Homeowners are wondering if they will see more deer movement in summer as opposed to spring. This summer may be different due to COVID-19. Let's see what homeowners can expect from deer in the summertime.

In the hot summer months, deer movement mirrors the winter season: Deer will scout for food in the early morning and late evening hours to avoid extreme temperature swings in the afternoon. During this time, they will have an abundance of plants to eat from forests, lawns and gardens. While they have plenty of choices, they will have no problem venturing onto neighboring yards to scope-out home gardens. 

The Coronavirus is changing wildlife movement this year. Traditionally, deer and other wild animals avoided urban areas; but now they are venturing onto urban and rural land in search of food through all hours of the day because they are fearless of humans and have not seen many for months. Will this change in summer? We shall soon see.

To plan for summer deer browsing, home growers will need to act on effective deer management strategies starting with installing a 7.5 to 8' deer fence as well as planting deer-resistant flowers as a secondary barrier of protection. This will help block deer movement in the summer into the fall season.