Darn Deer!

We were a little late getting out to feed last night due to some belated Christmas gift deliveries to be made now that people are back home. So it was black-black when we turned into the farm drive.

I really can't wait for the next full moon! With snow, it makes seeing things much easier - and wouldn't you know, I left the nifty headlamps my folks gave us for Christmas in the house at home :(

As we rounded the gate, I could see a horse shape in the front pasture - not out of the fence, but definitely not where a horse shape should be!

"I think they put Foxy through the fence again!" But no... T correctly identified the lone horse silhouette as Thunder, not Foxy this time. I popped out of the truck and over the fence to see if he was okay and take him back up where he belonged, while T drove on up to see about the rest of the herd.

Thunder - on the left - in warmer weather
With those high white socks,
in the dark against the snow
he looked legless

Thankfully, Thunder was fine - very happy to greet me, once he figured out that the thing coming at him from an odd direction was me. And not a bump or scratch on him that I could find - a huge relief! Bless his heart, he "led" next to me up to the gate just as if he really was wearing a halter & lead. He even slowed down and let me lean on him though the worst of the snow drifts. We paused to inspect the alley fence were it looked as if the horse-prints originated.

It looked as if the deer took out the top wire on one of their passages through from tree grove to tree grove. The lower three were fine, but with the snow crusted so hard, he appears to have just stepped over.

The electric's been off to the front section of fence since fall when it started shorting out somewhere. When the electric is on, the deer are much more mindful of how they go (usually over, rather than through), but when it's off.... And since the short seems to be somewhere underground.... I don't think the current's going to be back on until spring.

So, Thunder back where he belonged, and T off to drop off a couple more gifts while the horses munched through their grain, I adjusted the three remaining wires up a couple of notches - thankful for once for steel post fencing & plastic electric fence clips - it would have been a lot tougher dealing with cedar posts and regular fencing staples! - and wound up the broken wire where nothing could get stuck in it.

A scrounge through the barn to locate a partial roll of electrical fence tape, and I had a temporary - and more visible - top wire run at chest height from corner post to corner post along that section. Hopefully, if the deer stay clear of it, the horses will stay in until I can get out there in daylight and make permanent repairs. Hopefully it will be warmer than 5', too - can you say frozen fingers! Brrrr!!

On the plus side, if they should escape that way again, they are at least still inside "horse" pasture and more importantly, the perimeter fence, so there wouldn't be any danger of them getting out on the road.