I recently noticed some new techniques being deployed to keep those slow-moving, pesky winter herds out of certain forest recovery areas. The deer are nibbling away at young tree growth and are eating up those little tree saplings, much to the concern of many professional foresters.
We noticed around our home in Piermont this winter that there have been hundreds of roaming deer, meandering around the property, in the woods, along the long driveway, and everywhere else where wildlife can do their midnight strolling, leaving highways of tracks and impressions in the snow.
We have seen very few of these visiting deer throughout the area while they are present. That is because, with 25 straight nights of snow flurries, the deer roam, leaving new sets of tracks, and every night we note that big and small deer invade the area looking for tender shoots and other forest growth to munch on this winter. Night after night, it is the same.
They have nibbled us out of house and home, plant and shrub, as they say. Nothing around the Marvin property has been excluded from being munched, tasted, or chewed by the deer while on their friendly night walks on the property.
A forester with the Society for the Protection of NH Forests recently told the media that deer are a problem and are altering the forest composition in many areas. Whitetail Deer are large browsers and have been known to eat oak, sugar, maple, and perch saplings, along with other hardwoods, in areas where timber has been removed.
In a town to the south of us, an effort is underway to control deer nibbling saplings by using forest-floor debris from a logging operation, including branches, limbs, and other small pieces of wood, piling them into a wall high enough to keep deer out and cut into their browsing ability.
They are running an experiment on a couple of test plots to determine what is best for the forest and deer chomping. At one site on the experimental plots, they have built a wall around an area they want to protect. The ball is eight feet high and wide because they know that deer can really jump quite high to go after something tender and juicy.
At another test site, they have spread forest slash about 4 feet deep and may have made it nearly impossible for the deer to walk the area in an effort to chew up the saplings. The experimental plots will be evaluated over time to determine the best way to control deer and their overgrazing, which prevents the growth of small trees and shoots in the future forest.
Here at the snowy Marvin Gardens, we do not much care about controlling how or what kinds of small saplings or tree shoots that hungry deer find and chew. What we try to do is keep winter-hungry animals from eating everything in the flower and bush categories we have nurtured over the years. We planted them so the birds could eat seeds or fruit.
We have enjoyed these different types of wild foods for birds for many years. One such favorite WAS the big holly patch, bright and green, shiny at Christmas time, and always used to decorate gift packages.
But the other night, the deer finally found the holly, pawed their way into the holly patch, and devoured every leaf and berry. As far as using the holly next Christmas, no problem. It will regenerate itself and grow back big, green, and pretty as it always has. For some reason, this sharp-edged, brittle holly is a favorite of the deer, and we have managed to lose it several times.
We won't be building any slash walls of forest products to keep the deer out any time soon. We like having the deer around, and if they want to chew on some plants and bushes, it is fine with us. Around here, they cannot do too much damage to the future of the forest we own and manage.
The place always looks ragged and abused in the springtime after the deer get done feasting, but no problem. By September, and in time for the Winter of 2026 and 2027, everything will be lush and pretty again, and we will look forward to our annual wildlife taking part in their winter banquet once again.

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