Call us for Deer Services T. 01305 848881

You may not see deer as they do most of their feeding between dusk and dawn. However, signs of damage include: 

• Shoots, flower buds and foliage stripped off plants
• Damaged woody stems often have a ragged cut end where a deer has bitten part way through the stem and then tugged the shoot off
• Eaten tree bark, mainly in winter when other food is scarce
• Fraying, which occurs in summer when male deer rub their heads against tree trunks to remove the velvet from a new set of antlers, or when they are scent-marking their territories. The antlers make vertical cuts in the bark. Such damage often causes growth above the point of damage to dry up and die.

Fencing

The most effective way of stopping deer is to exclude them from gardens with netting or fences but these need to be robust and relatively tall. Deer can squeeze through small gaps under fencing or leap over barriers that are too low.

Hedges

Hedges can be an effective barrier if they are suitably tall and solid enough to stop deer pushing through and a ditch on the outside will improve the effectiveness of fences or hedging. For more information on the type of hedging work we can carry out, please look here.

Protecting young trees

Tree guards can be used to protect individual trees, whether young, mature or specimen. Knighton can fit these in their many different forms, and we are happy to advise you as to the most appropriate type for your situation.

More information on the different types of tree protection can be found here.