Have you ever had the unsettled feeling someone is looking through the window at you? It is such an eerie feeling. You know you have to look, yet you’re afraid to — but I did. Growing up we had a peeping Tom in the neighborhood, so perhaps I am especially sensitive to that feeling.

Watching me drink my morning coffee at daybreak was a doe and her twins, not batting an eye or twitching an ear. It was a wonderful sight, however, not one I need repeated every morning.

Every year I read the locally reported same verse, different chapter of residents feeding the deer. This year the problem was presented before the Bend City Council in hopes an ordinance could be passed banning the feeding of deer.

The act of providing food for the deer is apparently considered a humanitarian act for the deer’s survival by some residents. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their reliance on dinner being served only undermines their natural ability to forage for their needs, which results in poor health and the susceptibility to disease.

A classic example happened several years ago in an area housing development. Cracked corn was provided for the deer by a homeowner. Because a fawn’s digestive system is undeveloped, 50 fawns died of bloat.

Rather than the local law enforcement agency spending man-hours enforcing a feeding ban, I prefer that they continue the traffic enforcement that is already in place.

Our neighborhood has an average of five resident deer. Some days more, some days less. Several weeks ago the five decided to take their afternoon siesta in my backyard. They slept, they woke up, they chewed their cud, slept some more and eventually wandered off, taking a few landscape nibbles here and there. Our neighborhood has gotten pretty savvy on which landscape plants are deer-resistant. Nothing is deer-proof.

Knowing the annual cycle of the deer helps to develop strategies to prevent deer damage.

January to April: This is probably the toughest time for deer. They will browse on woody material. If you have a prized woody plant, you should protect it, either with tree guards or encircled with fencing. The tree guards should be removed when growth starts in the spring.

Mid-April to June: A typical doe gives birth to two fawns. This is when the deer-resistant plant lists for Central Oregon are in high demand from the OSU Deschutes Extension Service in Redmond. The lists include trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Plan for vegetable garden protection. The fawns will try any and everything, or at least pull it out. Covering with netting will discourage the browsing.

July to mid-August: The deer are eating mostly herbaceous material (your veggie garden). Exclusion comes in many forms, not just a wooden fence. Deer won’t go over a barrier if they can’t see what’s on the other side. Use shrubs, trees, fences, walls, anything you can think of. My vegetable garden is fenced with a 6-foot wire fence, a height that deer have the ability to jump over. To break up what appears to be a clear landing pad on the other side of the fence, I use an old wheelbarrow planted with plants that have a strong aroma. I also plant our old charcoal grill. Lawn ornaments help distract a deer’s attention from raiding your garden, especially if it has a moving part like a pinwheel.

Late August to September: Love is in the air. Bucks begin rubbing their antlers on trees and shrubs to shed the velvet. I found a sizeable piece of velvet on a shrub several years ago and sent it to my youngest grandson for show and tell. The males start leaving pheromone deposits on the ground to trigger the females into their cycle. Generally the deer are finding enough in the woods to satisfy their appetites. Tree guards should be placed around special trees to protect them from bucks rubbing their antlers.

October to December: The rutting and breeding cycles begin. The deer are back to the gardens looking for mostly herbaceous material and turfgrass until a hard frost forces them to switch to woody plants.

Now is a good time to start planning for the coming gardening year by making good choices in the selection of the plant material you purchase. Can you make changes to your landscape to make it less inviting to the deer? Is it the time for homeowner associations to step in and attempt to resolve the neighborhood issues?

Water-Wise Gardening in Central Oregon (EM 9136), Growing Vegetables in Central Oregon (EM 9128) and Reduce Deer Damage in Your Yard (EC 1557) are three publications available at the OSU Deschutes County Extension Office and on line at catalogextension.oregonstate.edu/deschutes