Deer Pest

Deer are the most difficult of all pest to deter from your gardens. They eat a lot of vegetation and especially love flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs, and fruits (what’s left?). Deer are a good definition of “Creatures of Habit”. Once they establish a pattern of arriving to your garden they keep coming no matter what unless you put up an 8 foot fence or kill them.

There are definitely less dramatic ways to control deer and keep them from destroying all your hard work. When taking action to control deer remember to vary your use of control options. When using repellent products and/or tools designed to scare wildlife, don't use any one method for too long, or the deer may catch on to your game. Mixing things up can keep them guessing for a longer while. Some of the key deer control methods include:

Plant Choices:

Food preferences of deer vary based on population pressures and available choices. Here is where information about local herds comes in handy. There is probably a list of plants that deer shun in your area. In general, deer tend to pass on ferns and ornamental grasses, plants with fuzzy foliage, and plants that taste of lemon, mint, or sage, and those that are bitter and pungent (hot and spicy). Examples are:

Annuals: Snapdragon, sweet alyssum, stock, nasturtium, nicotiana, wax begonias, zinnia.

Perennials: Yarrow, monkshood, foxglove, lavender, coneflower, peonies, iris.

Trees & Shrubs: Bottlebrush buckeye, shadblow, red osier dogwood, spruce, pine, northern red oak, rugosa rose, American holly, Sawara false cypress, Japanese pieris.

Repellents:

Repellents are best suited for high-value crops in orchards, nurseries, and gardens. There are quite a few products with flavors and odors offensive to deer that gardeners can spray on plants or spread on the soil. Some (fermented egg yolks) offend deer's sense of smell; others (predator urines) frighten them. More of these products are licensed for use on ornamental plants than on food plants; follow directions for application. Home remedies abound, as well, including cayenne, hot-pepper sauce, talcum powder, blood meal, dog hair, and deodorant soap.

Permanent boundary fencing requires many tools: the fencing, fence posts, post-hole digger, and a strong crew to put it together. You may also need a permit to erect a fence in your community. Plastic screen netting is cheaper and easier to install.

An electric fence is a good choice for garden beds. Bait the fence with peanut butter, and when the deer come in for their snack, they'll learn that your gardens are to be avoided. To avoid injuries, alert neighborhood children and owners of small pets about your electric fence.

Caging tree saplings and young shrubs is a good option where you have just a few to protect. Once trees are older, they'll be more resistant to browsing deer.

Fabric row covers supported with hoops can protect vegetable beds. "Invisible" mesh netting can be erected over ornamentals to allow viewing but not chewing.

A single strand of monofilament fish line strung across a deer path creates an invisible force that can confuse the creatures enough to detour them around your garden.

Scare Devices:

Strobe lights, sirens, fireworks and gunfire are some of the many ways people have scared deer off. You can spend hundreds of dollars on ultrasonic noisemakers, motion-sensitive light systems, and water cannons to drive deer away, or a few cents on aluminum pie tins that flash in the sun. Radios cranked up to all-night talk shows or loud music can work, but check with the neighbors first. A barking dog (real or recorded) behind an invisible fence can persuade deer to stay away, too.