Muntjac

[Fidgetbuzz]

Bloody animals - not only have they been munching my beetroot - but they have also had a major go at the purple sprouting.

Beetroot lifted and stored now - sprouting netted - and I have added a dose of human urine to the edges of the netting to discourage them - no idea whether that works or not

[Chris S]

Do you have a gun?

Deer eat the veggies. You eat the deer.

[Von Broad]

Bloody animals - not only have they been munching my beetroot - but they have also had a major go at the purple sprouting.

Tell me about it, tell me about it. Seems they'll have a crack at anything. We have to net virtually everything. They even started to chew the flowers from the new potatoes last year, and the flowers from the climbing beans. Pigeons, muntjac, badgers, mice, fox...we got the whole damn lot. Mind you, this is a slightly unusual place where we've taken up residence 

FB, if they get  chance, they'll completely strip that purple sprouting, especially in a couple of months time, when it comes into season - it happened to us last year. We haven't forgotten. 

I've got more of an appreciation for industrial food production than I ever had before now that I've seen what the reality of the alternative is all about.

[rae]

Muntjac are number two on my list, after the rabbits.   Rabbits are worse - the sheer number of them means that the destruction is terrible. 

I'm not sure that I'll be allowed a suitable gun for muntjac - you need a proper weapon for them, don't try shooting them with a .22 bunny rifle, or worse still, pinging the buggers with an air rifle. 

[Fidgetbuzz]

I dont mind having a go at our rabbits with an air rifle, usually out of an upstairs window - modest success - I think sights need re - zeroing ( well that is my story) - but an air rifle pellet in a muntjac - doesnt appeal to me.

I was very interested in snaring rabbits - got as far as buying snares and watching some interesting video on net - unitl it was pointed out that snaring any of our 3 semi feral cats ( who at least keep the rabbits away from the lawn in summer) would be a major boo - boo. So snares currently just sit in garage.

I have been told to get the mole traps out and set in the sheep field before the ewes come back for lambing.

Ohh - it is tough in the country - permanent battle with the bloody wild animals -- foxes too of course - got to shut the hens and muscovys up every night - or they would be gone.

[Chris S]

Ohh - it is tough in the country - permanent battle with the bloody wild animals -- foxes too of course - got to shut the hens and muscovys up every night - or they would be gone.

It's a problem now the urbanites have stopped us from hunting them.

* runs for cover *

[inc]

Muntjac are number two on my list, after the rabbits. 
I'm not sure that I'll be allowed a suitable gun for muntjac - you need a proper weapon for them,

Muntjac are now classed as vermin with no closed season, you will kill one with a shotgun and BB cartridges out to 25-30 metres which is normal if you are clearing a wood and much safer than a rifle.

[rae]

Muntjac are now classed as vermin with no closed season, you will kill one with a shotgun and BB cartridges   

Yes you would probably manage to kill it - whether you'd kill it cleanly is a different matter.   I'd stick with the provisions of the deer act and go for a > .240 calibre, hollow point.   That isn't the sort of thing that the rozzers will easily hand out!

[andyoxon]

Bloody animals - not only have they been munching my beetroot - but they have also had a major go at the purple sprouting.

Beetroot lifted and stored now - sprouting netted - and I have added a dose of human urine to the edges of the netting to discourage them - no idea whether that works or not

Alternative?   Plastic deer fencing net, deer fence, deer control,  1.8m wide from Boddingtons

[David Martin]

And also The British Deer Farmers Association Deer Farming Venison Recipes

[andygates]

Darn, bowhunting is still illegal innit?

[Charlotte]

'Fraid so.  With the right kit, you could take a dear easily, but you'd have to know what you're doing.  The bowhunting laws hopefully discourage Johnny Pikey from taking potshots at rabbits with a £50 crossbow.

Beetroot lifted and stored now - sprouting netted - and I have added a dose of human urine to the edges of the netting to discourage them - no idea whether that works or not

You've pissed on your vegetables?

[pcolbeck]

Ted Nugent used to have a TV show about hunting deer with bows. He's a bit of a nutter though.

[mrcharly-YHT]

It's illegal to hunt them with a bow, unfortunately. I used to live in the land of free bowhunting (but no crossbows), where hunting wild pigs and deer is common.

If you have access to a shotgun, a light slug will do a deer in. Even a 20g slug will work just fine.

If you can get close, buckshot in the chest cavity, just behind the front leg will work. Don't go for headshots, the shot won't penetrate unless you are very close and shooting from a 3/4 position.

I would have thought that a nice barkie dog will keep deer away.

[Rapples]

You've pissed on your vegetables?

I wouldn't worry about a bit of piss

I've smelt what they spread on the vegtables round here 

Ever wondered where all that human sewage went

[border-rider]

Get a cat - seriously, our used to have a go at the semi-resident muntjac at the last house.  He use to stalk it, and it would get nervous and leave

It wasn't much more than a baby though.



and one just for Rapples, also in our garden:



 

[Rapples]

Thank you

Nothing makes me happier than seeing wild vermin animals enjoying the countryside

Edit:  You want to watch it though if you get a cat.  They have been known to chase wild animals and torture them to death

[Fidgetbuzz]

Beetroot lifted and stored now - sprouting netted - and I have added a dose of human urine to the edges of the netting to discourage them - no idea whether that works or not

You've pissed on your vegetables?

I was always told that a dollop of lion poo was good for frightening deer off vegetable patches. No lions round here - and too bloody cold to sit out there and crap - so a quick piss on the edges of the netting is the best "close approximation " to lion poo that i can come up with. Got any better ideas?

[rae]

If you have access to a shotgun, a light slug will do a deer in. Even a 20g slug will work just fine. 

It would be illegal to do so in this country, unless the slug is AAA or solid and the rifle is 12g.   That is for generic "deer" - Muntjac have been reclassified as vermin, so are outside the provision of the Deer Act - so legally it would be fine.   

[rae]

It wasn't much more than a baby though.

A baby?  That would feed a family of four for a week!

[border-rider]

Look at the leaves behind it.  That's a standard mixed native species hedge. That deer's really tiny

[David Martin]

Look at the leaves behind it.  That's a standard mixed native species hedge. That deer's really tiny

As Rae said, it would feed a family of four not very hungry cats for a week..

[Bledlow]

There are muntjacs in our local cemetery. They get any salad stuff or veg Mrs B (whose standards are higher than mine) considers past its eat-by point, courtesy of her. She thinks they're cute - but then, she has some Hello Kitty accessories (shudder!).

Anyone want to know what they like & dislike, ask me. Old chicory is a no-no. Too bitter, maybe. But even limp lettuce is acceptable, as are pretty manky carrots. They've also been the very happy recipients of slightly stale cinnamon & raisin bagels. Loved 'em.

[Chris S]

Charlotte seems to be offering a solution, on a different thread:

Build your own net gun