Bark stripped on willow slips

[scbk]

Gutted, just in the last week or so, something has been in stripping bark off a few of the willow slips that were planted over winter.

 

Is this work of the deer, or something else?

There's the odd roe deer in the area, didn't think they were frequent. Can live with the odd leaf being nibbled but not this vandalism!

[scbk]

(for scale, the willows are approx. knee high)

[woody paul]

Looks like Deer buck rubbing antlers .

Edited May 24, 2019 by woody paul

[drinksloe]

Aye as woody said likely time for roe to be fraying the last off there velvet off there antlers

[scbk]

Thanks, didn't know that.

 

It's not like there isn't hundreds of other mature trees (or fenceposts) to rub against

 

Have strung up a length of barrier netting to try and keep them away from the willows for now

[woody paul]

You may find they will only rub the ones they have rubbed before so best left in place and not replaced. 

[Nic hunter]

You will find deer will also strip rings of bark away in order to get moisture from the tree get a salt block and hang it from a mature tree it will run down the bark and the deer will love it and stay away from your willows

[Paul in the woods]

It looks identical to the fraying our resident roe buck does, which is also done to mark territory at this time of year.

 

You could try inserting some other sticks in the ground to distract him but you may find the only solution is fencing or freezing...

[drinksloe]

Not sure if the barrier fencing will work, infact might just become a hazard to the deer if they carry on fraying their antlers.

 

But the time for fraying could be almost over as most roe should be in hard antler shortly.

U might get a small amount of fraying in 4 to 8 weeks time when bucks marking territories for the rut (breeding season)

Often with territorial marking u often see a wee triangle off scrapped ground below the tree too.

In the past when u had more forest rangers controlling deer they would actually leave the large bucks near vulnerable young tree crops, as they will hold a larger area and keep many small bucks away. Small bucks cause far more damage as often more of them competing showing off against each other.

Modern deer management tends to be more about purely numbers so very few good mature bucks are left as a 'stand' buck

 

Deer tend to always fray on smaller trees rather than mature 1s andd tend to favour willow, some old school foresters would plant sacrificial willow purely fort the deer to fray/mark

 

 

Nic I've never heard of roe or fallow ring barking trees, but reds definitely will. Some will also bore score the trees too ( usually red, sola and occasionally fallow

[spandit]

My roe deer loved the aspen and spindle, haven't done so much damage to the willow. I had to send one of them a 150gr invitation to quit but generally I like seeing them around, especially now my woodland is better established.

 

That willow will probably survive, although I might be tempted to put rabbit spirals around it