Last winter a storm dropped thirteen inches of snow here in Kitsap County. I started feeding some local deer. One doe seemed to select the vicinity of our home as her own. We named her Darma. She nibbled plants in unfenced portions of our gardens but did little serious damage.

As spring approached, Darma’s abdomen started to swell. And she became voraciously hungry. Surprisingly she cared little for lush green grass but preferred the growing tips of shrubbery and recently planted trees. Plants advertised as “deer resistant” went down her gullet.  Birth of two fawns—which we call “deerlings”—did not curb her appetite. She stood on her hind legs to pull down cherry branches and crawled under a fence to ravage an apple tree. She has learned to avoid our sprinklers. Now her growing offspring are devouring everything they can reach.

Animal lovers relax. We won’t hurt Darma or her fawns. But if anybody has tips to deter deer, we’ll try anything.

In Our Lord,

Drew