I see deer damage on black walnuts, i.e. browse of the seedlings and
buck-rub on the
saplings. The deer can't keep up w/ what the squirrels plant, but I
think you want
to fence or wrap anything you value.
Amen to that.
Starting in 1998, I planted several hundred pecan and black walnut
seedlings, as well as a few chestnuts and selected oaks in a 100 ft
riparian bufferstrip bordering the creek that forms the eastern
boundary of my farm - total acreage, about 7 acres. This strip is
fenced off so that the cattle/horses do not have access to this area.
Whitetail deer are a tremendous plague - they browse heavily -
big-budded shellbark hickory cultivars grafted onto the seedling
pecans are like candy to them. And in fall, the bucks can demolish
well-grown trees by effectively girdling them from about 6 inches
above ground level, up as high as they can rake them with their antlers.
A few - probably less than 20% of the trees I planted have been able
to get past the hooved rats, and are now large enough that the deer
don't pose a huge danger to them.
Lucky Pittman
USDA Cold Zone 6
AHS Heat Zone 7
Hopkinsville, KY