Tired of the invasions, Jay resident Joe Dumoulin built a 7-foot-tall fence to protect his property in Ausable Acres from deer.
“I was just so pissed at these deer, always beating me,” he said. "So, I finally won, but it was an extensive effort.”
Deer have been visiting the Dumoulins’ property since his family moved there fulltime in 1993. Over time, visits increased in frequency, and the animals became more aggressive in eating shrubs and plants, such as rhododendrons.
Dumoulin’s story is common for people who have gardens in the Adirondacks, elsewhere in the state and many parts of the U.S., where deer populations have overlapped with human ones.
In the village of Saranac Lake, deer roam year-round, munching on sunflowers, devouring pumpkins off porches at Halloween and snacking on birdseed in the winter. They eat just about any ornamental and natural vegetation that isn’t fenced off.
Saranac Lake resident Gail Brill is one of those people who has grown frustrated,
