The chillier weather reminds us that another season of deer damage is upon us.  Specifically, the buck rub is beginning — the time in which adult male deer scrape the itchy velvet off their antlers.  For scratching posts, they usually choose clear-trunked deciduous trees of small-to-medium size — about the same size of newly purchased, planted, and establishing landscape trees.  What the general public may be unaware of is that bucks tend to be excellent appraisers of tree value — they always seem to choose the most expensive and beautiful young trees to maul!  At best a buck rubbed tree is wounded and disfigured, at worst it can be girdled and wind up dying.  It is important to note that deer are territorial and creatures of habit — if you see one of your prized trees rubbed lightly, it is critical to take immediate measures to prevent subsequent rubs from occurring.

Fraleighs stocks a number of products that will fend off buck rub, the most effective being trunk guards — sturdy tubes of black plastic mesh that can be affixed around the trunk of small-to-medium sized trees using zip-ties.  While some find the trunk-guards unsightly, they are cheap and effective insurance versus a wounded or dying tree, AND they needn’t be left on year-round; just in the fall and early winter.

Contact our deer-damage abatement experts to learn more!