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Those bunnies in your backyard look so cute - until you see they've ravaged your ridicchio.

Deer, so elegant and majestic in appearance. Until, that is, they've inhaled the freshly-bloomed hibiscus on a single pass through the yard, prompting you to spew a stream of obscenities that would shame your mother.

The age-old conflict of man versus beast has existed since the beginning of human kind as people staked out territory inhabited by creatures, and in modern times, critters have crept back into staked gardens and other man-made lines in the sand, as humans further horn in on their habitats.

Even those most ardent in their appreciation of wildlife have been driven wild after finding their veggies wiped out by a woodchuck.

Many a gardener will tell their tales, in hushed tones, about the harsh extremes to which they have resorted to get rid of the rascals. Can't we co-exist?

We can at least take a (figurative) shot at it, according to area master gardeners and wildlife conservationists.

Betsey Thomson a University of Rhode Master Gardener and former wildlife rehabilitator, said homeowners will likely want to do some research on methods to deter wildlife from humans' inner sanctum - their gardens and yards.

She referred to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Web site as a resource as well as Jeff Gillman's book, "The Truth about Garden Remedies."

The Massachusetts Audubon Society and the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Web sites also offer tips on living with wildlife.

And, "before anyone relies on 'old fashioned remedies,' think about it first," she said via e-mail. Some questions to consider "Are these remedies harmful to other animals or birds? Why are these animals here?"

Am I supplying food and don't know it? What is this animal's natural enemies? What scares these animals?

"Remember, if you shut off their food supply they will move on," Thomson said.

"Animals adapt much quicker than humans," she said. "A house (and yard) means food of one type or another."

"There isn't enough area left for them to forage without coming into contact with us." Keeping a barrier between the wildlife and your garden is the best resort, she said. But keeping deer out of your yard can cost big bucks. And it isn't always feasible to fence based on the area you live in, Thomson said.

"Knowing what the animals are going to eat and when helps," she said. "Pregnant does are now foraging for tender greens and this often means your lilies and other early plants just emerging."

Thomson suggested using protective netting such as DeerX over plants to "deter the chompers and force them to look elsewhere."

"This same netting can be tossed over shrubs to deter winter damage by the deer," she said. In her own yard, Thomson has also used dryer sheets.

"Bounce, being the smelliest, works well," she advised. "By clothespinning dryer sheets to my shrubs I have managed to keep damage to a minimum."

"Deer do not like odors and dryer sheets can go through a couple of rain storms before having to be changed," Thomson said.

Woodchucks

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Okay, what about robbing the rhubarb?

"I have a problem with them and it isn't crawling under the fence, but tunneling good distances right into the beds," said Thomson. "My rhubarb sunk into the ground last summer!"

"Chucks can climb as well as tunnel, so when relying on a fence, bury it into the ground at least 12 to 18 inches, have it at least 3 feet high, but you can leave the top foot loose," she said. "Fear of falling gets them everytime."

Rudi Hemp, also a veteran gardener and URI Master Gardener, said a general rule in fencing to deter burrowing and tunneling woodchucks is to install the fence in an L shape. One square foot of fence is installed horizontally underground, with three feet of fence extending above the ground.

Thomson often dumps the contents of her cat's litter box into their holes. Doggie waste works also. "Cats and dogs are meat eaters and the woodchucks seem to sense this," she said.

Or, you could take local gardener Emil Ferencik of Foxboro's advice and spread a narrow line of human hair sweepings from a barbershop or salon, and spread it several inches wide around the vegetables. "It worked" to thwart woodchucks from his vegetable garden, he said.

If you really want to get rid of the woodchuck, hire a professional, said Thomson. Woodchucks are potential carriers of rabies and state laws don't allow a homeowner to transport wildlife from one location to another.

Chipmunks and other small animals

Chipmunks, mice, squirrels and raccoons usually run rampant when there are bird feeders, Thomson said.

"Removing the feeders at night and cleaning up under them daily will reduce this problem."

"Outside pet feeders don't help either," said Thomson.

Skunks, snakes, turkeys and bunnies

Is there a propensity for skunks to proliferate under your porch?

"Forget the moth balls," Thomson said, referring to a suggestion in one of the annals of skunk deterrence. "They can harm other forms of wildlife and are not too good for the environment either."

"Skunks are wonderful mousers, but eat eggs and love grubs," she said of their appetites in the backyard.

"Block all possible areas where any of these animals can hide, making sure there are no dens established," Thomson suggested.

But don't shun snakes. "They can exterminate moles and voles faster than anything," she said.

Taking on turkeys is another matter. Fencing can keep them out of gardens which are particularly inviting right after they've taken root.

"They love to take dust baths and a freshly-established garden invites them right in," Thomson said. "When your pumpkin seeds germinate where the lettuce seeds were planted, you know a bird was around."

And those bunnies need to be fenced out, too, said Thomson who has had her own experience with the hares, including one several years ago when she planted broccoli and cauliflower in a bed separate from the rest of her veggies. She covered it with Remay cloth stretched over a wooden frame with cement blocks all along the bottom.

"Nothing could get in," Thomson remarked. "Came time to harvest or check to see about harvest, I removed the Remay only to find stubs where my plants were and one very overweight bunny."

"I must have trapped it inside when constructing my cover," she theorized.

SUSAN LaHOUD can be reached at 508-236-0398 or at slahoud@thesunchronicle.com.