I have the feeling that what you saw is his marking of the tree for the ladies, not sharpening. Bucks will do this ... bigger bucks of course, mark higher. And sometimes a buck will just shred a tree out of pure sexual frustration... I've seen it from my treestand. A wild cherry tree. (I hunt with traditional bow.) He's just being himself. He didn't know how much you loved that tree... next time, Put up the wire on trees you really want .. hanging Irish Spring soap in net or hose works sometimes... remember, "Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed." best to you! Homegrown, live from Buzzard's Glory, Hub of the Universe

I shudder whenever I read the title of this thread as it brings to mind the departed trees that I tried to establish on our slope in W Washington state. Our yard had been a pasture that a former owner mowed to make a "lawn", planting only a few trees on 2 1/2 acres. It really needs more trees! However, our slope seems to be a main thoroughfare for bucks in the fall. Every year I plant a couple more trees, but every year I lose some that are too badly thrashed. I've lost western larch, ponderosa pine, subalpine fir, silver fir, EXPENSIVE full moon maples, other maple sp., stewartias, grafted fir. Once I surprised my husband by swearing and screaming when we drove in to see a silver fir (Abies amabilis) reduced to a pile of rubble, as he didn't know I was capable of such behavior. I had cared for this fir from its seedling-hood, and it had started to take off so I could envision the beautiful tree it was to become. As the trunk was completely girdled almost down to the ground, I cut it off right below the girdling hoping it would make a branch at its base to become a new leader. But that didn't happen. This had worked for a subalpine fir, which is now a multi-trunked tree. I put up barricades in the fall and take them down in January. I try to guess which trees don't need barricades as they are too small or too large and stiff to be suitable antler velvet grooming. And I try to guess when the bucks will start showing up. But I get neither of these right. In the middle of August when we finally have summer, I am not ready to think of fall (and copious rain). But the bucks seem to be showing up earlier now, and as soon as one of us spots a horned critter, we aren't be surprised to find damage the next morning. When I have help, I put up sturdy circular wire cages using 4-foot high cattle fencing and steel posts. When I don't have help I put up flimsier square compost cages around vulnerable trees. For deciduous trees with branchless trunks up to a few feet, I instead clip plastic tubes around the trunks. I think the deer put their heads down when attacking the trees, as they are not damaged above 4 feet. Well, we all have frustrations and dashed dreams, and you, dear conifer lovers, have hit on mine with this thread. Today's visitor, a not-so-dear deer (Columbian black-tailed deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus)

Very Nice! The bucks here are in velvet also, but not brave enough to come into any yard for a drink. Great Shot! Kt

Thanks for the kind comments. I have seen a single buck before and usually consider that pretty special, so this was down right magical. I half expected to see that one of them had a large red nose, or see a red-clad man with a full, white beard chasing after them. I'm lad the pictures turned out as well as they did. My wife had taken my Nikon SLR to a horse show, so I could only use the little point and shoot camera which zooms really well but which doesn't produce as sharply focused pictures and its color balance seems a little off. Rhizo, I think I recall that those particular trees had white flowers this spring, rather than purple ones, which would make them the native tree Catalpa rather than the invasive Paulownia, although that is not to say that there are no Paulownia trees around here. At our old place there is one that I would cut to the ground every single year, and then as it re-grows trim all but one of the sprouting trunks. The remaining trunk then grows straight up 30' in a single year, with maybe two dozen leaves that are 2 feet across. It looks like a Jack-and-the-Beanstalk plant. In any case Paulownia doesn't rank even in the top ten for me for invasive/annoying/unwanted plants. Currently that list would start with Oriental Bittersweet which is nearly ubiquitous at our new place, and is literally strangling trees to death. Followed in no particular order by Russian Olive bushes, Poison Ivy, Greenbriar, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Wild Grape.