare I could see which one many would choose not that I would condone it.
As I mentioned before I tend to think that in the long slow crash with ever rising food costs and falling income poaching would become more common and deer less so. Our little town has it's "own" herd of deer that are often seen around the supermarket and in people's gardens. It's possible to approach them really quite close and I'm almost surprised none have been poached ( as an aside I'm equally surprised no one has been hurt when they have young).
I did see the stone age arrow shooting of a deer and agree it took a while. A medieval broadhead or modern three sided hunting arrow and a decent poundage bow would have been quicker but agree not as quick as a bullet but conversely reusable and silent .
All hypothetical as I really don't think 99%+ of the population will be in such a situation hopefully.

[Happy]

We have two types of deer on our property, muntjac and roe. While the roe, red or sika should only be taken with a minimum of a .243 calibre rifle the muntjac and Chinese water deer are small enough to be taken with a 22-250 or at a push a .223.
Your difficulty would be preserving the meat or using it up before it spoiled, far better to share your bounty with those neighbours who might otherwise envy your good fortune and cause trouble. Venison can have a huge parasite burden so it needs to be cooked properly, when butchering venison it is important to remove as much of the sinew and white filmy collagen from the meat as possible.
There are usually three parts to the certification for shooting deer. Health & Hygiene teaches you how to recognise a healthy carcass and the basics of butchery, then you have DSC1 & DSC2 which are heavy on legality and safety while shooting as well as recognition of species, gender, behaviour and knowledge of shooting seasons. There is a fair amount of theory to be passed before you're even allowed to touch a rifle, there is then a basic test of safety, a walk through to see if you can be trusted to select a shot with a safe backstop and then a test of marksmanship which most people could pass unless they're Mr Magoo.
If you're thinking of fencing deer out of your garden you are probably in for some disappointment because they really can jump. If you want a proper deterrent you could consider getting a dog.

[Cocotte]

I've heard that circling your property with human hair keeps deer at bay.
Just ask the local barbers for a couple of bin bags, they're always more than happy to offload.