We did something similar 4 years ago with the WHIP program. I forget, but I think it was 400 Norway Spruce and about 800 various shrubs. The deer decimated just about everything. Here, some 4 years later, the Norway Spruce have struggled through their uninvited prunings and I would guess that about 70% will make it. I'll guess that about 15 - 20% of the shrubs will pull through.
Out of the 3 foresters I interviewed before the planting, the most senior member of the group immediately asked me if I had systematically thinned and culled the deer population. When I said "no", he politely told me that was not interested in the job, explaining that he would not invest his time into a project destined for failure.
