I've never had rabbits pose much threat to peach bark but they do eat it when facing starvation. I'd just wrap the trunks with foil or chicken wire up to where you expect the snow and if it gets higher either tamp down the snow or raise the wire- except you may not be there so I guess you'll have to go real high from the beginning.

I don't have moose, but if they are like deer here they'll leave the peaches alone or, at most, browse the tips of shoots.

Winter browsing is much more a problem with apple trees.

My main problem is deer stags rubbing antlers against trunks of younger peach trees in fall. I have lost a couple trees in the last few weeks, completely girdled. I am going to start putting up real deer fencing today to keep them out.

I don't have any other problems in the winter with my peaches.

Scott

Yes, I forgot about buck rubs- can't imagine what a moose might do! You can protect individual trees from deer by going three feet up the trunk with metal, say 14 gauge, fencing. Just form a loose cylinder from the ground. These are white tails- not sure how high other deer or moose, if they rub, might go.

I can say that I had three young peach trees nibbled by rabbits. I'm sure it was rabbits because it was too high for mice and I see them in the orchard all the time. I put a plastic tree guard around the new trees after that, and after a couple of years, the rabbits don't bother them anymore. They just like the young bark.

Harvestman hi

Thanks of your message. O.K. rabbit eat peach bark, good to know that i made right thing to put net around mine peach trees. Yes i can tamp snow, but you are right high net would work too.

I meant deer in my message, i got moose word from dictionary. What is the difference of deer and moose? Sorry i am not much into this. O.K. deer don't eat peaches a lot then, i didn't take chance of that and put a net around mine peaches as i said.

Scottfsmith hi

Really did deer really rub your young peach trees? I have not hear this before (Well i haven't much about peaches either, expect here). Where are you? I meant are you in city or rural area, what kind of area? Or suburban? I think deer don't come to city, but that was just common sense. What kind of fence you put around your peaches? What height? Good to know you didn't have other problem.

Harvestman hi

What you mean by saying can't imagine what moose can do. I meant deer in my message. I think deer and moose are relatives. I don't know exactly what kind of deer we have here. Deer is common name, there is many different kind of deer in world. I am not much into this, i live in city as i said. I meant deer without detailed information, just common deer. Thanks of tips of fence, mine is about that height net. Cylindar? Mine net is about circle, does form matter? I think not.

Kellascat hi

Thanks of information. Good to know rabbit eat peach trees. I was just wondering would peach tree make do difference and no it seems not to make difference as you said in your messages they ate your peach trees.

Good to know that rabbits only eat young peach trees. Thing is same for apple. Yes rabbits eat young tree bark, not the old ones. That what i have understood too.

I am in the suburbs, but unfortunately am near an undeveloped river valley (floodplain) so the deer can come down this corridor and into my orchard. Suburban deer these days are completely fearless of humans, when I come out they only go a couple feet into the woods. So I let my dog chase after them. Now when I whisper the word "deer" anywhere my dog gets very excited.

Scott

I'd just wrap the trunks with foil or chicken wire up to where you expect the snow

==>> i found ... that you need to take normal snowfall ... and then add the protection above that by a foot or two ...

the darn rabbits were on top of the snow.. and then nibbling..

come spring i am wondering why i have damage at 2 feet .... which was 6 inches above snow cover ... and it wasnt flying rabbits...

ken

Scott I would think your dog would make a deer fence unnecessary, obviously I am wrong in your instance. Is the limitation that your dog is inside most of the time? My black lab is my first line of defense. Like you I have lost young trees to stag rubs.
Dan

I'm not protecting my peach trees anymore. I use to bury them in deep snow, but that just lead to branches breaking because the snow condenses, turns to ice and gets very heavy and the small branches just snap. I think it also helps the voles move in and destroy a tree from below. The rabbits like it because they can just get right to the top of the trees and feed away. This is an earlier picture (these trees have since been removed) showing what kind of burying I did in the past. I will say it does work. The snow will protect flowers and you will get fruit lower on the tree. Maybe If I only had one I would do it again.

{{gwi:61047}}

Scott- In my city (La CRosse) they have a metro bow season that allows deer to be killed. I think there are certain stipulations (You have to be x feet from a house or trail). I actually saw a guy yesterday in full camo getting out of his car most likely going hunting on a busy road. It would be nice if you could get a bunch of hunters in there to clean house... I wish I had some locals that would eat all my backyard squirrels. They seem to be multiplying again even after trapping out 10+ of them.

Deer to moose, picture a goat standing next to a horse. Both are browsers but their style is different. A deer will walk arround a tree eating the ends of branches, a moose will walk over a tree bending it down and eat the top. Deer will jump a fence, moose will walk through it. Deer will rub a tree to mark territory or get velvet off his horns, moose will smash a tree to show his might. Last saturday 5 hunters showed up and parked in my field. They had been told I was hunter friendly by another hunter who shot a deer here last week. I printed google maps for them and drew in the property lines and known deer trails.There are distance specs here but can be voided with permission. I told the older hunter that if he got tired a good place to sit was on my deck over looking the orchard. (he was 75) He called me at work at 3 pm and said he shot a deer in the orchard. I told him I would leave work early and use my tractor to bring the deer out to his truck. I think I made 5 new friends and saved a few trees also.

Scottfsmith hi

O.K. for information. I didn't know deer come so close and are not fear of people. I live in city so i don't know much of this.

Ken_adrian hi

O.K. of information. I think another idea is tamp down snow some area around that peach tree net so rabbits don't so easily eat peach tree bark.

Franktank232 hi

I have seen this your picture before. Your snow seems quite deep. I think you are right branches may broke, if there is much snow, you didn't lower it by tramping it? I think you didn't. Yes rabbit can eat peaches, you didn't have net around your peach trees? Good to know you got fruit. Snow is good insulation from cold, that might help to flowers to save through winter.

Ravenh2001 hi

O.K. of information between deer and moose. I just think it common way of deer, not specifying what deer. I live in city so i am not so much into this.

Marcus, my dog is inside now. He would run off too much as a puppy so we stopped letting him out, but he is over a year old now and eventually I hope we can let him in the yard. On our previous dogs they could go out anytime and I had no major deer problems. The puppy is a much better hunter than our previous dogs so he may also help keep the squirrels away.

Frank, around here there is no bow hunt or anything. If there was I would have a lifetime supply of deer meat by now with these sitting ducks. It really annoys me how powerless I am to deal with them unless I decide to break the law.

Scott

Very deep snow here the past few winters (we avg around 42 inches a year). The snow will protect the flowers (from what I have seen), but of course there are those trade offs. No tramping...I just let it do its thing and the snow natural condenses until it almost turns into an ice by about mid/late Feb. Nasty stuff then and your really just want it to melt naturally at that point (i broke a lot of branches trying to shovel the snow away late in the winter).

Scott
That does suck. I have a brother who lives just outside the city and they bowhunt in their backyard (like they sit on the deck!). They actually shot a nice buck last week right behind the house. The things are so dumb (and destructive).

Really not much you can do other then that fence. My brother has a dog and the deer graze in his yard as the dog takes a nap 10 yards away.

Franktank232 hi

Yes i guessed that you didn't tramp snow. I think snow is good protection for peaches in cold weather. Did you tried to get branches out of snow in winter when you had a lot of snow? You said you broke a lot of branches. I am not sure is that good idea. I think snow can be quite heavy and it can damage branches. I think it might have been better just mother nature own way to melt snow away.