"WPB" wrote in message
...
2. More importantly, the deer have left the branches, but all the needles
on the bottom three feet of the tree are GONE. Will the tree recover and
replace its needles? Or is it a goner?

The yew won't die, but it will definitely be mis-shapened. Those needles
won't come back. The only hope is that new branches will bud out and fill
in. Usually after a few years, the damage isn't that noticeable. It's
definitely worse for upright growing yews versus low bushy ones.

-al sung
Rapid Realm Technology, Inc.
Hopkinton, MA (Zone 6a)