Protecting horses from deer hunters

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This is just a small thing I do for my horses during deer season. I buy a roll of fluorescent orange surveyors tape (ribbon). (It’s probably about an inch wide and made of a soft some-what stretchy nylon or plastic). I make a short braid in the top of each of the girl's tails and tie if off well with a band. I put a long piece of the surveyor's tape through the braid and make a double knot. I make the piece long enough so that both ends nearly touch the ground. I make sure they wear their halters and tie pieces of the tape about 2 feet long through the upper rings on both sides of the halters. I have made belly bands for them but eventually they loose them. The tape is light weight and would break under light stress.. so their is no worry of it becoming caught in anything. I have experimented with fabric neck band and belly bands but always come back to this because it is easy. I also close the gate to the pasture. The girls have to stay in the paddock close to the barn. I'm sure many of you have other methods. Any one want to share?

Renee

-- Renee at Briar Creek (fakeaddy@nomail.com), November 26, 2001

Answers

We have too many calves and older cows to put anything on them, but I make the dogs and kids wear bright safety orange. Each dog has a collar out of the orange and then I made them an extra bandana out of the same color material. It looks ratty by the end of deer season, but the dogs are large and I am afraid that they would surprise someone in our woods and they would be shot. We have many hunters that go down in our ravine on the back of our pasture that don't have permission. Heavily wooded area and no way to tell if someone is back there. Kinda glad that deer season is about over! It is hard for the kids to remember to put a hat on when they do chores.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 26, 2001.

Great idea for the horse! I'll have to tell hubby!

-- Jo (mamamia2kids@msn.com), November 26, 2001.

Deer gun season started today in Ohio. Nubian goats get locked in the goat jail (barn) until it is over, this Sunday at dark.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.com), November 26, 2001.

I was in Maine last week and saw a horse in the paddock wearing a flourescent orange blanket. He definately wasn't going to be mistaken for a deer. Overgrown hunter, maybe......

-- Sadie (timberlane@sover.net), November 26, 2001.

have seen cows painted with orange or red, that says "COW",, horses with the "O" with a slash thru it.,, but you alway hear of a few getting shot anyways

-- stan (sopal@net-port.com), November 26, 2001.


Great ideas!! but I think it is sad that people must take such precautions to protect their animals AND themselves from morons that don't know a goat from a deer. One major rule of gun ownership is DO NOT shoot unless you are sure of your target. I have several avid hunters in my family and they get frustrated and people that shoot at anything that moves. It gives a bad reputation to the many responsible hunters out there. My mother has had several cows shot over the years, one was about 100 yards from her back door in a clearing.

-- Lou Ann in KY (homes_cool@msn.com), November 26, 2001.

Ed, we are in Ohio also and as you said, deer season just started. I have heard of people taking goats into the check-in station thinking they were deer. I wonder if it's true. Scary. I never thought about making orange collars for the dogs... once in awhile they get away from me and run off for a few hours.

Someone suggested to me that I put bells on the horses. I'm not so sure... the sound might attract the hunters and I know the horses won't like the bells.. at least at first.

-- Renee at Briar Creek (fakeaddy@nomail.com), November 26, 2001.


Goat at check in station. There is always a story about this, but I have never seen it. I think that is a good thing. One of our neighbors has lost a calf 400# or so two different times in the past 10 years. Black angus, might have been stupidity or perhaps revenge or meanness who knows. I am happy that it only lasts a week or so.

-- Ed Copp (OH) (edcopp@yahoo.come), November 26, 2001.

I was one of those folks who painted COW in big orange letters on my Jersy many years ago. A neighbor not only had his cow shot, but a hindquarter cut off. He alerted me the next day and since then I started putting all sheep and the cow behind barn and marked the cow. Just as a side note: I live adjacent to one of the New York City watersheds, they border our pastures. This year due to the WTC attack and possible terrorist threats, all NYC watershed lands are closed to hunters and patrolled heavily. Of course that has increased the road hunters here and the trespassers. I'll be glad when hunting season is all over.

-- Kate henderson (kate@sheepyvalley.com), November 26, 2001.

A person who shoots a cow, horse, goat or any domesticated animal should have his hunting privileges taken away for life, after making complete restitution for the animal killed. No ifs, ands or buts on this one. There is NO excuse for this one. I have hunted in the past for many years, and honestly only an idiot would shoot something he or she was uncertain of.

I heard a story in my neck of the woods that one cow was shot in my area by not a hunter, but a neighbor who had a grudge with the owner of the animal. He apparently thought it was a good way to get revenge, just blame the dumb hunter. I know this is not the usual situation, but it is one that must be examined. You all know how weird all homesteaders are. They have all those funny animals that don't belong around a farm anyway.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), November 26, 2001.



Many moons ago when I saw a > COW< painted I about drove off the road from laughing so hard!!

But then thinking about it........wow.....what kind of idiot would....

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), November 26, 2001.


I found that glueing some old christmas reindeer antlers on my goat helps. No, really though, I could POSSIBLY see a hunter mistaking a deer- brown goat in the woods for a deer- they walk alike and have amy of the same mannerisms. But a cow?! I would lean towards drunk or popshooters. I could see the neighbors kid shooting a cow, but not most hunters I have met.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

BMB used to offer nylon horse sheets in blaze orange. I intended to get some for my horses, since a few of them look a little too much like deer (if you're myopic), but they have since discontinued them. I have also seen blaze orange fly nets sold, presumably for this purpose. Getting some of the safety reflectors sold for highway riding (leg, tail, browband) may offer additional protection, although I usually keep them in and lounge-line them in the arena at least for the first weekend. We also have the property posted with no hunting signs, and warnings that horses are kept on the property to hopefully clue some of the dumber hunters in.

We've had two horses shot here in the area, and it's worth a try, but nothing will save you from the truly stupid or malicious. One was a bay shetland pony, a family pet, that was shot in her pasture where she stood close to the highway in plain view.

The second was being ridden during deer season (not something that I myself would be doing, but the owners were new horse owners, riding on private property and assumed they would be safe, since it was now sundown -- another bad idea.) and shot out from under the young girl riding it. The 'hunter' was hunting illegally, in non-hunting area, and was several sheets to the wind (police investigating found in excess of 30 beer cans under his tree stand) at the time. When he was finally tracked down, his excuse was that he 'saw a flash of white and knew it was a big buck, so he shot'.

-- julie f. (rumplefrogskin@excite.com), November 27, 2001.


Julie, boy did you hit the nail on the head when saying "nothing will save you from the truly stupid or malicious", especially stupid. Several years ago, my cousin who was a hunting guide in Oregon, was shot a killed while riding a horse. He was leading a small group of hunters and ALL wore bright orange outer coats.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), November 27, 2001.

My mother in law sent us a cliping from the news paper from South NJ where she lives. It said a hunter came into a check point with a Mule. That was a few years ago. LOL He was from NY. My girlfriend who grew up in Philli said the only time she saw animals was at the zoo and the first time she saw a big pig she thought it was a cow. LOL She said she did not know pigs could get that big and that they were different colors. She said she thought they were like the pink piglets she saw on TV. LOL Poor city kid growing up not even knowing what farm animals look like/

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), November 27, 2001.


Mebbe ya aught to truss up yer John Deere, too!!

MissJudi

-- MissJudi (jselig@clemson.edu), November 27, 2001.


I have seen an old rusty Farm All tractor shot and I have placed antler sheds and old deer skulls on fence posts and had them shot. If someone wants to kill something the fact that it’s covered in orange won’t stop him or her. The only thing to do is to walk your land, see who is on it, and when you find them call the law.

-- mw (mdwood@beiengineers.com), November 27, 2001.

I am an avid hunter, and the people I know that grew up hunting around here are very responsible hunters. The hunters that seem to cause the trouble in our area are not from here. They have leased hunting land or have ventured out from the city to hunt. These are the ones that scare me! Every year, I hear the comment "I made a sound shot". In other words, they heard a rustle in the bushes and fired, not knowing what it was. I'M NOT SAYING THAT ALL CITY HUNTERS DO THIS!! Some are very responsible hunters too! It just scares me to think that the sound in the bushes could have been another hunter.

-- cowgirlone (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), November 27, 2001.

We have never had a farm animal shot around here. Everyone around us hunts.( including us ) The fields are full of hunters. Anyone who would shoot a horse, goat, cow, or a person thinking it is a deer is not looking at what he is shooting at.

-- bergy (bergy5@email.com), November 27, 2001.

WELL, I`M A HUNTER AND ONLY SHOOT DEER.THE HUNTERS I WORRY ABOUT ARE THE INEXPERIENCED HUNTERS [SOUND SHOOTERS,SHOOT IF ANYTHING MOVES,IF ITS WHITE SHOOT IT.... CITY TYPES OUT OF THEIR ENVIROMENT]I FIND THEY COME OUT IN FULL FORCE ON THE WEEKENDS.THATS WHEN I`M NERVOUS IN THE WOODS.I DRESS IN FLUORESCENT RED FROM HEAD TO TOE.[UNDERWEAR,SOCKS AND RED ON MY BOOTS.EVEN CARRY RED PAPER TOWEL IN CASE MOTHER NATURE CALLS.BECAUSE A FRIEND OF MINE`S UNCLE GOT SHOT THROUGH BOTH BUTT CHEEKS.HE WAS FLAGGING WHITE TISSUE.OUCH!!!]I NEVER USED TO WEAR A HUNTING CAP UNTIL A GUY WAS DRAWING A BEAD ON MY HEAD.HE SAW MY HEAD BOUNCING BY OVER A ROCK LEDGE AND THOUGHT I WAS A RABBIT.LUCKILY,FOR ME THE ROCK DROPPED OFF AND HE SAW ME.BUT IT WAS CLOSE. HUNTING IS THE BEST WAY TO KILL SOMEONE AND GET AWAY WITH IT. LIKE THE GUY IN MAINE STICKING TO HIS STORY ABOUT SHOOTING AT A DEER AND KILLING THE WOMAN.IT WAS RULED A HUNTING MISHAP. IF I`M STATIONARY I PUT SOME FLAGGING IN TREES AROUND ME.SO OTHER HUNTERS WILL SPOT ME...DEER ON THE OTHER HAND ARE COLOURED BLIND.THE FLAGGING ON THE ANIMALS AND PAINTING COW ON COWS I`VE SEEN BEFORE.SOME FARMERS STAND GUARD ON THEIR PROPERTY AND TELL PASSER BYS THAT THE BIG BLACK THING BEHIND THEM IS A HORSE.YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO TIE A SAFETY VEST TO AN ANIMAL.IF ITS A HORSE SADDLE IT WITH A RED BLANKET.POST YOUR PROPERTY "NO HUNTING" TO GIVE PEOPLE MORE IDEAS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF BEING IN THE WOODS DURING HUNTING SEASON. [1]A FARMER WAS SHOT OFF HIS RED TRACTOR IN ONTARIO. [2]A HUNTER WAS SHOT OUT OF HIS TREE STAND BY ANOTHER HUNTER IN DEER SEASON. [3]A FRIEND OF MINE WAS SHOT IN THE CHEST BY ANOTHER HUNTER.MY FRIEND SAW THE OTHER GUY PERFECTLY AT THE TIME HE WAS SHOT.[HE LIVED BUT HAS MOST OF HIS PECTORIAL MUSCLE CUT AWAY] [4]WHITE AND BROWN TRUCKS HAVE BEEN SHOT BEFORE.

WELL NOW THEY HAVE SAFETY COURSES TO HELP EDUCATE THE NEW HUNTERS. I SEE SMALL CHILDREN WALKING INTO THE WOODS WITH BLOND HAIR.OTHERS WEARING WHITE PANTS OR JACKETS.I TRIED TO WARN A WOMAN ON A WHITE HORSE SHE WAS AT RISK.SHE LOOKED AT ME LIKE I WAS AN IDIOT.SAYING I ALWAYS STICK TO ROADS...I SAID LADY SO DO HUNTERS.[SHE WAS ON AN OLD LOGGING ROAD]THERE WERE ABOUT 4 OTHER HUNTERS IN THE AREA. A FRIEND OF MINE IN HIGH SCHOOL GOT A TWO POINT COW.HE PROBABLY STILL GETS TEASED FOR THAT. REMEMBER TO KEEP THE ANIMALS CLOSE TO THE BARN.PLAY LOUD MUSIC OVER A LOUD SPEAKER.ANYTHING TO NOTIFY THE HUNTER YOU ARE AROUND THEN THEY WOULD MOVE AWAY FROM YOUR HOME.THERE WAS A WOMAN SHOT IN MAINE IN HER SUBDIVISION BACK YARD.THE HUNTER MAINTAINED THAT HE SHOT AT A DEER AND THE WOMAN MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE LINE OF SIGHT.BUT OFFICIALS NEVER FOUND ANY EVIDENCE OF DEER BEING IN THE AREA.HE GOT OFF. I CALL DEER AND TRY AND RATTLE THEM IN BUT I`M AFRAID SOME SOUND SHOOTER WILL SHOOT ME.I PAINT THE HORNS RED.IF YOU SEE ANYONE HUNTING NEAR YOUR HOUSE ASK THEM TO LEAVE.HUNTERS IN MY AREA ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HUNT WITHIN 1,500' OF A DWELLING OR SCHOOL.AND I BELIEVE 500' FROM A ROADWAY.PLUS HUNTERS ARE SUPPOSED TO GET PERMISSION TO HUNT OR CROSS SOMEONE PROPERTY[RAIRLY DONE HOWEVER.IF SOME ONE DISCHARGES A GUN NEAR YOUR HOME ITS AGAINST THE LAW. PLUS HUNTERS WILL SHOT A STRANGE DOG IN THE WOODS ESPECIALLY IF ITS CHASING A DEER.THERE WAS A BIG POLICE INVESTIGATION IN MY PROVINCE OVER SOMEONE SHOOTING A DOG DURING HUNTING SEASON.I SAID ASSUME THE DOG WAS CHASING A DEER AS ITS IN THE HUNTING MANUAL.THE DOGS CARCUS[SP] WAS HUNG BY ITS COLAR FROM A TREE WHICH THEY WERE UPSET ABOUT ALSO.I ASSUMED THE HUNTER DID THAT TO MAKE THE DOG MORE VISABLE TO HELP WHOM EVER OWNED IT TO RECOVER THE BODY.THESE PEOPLE LET THEIR DOGS ROAM FREELY.I`M SURE MOST DOGS WOULD LIKE TO CHASE A DEER. SO DRESS YOUR KIDS IN BRIGHT COLOURS DURING THE SEASON.AND PUT RED CAPS ON THE BLONDE KIDS.RIDE IT OUT AND I HOPE NO ONE GETS HURT. BUT THERE IS USUALLY A FEW FATALITIES EVERY YEAR IN MY AREA.I THINK I`M AS PARANOID IN THE WOODS DURING HUNTING SEASON AS A SOLDIER WOULD BE IN A WAR WHEN THINGS ARE QUIET.IF I SEE A LOT OF HUNTERS IN AN AREA I MOVE ON.I`M VERY PARTICULAR WHO I`LL HUNT WITH AS WELL.

CORDWOODGUY

-- CORDWOODGUY (cordwoodguy@n2teaching.com), November 27, 2001.


I use the surveyors tape to mark the entire perimeter of the horse pasture fence, two lengths of tape per section of fence on the top, about a foot in length each. We have a 15 acre pasture and it helps the local neighbor hunters realize where the pasture boundary starts and the hay field ends.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), November 27, 2001.

Some friends of ours had their best boar hog killed a few weeks ago. The neighbor's son did it. Our friends caught him trying to field dress the thing! He was mad as hops about it all. Took the kid's gun and told him that he wouldn't get it back until his folks came to claim it and pay him for his hog. The neighbors had the nerve to call the police! The police came out to investigate and chewed our friends out for taking the gun. Well, I don't know about you, but if I were talking to someone either mean enough or stupid enough to shoot my hog, I would take possession of the gun too if I could. It was finally settled, but they didn't pay him much for the hog.

Our neighbor is an excellent hunter and he almost shot our dog. He hadn't told us that he would be hunting and our chocolate lab came around the tree to check it out. He told us later about it because his near mistake even scared him! We keep the dogs up by the house now during the month of November. The dog had blaze orange around her neck at the time too. Oh, that happened right in front of our house about 200 yards, on our property.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 27, 2001.


I heard a shot close to my barn. A little while later, I heard another one, even closer. My horse got scared and started snorting. I called to her, loudly, "Yes Honey, that was really close", knowing the hunter could hear me. I didn't go see because of the other stories you hear about hunters pointing guns at people. So much for getting the hunter's information and making them pay restitution if necessary. The next day, sure enough, there were deer guts right on the other side of my fenceline, on private property. In NJ hunters have to be 500 ft from a house. You could see my house and there was no way he was that far away.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), November 27, 2001.

You folks that have just 1 week of deer season are lucky. In my area in Oregon, deer season starts Oct. 1st, stops for about a week for elk season, and then continues until I think middle of Nov. This is just the rifle season. Bow season starts before, and them picks up again after. I have to say that I have never had any trouble with bow hunters, and like many have said, what I call "real" hunters aren't the ones that cause probs. I have been shot at twice; once when I first moved here while riding my 15.1 hand palomino gelding, wearing blue and red, by someone shooting at the noise. Sorry to say, (I was younger then,) I galloped away and they attempted to pursue me, shooting, till I lost them as my horse could really move. Second time I called out from a position next to my round pen about 20 feet from my house door to hunters that I could not see but who were shooting onto my property from the fence line. I told them that there was a house here in the trees and to be careful not to shoot me. A drunken voice called back that they would only shoot me if they were aiming at me, and bullets clipped the trees above my head. This was during turkey season. The sherriff refused to come out and luckily my neighbor, who had a reputation for violence, ran them off. Now all my stock comes in the barn at the onset and stays for the duration. My property is posted "no hunting or trespassing" which makes it a crime to come onto or hunt on it. I spose if all thet fails I've got the trusty '45.... ju

-- Leslie (leslie@ntrealdu2trlls.com), November 28, 2001.

Deer season in Ohio is hard to follow if you don't hunt! As I understand it: Bow and arrow: 10/6 to 1/21 Shotgun: 11/26-12/2 (My area, region B) Statewide primitive (muzzle loader,etc.) 12/ 27=30 I thought there was more.. but couldn't find it scheduled. ************************************* We only own 10 acres and my property is not wide. I have hunters no more than 300 feet from my house. There are no laws in Ohio about how close a hunter may hunt to a residence. I checked last week. As long as they are on private property and are not shooting towards my house they are O.K. A problem that I have is that the creek is on my property, then the bank up to the neighbor's field and we are seperated by a thick tree line. The neighbor has given this property to his son and the son lets friends, co-workers, other neighbors hunt on his farm. They don't want to hunt in his open field, they want to hunt where the trees, brush and cover are.... either on my property or directly on the other side of the line! At the back border of my property where I can't see, I posted big no hunting signs advising hunters that livestock and horses use this property. The hunters shot holes in my sign! They gutted a deer and left the entrails, etc, (even the fur) under my sign. I started having trouble with my dogs wanting to run off even when I was out with them. They came back with deer legs, etc. I let one of them in the house and he headed for my living room. I wasn't paying much attention to him... but thought I noticed something floppy out of the side of his mouth. It was an intestine! GRRRR! My best bet is to pray for protection. I have no problem with responsible hunters. Hunting is their right. The problem is figuring out which hunters are responsible! Blessings, Renee Renee

-- Renee at Briar Creek (fakeaddy@nomail.com), November 28, 2001.

A couple of years ago (visiting another forum) someone else related a hunting insident. They have no hunting signs (or trespassing) posted all over their property. They have alway had trouble with trespassing hunters, so kept all stock lock in barn or in pen next to barn (could go in & out of barn but pen was small). They had mostly sheep, some goats, a couple milk cows & some llamas to guard the sheep. This one year they had a hunter (very stupid) kill & take a llama. This animal was 10ft from the barn in the pen. Not only that, but the house (just beyond the barn & very close) was in the line of fire. This was about 2 or 3 AM, the hunter (trespassing as property was large, & YES he was drunk)missed once at point blank range hitting the house. The second shot only wounded with the third a kill. Needless to say he grabbed the llama & ran (through it in back of pickup). The people in the house didn't come out right away as they didn't want to get shot (grabbed kids & hit ground). When sheriff got their they at least found that the bullet that hit the house was high so would have missed anyone had they been walking around the house (midnight snack anyone). Hunter had stopped off road about 2 miles from house to gut & clean "deer". A few hours later (when ever the local butcher opened) this guy walks into a butcher shop, drops his "deer" on the counter & asks to get it butchered. Needless to say he was arrested soon after. He really thought he had a deer. (Yes, he was from out of town.)

Hope no one loses any livestock, pets, family, or friends this hunting season. And good luck to all responsible hunters out there.

Note: This story was supposed to be true, related from another forum at least a couple of years old. I have no way to verify if it was true or not, but I have heard similar stories numerous times so it could be true.

animalfarms

-- animalfarms (jawjlewis@netzero.net), November 29, 2001.


Scary, isn't it? My neighbor just told me she saw a story on local TV news, that a DOMESTIC buck was shot in his pen with his does, gutted and stolen in spite of the high fence! Why? There are plenty of wild ones. In my county over 500 deer were taken on the first day of deer season (shotgun). Renee

-- Renee (fakeaddy@nomail.com), November 29, 2001.

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