Swathing 2nd and 3rd cutting irrigated alfalfa.
Absolutely the shortest hay I've ever cut. Outside borders next to the trees are a total loss.
Sickening the amount of damage. And I know it wasn't grasshoppers, the tops are nipped off by deer.
Googled it, figure a deer eats 10lbs per day?
Field I'm on now has a house on one side, nothing but a couple hundred acres of cover on the opposite side.
2' tall by the house, maybe 6" by the trees.
Figure we lost +100 ton of prime feed this summer. $30k.
And yeah, we let locals hunt but they won't shoot does.
I'm at a loss, no pun intended.
No depredation permits available?
I'm thinking maybe this is not a deer problem. The deer have been there for years, right? Could it be a "not so good growing year" issue? Not looking to spark a contest of wills, just asking.....
My grandpappy grew corn in Iowa, from the 20's until 1977 when he passed, so there's my bona fides.
