Wow you and your tree woes seems to be never ending! Does everyone have this many problems with trees? I’ve only planted Redbuds and JM’s so very limited experience and I think I’ll stick to those lol. It sure does look like deer to me, but what do I know? Just wanted to come on to give you my sympathy and wish you luck!

Dang. I LOATHE deer

Looks like it but this NEVER happens around me now in NJ, only in NOVEMBER. They seem to target, NEW/YOUNG trees. They have ALWAYS recoperated for me though. Leave it be, tree will seal off the wound and grow around it. It will never "heal", healing occurs in the animal kinddom. Plants seal off the dead tissue with new growth. As long as 50% or under of the circumference is damaged, it should recover, believe it or not!

All my Magnolias were intially severely scared in the deer rut, every one and the Ginkgo fully recovered. It will take a few growing seasons, and they seem to lose interest with the same tree. No idea why.

Deer rubbing. Which reminds me that I gotta get out NOW and protect some of my young trees.

Boy, something was angry with your tree that's for sure! Does looks like buck rub, though despite my far north location, I also have never seen such occur until into November ... but, is good reminder of need to get my younger trees protected before too long here.

Early September, deer will rub trees when the velvet stage of antler production nears its end and the bucks 'spar' and rub on trees to remove the itchy, dying velvet from their antlers.

Later, in October, hormones kick in and deer become more territorial and rubs are made to mark areas where a buck intends on gathering a 'harem' and will attempt to keep other bucks out from there.

This can be a farm field, orchard, home garden or just a person putting feed near their house, to draw deer in where they can be viewed through their picture window.

It's during this time, the smaller bucks, who aren't feeling up to taking on a larger, more mature buck (or have and learned their lesson), will live in areas not too far away and rub on smaller, more flexible trees that fit them better (out in the country, we always said, the larger the tree, the larger the buck). This is an annual event and locations can change depending on how feed sources change from year to year).

On trees that don't need winter sun protection, I just use a 2ft. high, chicken wire cylinder and a garden stake or two.

It doesn't look like much but it works, and I have next door neighbors feeding deer 50ft. away (mine have been on for almost a month already).

I think your tree will recover. Although it is a setback and disappointment.

Welcome to the world of gardening! ;-)

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5494021/don-t-forgot-to-put-your-tree-protectors-on

That's interesting you all are mentioning fall months for deer rub -- they start early here IME, I put up the drainpipe guards in mid-July. I learned my lesson one year and waited until a little later...and we all know one night is one night too late.

"Boy, something was angry with your tree that's for sure! "

I just cannot get over the fact that they tore the heck out of the plastic fence protection I had around the trunk. I mean, there's 1000s of acres of state land full of unprotected trees right out back but no...they had to terrorize this poor thing...that had trunk protection around it. Unbelievable.

There are a couple of scrub apples in the vicinity, we leave the apples to fall to feed the wildlife -- and if they go out there to dine they'll stay away from my stuff up by the house. That's my theory anyway. So maybe the comment about the harem holds true here. The apples are very old with large trunks and branches low to the ground so they probably can't get a good rub off those.

After I put up the wire fence around this poor thing, I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon taking down the same plastic fencing I had around my other trees and put the corrugated drain pipe back up. There's no way they can get through that stuff. Didn't want to take any chances. It's just that I take it off in the spring to expose the bark to better air circulation and sunlight so it's on-off every year, I was trying to get away from that by using the plastic fencing wrapped around the trunks.

Anyway, I still have a couple trees that are going to need wider diameter pipe, good problem to have because the trees are putting on girth, it's just that I have to order it and hope the deer don't decided to destroy those in the meantime. Hopefully the plastic netting around teh trunk will hold another week or two.

I've never notice deer rubs before late August or early September here and would think it would be even later in warmer zones but ymmv.

I leave some of my CW tree protectors in place all year around and not just because of deer. There's always the occasional rabbit that decides it's time to 'sharpen its teeth'.

And with feral cats around my neighborhood, I noticed they started using some of my trees for 'scratching posts'. That can leave unsightly damage if left unchecked.

One of their favorites is my Northern Hackberry. It has a soft, thick, corky bark that must feel good to them. I caught it early when I noticed 'Momma Cat' showing one of her half grown kittens how it's done and when momma had finished, kitty took over and proceeded working on the soft bark.

I've found chicken wire is a material animals just don't like. I think they realize it's metal and will avoid it.

It's not that noticeable once the 'brand new' shine gets a little weathered, and it's cost effective. A 50 ft. roll is ~$25 and stakes are a buck or so apeice.

On trees that need winter sun protection, I just slip a white plastic tube, inside the wire, around the tree.

Once trees get to a larger diameter, ~4", there aren't many bucks big enough that will tackle a tree that size.

And don't get me started on the sap suckers. ;-)