Cutting Pathways with molasses or other tasty substance.

Cutting Pathways with molasses or other tasty substance.

(Clearing garden space as well)
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I used to have goats. They liked many foods, but they were particularly partial to any food that was coated in molasses.
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This leads to an idea. Suppose we want to make new pathways on a farm and there is no mowing equipment available. We could load up a tree sprayer with a diluted molasses mix. The water would quickly evaporate in the sun, leaving a sticky, tasty residue.

Goats and many other grazers would selectively work on this area , eating many things and trampling the rest.
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Poison...    It would be important to ensure  that there are no poisonous plants in the area to be sprayed. It's possible that the animals would eat things that are not good for them.
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I wonder if deer will eat molasses. At a distance from my place, I could spray pathways that lead to clumps of salmonberry and other natural foods. Once a path is worn, animals will use it. All paths lead away from  me. One neighbor is rather loud. It would be fun to spray a path leading to his front door.
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 This might be something hunters could do, to attract prey. Probably illegal in most enlightened places.

I envision ants so thick, the goats won't touch it.

Send in the chickens.

Oooh! You get a cleared path, well fed draft or meat animals, eggs, and poultry. I'm starting to think you're onto something here.

My gut is telling me the cost/availability of the molasses might be an issue. Many trees such as birch and cottonwood could be tapped to provide free sugary sap. That might be a good substitute.

My gut is telling me the cost/availability of the molasses might be an issue.

If there are Seed/Feed stores nearby, you can get feed grade molasses for a fraction of the price of 'supermarket' grade.

EDITED to add:  Last time I looked, it was about $3 per gallon.

Excellent idea!!! I love the idea of getting the deer to go where I want them to... They may not stay there, but it might help me have to fight less. Even a 70% reduction in deer through the food would be good.
And I think your goats are saying "Yes! Upvote him!! Try this!!"

I have had good success in clearing garden space with slugs. I placed cardboard directly on top of the grass and added just enough weight to prevent it from blowing about. This creates a moist environment that is protected from birds that would eat the slugs. After the slugs have done their job, I take the cardboard off. A couple of years ago, I did this, while a large group of crows was gathered in a nearby tree. Before I finished removing it, they were murdering☺ the slugs. This prevented a mass migration to areas where I didn't want massive numbers of slugs. For smaller areas, this might be easier than the Molasses method. It is quite slow.