Deer and tubing

[mspina14]

I'll be installing my first tubing this year in about 50 reds in my 5 acre woodlot.

I'll be using a "Lunchbox" diaphragm pump and 5/16 tubing.

My wife, who has been supportive of my maple syrup hobby/addiction, has been supportive up to now.

When I told her I was going to run tubing all over our property this fall, see looked at me like I had 3 heads.

She thinks the deer (we have lots that eat everything green in sight) will eat and/or knock down all the tubing when they run through the woods.

I've no not heard of this problem mentioned in this forum.

Anyone have this problem with deer?

Thanks

Mark

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Deer will chew tubing. It will look like a well chewed wad of gum. Other critters will probably do much more damage than deer. They seldom get tangled in tubing, either going under or over it with little problem

[BAP]

Push your tubing up during the offseason to let the deer pass under without tearing it down.

[mspina14]

Push your tubing up during the offseason to let the deer pass under without tearing it down.

Thanks.

What do you use to hold the tubing up so it doesn't slide back down?

Mark

[DocsMapleSyrup]

I put in 3/16" tubing on 50 trees last year and just ran the woods three days ago. I have no damage on any of my tubing other than a downed tree that I need to cut off the tubing. I did nothing to clean out my tubing from last year as I have heard that critters like the bleach that some run through their tubing to clean it. I also saw no mold in my tubing and did not attempt to slide it up and out odf the way of deer. The deer have not been a problem in my woods.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We always have some deer or moose damage. Obviously moose are worse, they will get tangled up and tear down tubing. Deer will too but not nearly as destructive. They will chew on tubing as mentioned. We've also been dealing with bear. They seem to like eating our ball valves at the end of mainline. We were hoping to have someone run him out of there while training dogs this year but it didn't happen.

[maple flats]

I've had tubing for 12 yrs. and rarely get any deer damage. We do get squirrel damage, on a few drops and where it touches trees mostly. Our deer population is very high, so there is no lack of potential. I do not move the tubing up, except I do raise it where tractor paths go under it. For that I just either use a forked pole or sometimes a 1x6 post with plastic chain lock strap to hold the tubing up. At the 2 such locations where I do that the 1x6 stays all year, I just pull the bottom of the board out and use a forked pole to hold the tubing at the right elevation in season. For the poles I just use anything I find on the ground that is still sturdy enough to hold the tubing and I carry a pruning saw to get it to the right length.
In my main woods, deer winter there, I've counted as many as 20+ beds soon after a snow, all in the area where my mainlines go, still no damage usually. As far as raising the tubing, deer will know where it is and will either go under or over. I once saw a big buck running full speed across an open field and he went thru a barbed wire fence running but never hit either wire. It looked like magic, I could not see how that was possible, but he did not even jump over it and there were no broken strands, however there was one spot where the space between the wires was a few inches wider and he knew where that was. There the top wire was tight but the next strand down sagged maybe 6" leaving a wider gap.