Taking the Bull by the Horns

By Kevin Foster

We are truly blessed to live in a mountain community where residents go above and beyond to look out for wildlife. I’ve noticed that several community members have been putting out food and water. I thought it would be a good opportunity for those that are

re-landscaping their properties after the fire, and would like to have regular visitors of deer, to list a few things to consider planting.

Aside from the usual things we all know deer love to eat such as our perennials; roses and fruit trees, they love Juniper, Dogwood, Holly, Azaleas, Indian Hawthorne, and English Ivy. They also love various types of shrubs; Chickasaw Plum or Wild Plum, and American Beauty Berry. Raspberries and blackberries will invite deer to regularly stop by your property for a feeding. As I started researching further there were far too many other plants to list.

Some other things need to be taken into consideration if you are a wildlife lover and are re-planting your property after the fires in hopes of deer stopping by regularly for a meal. In early fall the deer breeding season approaches. The bucks going into rut usually begins in November but with climate change it now often begins in September. Bucks fight for females and become more aggressive as they compete with other bucks for mates. At this time they can be aggressive towards other animals and humans as well. At no fault of their own when testosterone levels increase, bucks can seem a little crazy.

Thankfully the rut for white tailed deer generally lasts only about three weeks in the northern hemisphere. So during the fall and mating season, please keep in mind bucks can be exceptionally aggressive and unpredictable. We may also see them out near the roads more often so drive extra carefully during this time. The deer hunting season is not allowed in California during the rut in order to create the least amount of disturbance possible during this critical phase of their life cycle, in order to keep their populations strong.

Something else to keep in mind is that the gestation period after mating season is about 200 days so we should be mindful that mamas with their babies are foraging for food in the spring and will often be seen near roadways more frequently at this time as well.

For those individuals that would prefer to deter deer from your property, good deer fencing and a little research on landscaping tips will help keep them out of and away from your beloved and cherished gardens and fruit trees. There are a couple California Native Plant Nurseries located in Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay that can be helpful in making garden planting decisions for longevity, conservation of water, maintenance and management of wildland critters we all live amongst. Lavenders and the many varieties of Salvias/Sages are always a good choice.

Animal lovers far and wide would like to thank all of those that helped wildlife after the CZU fire by leaving out water, nuts and food for all the surviving animals in the Santa Cruz mountains. You all are what makes this community extra special by thinking of those that can’t help themselves.