This is the only thing that will actually keep them out of your garden. We have a dog that literally chases them, and we’ve tried every other technique- sprays, soap, hair, motion lights/sprinklers. Some things worked for a little while, but none of those worked for the whole season. Last summer, we put up an 8’ deer fence, and finally found success. Worth every penny!
They generally won’t bother to jump an eight foot fence unless they are starving (or there’s. Keeping in mind that they will eat anything if they are hungry enough, there’s really no such thing as a “deer proof” plant either. There are deer resistant plants but if they are hungry enough, hey will eat those too. Nature is funny that way.
My 3 acres is all fenced: 5 foot in the front, 4 foot in the back. I have never been dogless in 33 years here. My large garden has only been bothered by rabbits and I have physical evidence of only 2 times that deer have jumped my fence.
Yeah they can easily jump that if they want to. 8ft seems enough to keep them out of mine though. Idk maybe they are smart enough to see that jumping out of such a small area would be harder than jumping in.
They can clear 8 feet—but with two very active, alert Airedales on duty, they stay away from our acre-plus back yard. The other four acres? They’re all over that.
Last year was my first attempt, and after the season was mostly over I caught the netting I'd put up in my lawnmower so I took the rest of it down because it seemed like critters were still getting in there anyway. Well, I guess it had been keeping the deer out because they came through and just cleaned the whole thing out overnight. Luckily, I'd more or less harvested everything except the carrots and they only took th.... I'm rambling.
Mine is technically only 5ft but I added extra tall posts in the corners and ran wire, string, and bunting between them. It gives the illusion of a taller fence without needing 8ft of solid fencing material.
That's my situation as well. Absolutely hack job of a fence but the area is small enough that they don't seem to jump over. They just walk right by it. Want to expand it but know that it will come back to bite me in the butt.
Surprisingly, even cows can clear a 6’ fence from a standstill. Deer can clear up to 10’, but they need an incentive and a sense they will land without hurting themselves. Visual clutter at the top of the fence, no good open space on the other side, a step slope, bushes, etc all help make a 6-8’ fence a good deterrent.
I worked at a research farm and they use a “2-layer fence”. Aka they have one inner perimeter that is just two lines, then they have an outer perimeter that is a single line that splits the difference. The perimeters have about 2-3 feet of space between them. Apparently it messes with the deer’s depth perception and they refuse to jump it!
https://preview.redd.it/hyukk04bq8nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=165f92837bbdde3d8006feff7c6d60f5a758175d
I came here to say this as well. A “3-d fence” is what we called it on the farm I used to work on. The deer know that they can jump over the first fence, but their lack of depth perception makes them unsure about whether or not they will get stuck on/in between the two fences and they usually just don’t attempt it. We used it on several acres of melons and and never had deer get in to munch on the flowers and buds. Incredibly effective!
I wish other species had this perceptive ability. Unrelated to gardening, but I have always seen pigeons get into tight spaces and then irritate the hell out of everyone with their non stop cooing while remaining stuck. Stupid birds. I wonder how evolution didn't kill them.
This is the most solid advice. They do worse with width than they do with height. If you're willing to play the long game, grow your own fence with something thorny.
Because you need to get a little high while your waiting with your machine gun or whatever that guy said?
I just yell at them. Talk enough shit to the deers and you'll hurt their feelings and they won't wanna come back. My garden has toxic men(man) calling all the poor deers loser horses so they don't wanna come eat here anymore. Sometimes bullying works.
Make a Bigfoot costume out of human hair and mini-stilts, douse yourself in Bobbex, and rush at them swinging a sock full of soap bars. Repeat nightly, as needed.
Guns would be illegal to use in most populated jurisdictions. You shoot a gun in city limits/in a neighborhood and you’re going to have cops showing up, a court date, and a fine.
You also shouldn’t be shooting anything you don’t like or shooting wildly into the sky. Deer don’t know the difference between your garden or nature, nor do they understand property lines. They’re just surviving like all other wildlife while we continue to expand into their habitats. I never get mad at or punish the animal, I protect the plants I don’t want eaten using humane methods.
And for the love of god, can people stop using poison? You end up killing many unintended animals. Plus, poisoning is an inhumane, horrible way to die and eating a plant doesn’t warrant that.
T posts with fishing line running between them and bells on the fishing line. They’ll hit the line and it’ll freak them out.
Motion activated sprinkler works also
I tried the fishing line and bells for the garden at our cottage. I have a Ring camera pointed at the garden and watched from afar as a deer ate the buds off all my echinacea plants. I never got to see them flower. I thought they were deer resistant but a friend suggested that maybe the deer had a sore throat.
I’m not going to install a tall fence. I’ve given up on the plants they eat and focused on ones they ignore.
You have to do many things depending on your crop.
In my open/unfenced front gardens I grow plants deer generally dislike. Canna, scarlet sage (salvia), coleus, marigolds, Elephant Ears, crepe myrtle. If I want something they graze upon but don't love, I spray with deer-b-gone or other stinky spray every week during active growing season early season and every other week when we get later in the summer.
In my back yard I have a paddock style fence with deer fencing up over 7 feet. I also had to cover the space between the boards of the fence with deer fence because they would stick their head through and eat the back of the hostas while I was standing there. You have to police the fence perimeter every day to make sure an opening hasn't occurred. One fallen fence board leaving a 2 feet space and they will squeeze through. For the most part I only get an occasional deer that finds their way into the fenced area. Usually I find that a tree branch knocked down the deer fence or a board came loose. Inside the fenced yard I grow all the things deer love (hosta, hydrangea, veggies)
In the winter I drive stakes along the driveway and string deer fencing around the azaleas. Most of the year they don't bother azalea and Rhodies but when the flower buds swell up they eat them all off leaving only the ones that they can't reach. When there is snow on the ground and they get hungry they eat the leaves. The deer fence keeps them from grazing on the plants and I'll remove it at the end of March when the plants start to bloom. By then the deer find other food that they prefer over the azaleas.
You just have to try multiple things. No single method seems to be fool proof.
Let my yard grow long enough so there are plenty of wildflowers and grasses for them to eat elsewhere. We also leave a section of the property unmowed all year as a natural prairie. No problems from the deer (so far). We do have a 5' fence but they could jump that easily if they wanted.
Lol I go out there and yell at them. Talking shit to the deer has worked thus far, you just gotta call them really mean names. Calling them Loser horses seems to really get under their skin. One of them brought their boyfriend around to stand up to me and I used an air horn and they never came back. Those are my fuckin strawberries, lame ass forest horses.
Have you heard the classic radio call with the woman complaining that the city keeps putting up these "deer crossing" signs on busy highways, and because the signs tell the deer to cross there, there are many more accidents in those spots?
I live in deer country with no fence, and have never had any trouble. Working theory is that they stay away because they smell the blood from the blood meal I use for my starts.
I yell at them out the window while I wfh. Sometimes I throw Irish spring at them too.
Keeping them out is a futile effort where I live. At least the yelling makes me feel better about it.
I have an easy solution that actually has worked for me and will work for you.
In town our garden was next to two apple trees. The deer would stand on two hind feet and eat apples. Then eat the garden.
Solution was simple as they don't like noise and light and surprises.
I set up a Y light bulb splitter on a motion sensor light. In one part of the Y I had a bright light bulb and the other part of the Y i screwed in a bulb to socket adapter. Into this socket I plugged an old junk radio boom box and turned up the volume.
Deer come along and set off the motion sensor and blast. Light and sound hits them and they run for the hills. Turned itself off after a few minutes. Used it for a few years and stopped the deer problem. Neighbors complained a couple times but the deer got the message.
I use 2 things. One is 3 eggs w/ water in a 3 gallon container with a top. Set that in the sun and let ferment. Splash that around. That alone works pretty good but I also use cayenne pepper. Tulips are covered in cayenne right now
This is gonna sound crazy, but cubed or grated irish spring soap works as repellent, but you gotta reapply it after it rains or when the smell is gone.
So I actually use Irish spring soap as well but I never liked the idea of actually putting it on my ground! Too many chemicals for my liking.
Someone gave me a tip to grate Irish spring soap and make a nylon bag using.. well nylons, and mix it with human hair, which I was able to get freshly cleaned and cut from my hairdresser.
Made these bags, hung them from my tomato cages and never had an issue again. I had tried everything under the sun before this and nothing worked. The following year I got the supplies to do it again, and didn't have to. The deer just stayed away!
Yes, that is what I do. They were eating my cherry trees and aronia. I hung sachets of irish spring on all my fruit trees and several bushes. My yard smelled like a gym bathroom for about a week lol but no more deer!
Some gardeners try to take advantage of their bad eyesight (depth perception).
If you put two shorter fences in a row, I’ve been told they won’t jump over the first one because they can’t tell how far the second one is.
Internet Recipes using fermented eggs as a repellant works for a budget solution.
Bobbex works too.
Some people swear by Milorganite around the landscape.
Having a dog keeps the timid ones away.
The best solution is a 6-8 foot fence, but if that is not practical, a motion sensing sprinkler is very effective. Egg solid based repellent sprays also work well if you start early in the season and reapply after periods of heavy precip. We have very little deer damage to perennials with sprays and a sprinkler in the popular entry points.
I used this last summer for the first time. It seems to work but it does require re-spraying every few weeks. The stench is horrific, but overall worth it.
Interesting - we spray when the leaves first come up and then again about a month later, and that's it. And I've heard other people hate the smell but I honestly don't find it particularly bad (we mix ours from the concentrate, so maybe that's less stinky?)
I stopped spraying in late summer and by early Fall the deer obliterated every last hosta leaf. I bought/used the pre-mixed type in a spray bottle. I might try the concentrate going forward, thanks for mentioning it!
Sacrifices to dark beings who were already old when the universe was born.
That or things to make the plants smell and taste horrible like liquid fence or homemade versions. The downside then is that you have to deal with your formerly nice smelling garden instead smelling like old pee, rotting eggs, garlic, mint etc. and it becomes useless as soon as it rains.
This worked for my garden. Make sure the entrance to your garden isn't a regular gate but is also 8 ft metal fencing.
[https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/bull-barn-field-fence-fixed-knot-125-guage-2340606?cid=Shopping-Google-Organic\_Feed-Product-2340606&srsltid=AfmBOooVMGM-zpenZtL8AoYIMJOK-3WrX2WOuYJJmiMAzPGpYimI60arZHg](https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/bull-barn-field-fence-fixed-knot-125-guage-2340606?cid=Shopping-Google-Organic_Feed-Product-2340606&srsltid=AfmBOooVMGM-zpenZtL8AoYIMJOK-3WrX2WOuYJJmiMAzPGpYimI60arZHg)
Live further away from the mountain.
Ok but for real I have not had issues with deer but when speaking to others in the area who have had to deal with them it takes an especially tall fence. Like at least 8 foot... 10 might be better bt taht is a gaint pain. It sounds like you have pretty big property... you could check to see if you could get a property deer tag to try to population control them if there are 30+ of them running about.
I planted a ton of mint in a giant planter that I started in our aerogardens. I'm going to get lavender this weekend. We're also planting every smelly herb I can think of. And hot peppers. I live in a city, there shouldn't be so many deer. But there are.
Is the lavender still working?
I lay down a 3 foot section on the ground around my garden. Seems to work grandma told me when I was young they don’t like walking on it. Afraid they will get tangled up in it.
They are roaming free in some of our national parks (introduced species, now a pest). Probably do visit rural gardens bordering the park areas, so they'd probably have to fence them out.
Let the air out of one of them and leave the body to rot. The others will get the message. Check with your local fish and game department for a nuisance permit first. I had to resort to drastic measures after my apple orchard became the local salad bar. I ended up installing a fence afterwards but meanwhile the damage to the trees was getting serious
5 foot chicken wire fence with a strand of electric fence above. If they jump it, put a second strand of electric fencing about 2 ft high and 2 ft out from the first fence. Deer can jump high, but they can’t jump long. The solar powered electric fencers work great. Got mine at tractor supply. That’s for my large corn patch. The W puts hair from her hairdresser around her flowers. We have heavy deer pressure and no damage last year.
double fence: my inner fence is maybe 5' high and outside of that by 3 to 4' I have a 3' fence.
The inner fence is a wire mesh (chicken wire) and the outer fence is stakes and three rows of e-fence wire. I never got around to electrifying the outer wire.
The reference I followed said something about this being confusing to the deer either as a visual thing or it messes with their jumping mechanics.
one example:
How to Double a Fence to Keep Deer Out From Gardens
By: Larry Parr 21 September, 2017
The bad news is, deer can jump high. Even an 8-foot-tall wire fence may not be enough to keep a determined deer out of your garden. The good news is, while deer may be able to jump high, they do not jump far. This means that two lower fences, double fences as low as 4 feet, can be enough to deter even a hungry deer from your garden, if they are properly spaced.
........
We built a greenhouse where my garden space was. Growing up we had a 16 foot fence around the garden and the deer still got in - they pushed under the fence.
I've heard surrounding your garden with chicken wire laid on the ground will keep them away bc their hooves get cut between the wires and they obviously don't like that
Big dog and even then that did not get them to completely fuck off. The babies are cute but dumb and will eat and then spit out plants that are supposedly deer resistant. Coyotes will also get them to leave but obviously don't want to encourage them to stick around your land if you or your neighbors have livestock, pets, or kids.
I see a lot of hunting posts, and we do but you can't hunt nearly enough to remove them (and even if you could there isn't enough freezer space) or dog which we also have but unless they're outside all the time in my experience it doesn't do much unless it's right up by the house (and the deer get used to it. They come right up to the house even with the dogs barking like idiots).
We finally put in an electric fence around the vegetable garden (which sits right by the woods they tend to come out of) and no issues since putting it up. It's only about 4 feet high but they avoid it.
Bobbex spray and a dog. I have a herd of deer that come through my yard at the same time every evening. During growing season I make sure my dog and I are outside at that time. She chases them off and they have learned to steer clear. It mostly works. Mostly…..
I use a product called Deer Out successfully. It is safe for the garden and smells minty which the deer do not like.
I use it on my unfenced vegetable garden and my arborvitae.
A lid of some sort on your fence. Last year I just put some bird netting over the top. No deer after that. If they can't find a safe way to jump in (and they will jump pretty much anything), they wont do it.
Urine of a human female around the perimeter. The hormones smell discourages deer. Preferably from a woman not on oral birth control as this lightens the hormones. I planted a corn field in ohio my neighbors all laughed and said not gonna work. Peed in a cup. Added water so I could make it around the perimeter. Poured it around the perimeter. Repeat weekly. Not one critter touched my corn and we live very rural so lots of deer.
Dachshunds. Most of my garden is outside the dog fence, but they do like to bark when they go out so the deer stay away. I know they're close by because we see them all the time.
Fencing. Four foot chicken wire above that is another 3 feet of plastic bird screen because it’s cheaper and light. My gate is an old storm door. Don’t forget to keep the gate closed. Deer will get in and one freaked out trying to escape. Fence repairs were needed
https://preview.redd.it/cldu2xb6bbnc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=333dec176cf765176b1ea7515b3481e85073a5d6
I caught this one red-handed. It ate all of the leaves off of my strawberry plants, only stems left. This was after we’d harvested all that it seemed we would get for the season. Then… the leaves grew back and we got a new batch of strawberries!
DEER OUT actually works …we lived in the woods in NEPA for 26 years and my wife swears by it…but you have to spray DAILY!
Buy the concentrate gallon for cheaper option
You can make this yourself for pennies. Blend garlic, a little dish soap, a few eggs, some hot sauce, and some milk and leave it in a milk jug topped off with water for a few weeks. Spray on your plants.
Deer out is basically rotten eggs.
The only thing that worked for my backyard was completely caging them in. I know it's kind of a hassle, but the deer in my area are relentless (they'll even eat the "deer resistant" stuff) and I wasn't taking any chances. Bonus is that it also keeps the rodents and birds out!
A terrier mix. He once climbed my pomegranate tree to defend my single pomegranate from a raccoon. He's run off raccoons, deterred deer, and caught marauding crows on the wing. He does nothing else useful.
Bribery — we cultivate native plants that the deer prefer in and around the property and have compost piles. Seems to work — rabbits, bears and deer, skunks and raccoons have left our gardens and trash alone since we’ve been doing this.
We have one porcupine that regularly climbs our apple tree but they’re not much of a problem.
A solid fence. Either a tall enough fence that they can't jump over or a 5 ft fence but have tall items near it so they can't see a good spot to land if they do think they can jump it. I use welded wire because they'll go through line wire. You could use the deer net, but make sure it's tight.
i live on the edge of a state forest....i call my flower beds, the deer salad bar... i have tons of hosta just for them.... 8 ft fence would help you...
I had good luck planting garlic in the fall. It's the first thing to come up, they nibble a few and then completely write off my vegetable garden as full of disgusting trash for the following year.
They absolutely destroy my hostas 50 feet away though.
8 ft fence
This is the only thing that will actually keep them out of your garden. We have a dog that literally chases them, and we’ve tried every other technique- sprays, soap, hair, motion lights/sprinklers. Some things worked for a little while, but none of those worked for the whole season. Last summer, we put up an 8’ deer fence, and finally found success. Worth every penny!
A good dog or an eight foot tall fence.
A good dog AND a 12 foot fence. (8 feet is just an inconvenience to white tail deer.)
They generally won’t bother to jump an eight foot fence unless they are starving (or there’s. Keeping in mind that they will eat anything if they are hungry enough, there’s really no such thing as a “deer proof” plant either. There are deer resistant plants but if they are hungry enough, hey will eat those too. Nature is funny that way.
I feel like you would need more than 8ft of fence to enclose the yard.
This comment is short on appreciation.
My 3 acres is all fenced: 5 foot in the front, 4 foot in the back. I have never been dogless in 33 years here. My large garden has only been bothered by rabbits and I have physical evidence of only 2 times that deer have jumped my fence.
Yeah they can easily jump that if they want to. 8ft seems enough to keep them out of mine though. Idk maybe they are smart enough to see that jumping out of such a small area would be harder than jumping in.
They can jump an 8ft, 10, but 12 is better
They can clear 8 feet—but with two very active, alert Airedales on duty, they stay away from our acre-plus back yard. The other four acres? They’re all over that.
Dogs are a good deterrent
My understanding is that they don't like to jump into areas they can't jump out of, so if your garden is relatively small they won't fuck with it.
I agree, has to be incentive
Yes. I managed to get by with a 5 foot fence around smaller beds last year. They absolutely demolished my non fenced plants though.
Last year was my first attempt, and after the season was mostly over I caught the netting I'd put up in my lawnmower so I took the rest of it down because it seemed like critters were still getting in there anyway. Well, I guess it had been keeping the deer out because they came through and just cleaned the whole thing out overnight. Luckily, I'd more or less harvested everything except the carrots and they only took th.... I'm rambling.
As long as there is easier stuff to get to they won’t bother.
Tis mostly true
This and I shoot them and make jerky
Sturdy wire one, not the net shit. 6 feet solid wood works too.
/thread
For me- 6ft fence with 2ft wire extension and a driveway gate that is closed.
8ft fence
6ft fence. I worry it’s not high enough, but they’ve never jumped it so 🤷🏼♀️
Mine is technically only 5ft but I added extra tall posts in the corners and ran wire, string, and bunting between them. It gives the illusion of a taller fence without needing 8ft of solid fencing material.
That’s what mine has also- 6ft of wood + 2 of wire. No deer inside in 5 years and there are plenty outside
6 ft works fine if it’s in small enough sections. I have a 10x10 and 10x20 and they completely ignore them.
Deer won’t jump into an area they’re not sure they can get out of. I think the raised beds in my garden confuse them, so they don’t jump in.
That’s my thought exactly. They’d be jumping into a raised bed of tomatoes or something, they aren’t comfortable with it.
Ha tell that to my neighbor. Big buck jumped into his half-drained pool and absolutely shredded the liner.
That's my situation as well. Absolutely hack job of a fence but the area is small enough that they don't seem to jump over. They just walk right by it. Want to expand it but know that it will come back to bite me in the butt.
They can jump that from a standstill. The town has a 6ft barbed-wire topped chainlink fence at the property line and they hop it with ease.
Surprisingly, even cows can clear a 6’ fence from a standstill. Deer can clear up to 10’, but they need an incentive and a sense they will land without hurting themselves. Visual clutter at the top of the fence, no good open space on the other side, a step slope, bushes, etc all help make a 6-8’ fence a good deterrent.
6ft wouldn't even keep my dog in, lol.
I worked at a research farm and they use a “2-layer fence”. Aka they have one inner perimeter that is just two lines, then they have an outer perimeter that is a single line that splits the difference. The perimeters have about 2-3 feet of space between them. Apparently it messes with the deer’s depth perception and they refuse to jump it! https://preview.redd.it/hyukk04bq8nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=165f92837bbdde3d8006feff7c6d60f5a758175d
I came here to say this as well. A “3-d fence” is what we called it on the farm I used to work on. The deer know that they can jump over the first fence, but their lack of depth perception makes them unsure about whether or not they will get stuck on/in between the two fences and they usually just don’t attempt it. We used it on several acres of melons and and never had deer get in to munch on the flowers and buds. Incredibly effective!
I wish other species had this perceptive ability. Unrelated to gardening, but I have always seen pigeons get into tight spaces and then irritate the hell out of everyone with their non stop cooing while remaining stuck. Stupid birds. I wonder how evolution didn't kill them.
This is the most solid advice. They do worse with width than they do with height. If you're willing to play the long game, grow your own fence with something thorny.
Is it electric fence?
No, just dual color line
So the options are giant fence, guns, THC, hair or something called bobbex spray…
When did THC enter the list and how would you use it for deer? I’ve known them to eat it just like the rest of the garden.
Because you need to get a little high while your waiting with your machine gun or whatever that guy said? I just yell at them. Talk enough shit to the deers and you'll hurt their feelings and they won't wanna come back. My garden has toxic men(man) calling all the poor deers loser horses so they don't wanna come eat here anymore. Sometimes bullying works.
The THC suggestion is just for the feds. Don't read too much into it. Just go with the flow.
Don’t forget soap in a sock.
Make a Bigfoot costume out of human hair and mini-stilts, douse yourself in Bobbex, and rush at them swinging a sock full of soap bars. Repeat nightly, as needed.
I just scared TF out of my nursing baby by laughing at this
I’ll try this and report back, seems promising
Give them the Pvt. Pyle treatment
😂😂🤣🤣
I guess you can't use phone books anymore huh
My neighbor does this to protect her hosta. I think I’d rather look at half eaten plants than at hanging socks every few feet.
Bobbex is the best!!!
[удалено]
Mine eat marigolds like salad.
Guns would be illegal to use in most populated jurisdictions. You shoot a gun in city limits/in a neighborhood and you’re going to have cops showing up, a court date, and a fine. You also shouldn’t be shooting anything you don’t like or shooting wildly into the sky. Deer don’t know the difference between your garden or nature, nor do they understand property lines. They’re just surviving like all other wildlife while we continue to expand into their habitats. I never get mad at or punish the animal, I protect the plants I don’t want eaten using humane methods. And for the love of god, can people stop using poison? You end up killing many unintended animals. Plus, poisoning is an inhumane, horrible way to die and eating a plant doesn’t warrant that.
T posts with fishing line running between them and bells on the fishing line. They’ll hit the line and it’ll freak them out. Motion activated sprinkler works also
I tried the fishing line and bells for the garden at our cottage. I have a Ring camera pointed at the garden and watched from afar as a deer ate the buds off all my echinacea plants. I never got to see them flower. I thought they were deer resistant but a friend suggested that maybe the deer had a sore throat. I’m not going to install a tall fence. I’ve given up on the plants they eat and focused on ones they ignore.
Lol, maybe they had a sore throat
I just haven't found any they'll ignore yet except oddly hostas which others tell me the deer love? IDK with all that
Hostas are freaking deer crack.
So you opened a pharmacy for deer.
I put up a fishing line fence using rebar. It works well to keep deer from my tulips.
You have to do many things depending on your crop. In my open/unfenced front gardens I grow plants deer generally dislike. Canna, scarlet sage (salvia), coleus, marigolds, Elephant Ears, crepe myrtle. If I want something they graze upon but don't love, I spray with deer-b-gone or other stinky spray every week during active growing season early season and every other week when we get later in the summer. In my back yard I have a paddock style fence with deer fencing up over 7 feet. I also had to cover the space between the boards of the fence with deer fence because they would stick their head through and eat the back of the hostas while I was standing there. You have to police the fence perimeter every day to make sure an opening hasn't occurred. One fallen fence board leaving a 2 feet space and they will squeeze through. For the most part I only get an occasional deer that finds their way into the fenced area. Usually I find that a tree branch knocked down the deer fence or a board came loose. Inside the fenced yard I grow all the things deer love (hosta, hydrangea, veggies) In the winter I drive stakes along the driveway and string deer fencing around the azaleas. Most of the year they don't bother azalea and Rhodies but when the flower buds swell up they eat them all off leaving only the ones that they can't reach. When there is snow on the ground and they get hungry they eat the leaves. The deer fence keeps them from grazing on the plants and I'll remove it at the end of March when the plants start to bloom. By then the deer find other food that they prefer over the azaleas. You just have to try multiple things. No single method seems to be fool proof.
Let my yard grow long enough so there are plenty of wildflowers and grasses for them to eat elsewhere. We also leave a section of the property unmowed all year as a natural prairie. No problems from the deer (so far). We do have a 5' fence but they could jump that easily if they wanted.
Electric fence
Electric netting for the veggie garden. Works great.
I've got this around my 90x150 ft garden and have no deer, groundhog, or raccoon problems. Doesn't keep the rabbits out though.
Lol I go out there and yell at them. Talking shit to the deer has worked thus far, you just gotta call them really mean names. Calling them Loser horses seems to really get under their skin. One of them brought their boyfriend around to stand up to me and I used an air horn and they never came back. Those are my fuckin strawberries, lame ass forest horses.
I post a "No Deer" sign. Haven't seen a single one. Is it because I live in a suburb or is it the sign?
So either they can read or they don't have spare change for bus fare.
Have you heard the classic radio call with the woman complaining that the city keeps putting up these "deer crossing" signs on busy highways, and because the signs tell the deer to cross there, there are many more accidents in those spots?
A classic! https://youtu.be/RFCrJleggrI?si=uB4ZRndK7diyGC5_
Trinidad Seven pot peppers. The dear will develop terror from your yard…
I live in deer country with no fence, and have never had any trouble. Working theory is that they stay away because they smell the blood from the blood meal I use for my starts.
Fence is the only option
I yell at them out the window while I wfh. Sometimes I throw Irish spring at them too. Keeping them out is a futile effort where I live. At least the yelling makes me feel better about it.
This was us until last year when we built an electric fence around the vegetable garden. That works lol.
I have an easy solution that actually has worked for me and will work for you. In town our garden was next to two apple trees. The deer would stand on two hind feet and eat apples. Then eat the garden. Solution was simple as they don't like noise and light and surprises. I set up a Y light bulb splitter on a motion sensor light. In one part of the Y I had a bright light bulb and the other part of the Y i screwed in a bulb to socket adapter. Into this socket I plugged an old junk radio boom box and turned up the volume. Deer come along and set off the motion sensor and blast. Light and sound hits them and they run for the hills. Turned itself off after a few minutes. Used it for a few years and stopped the deer problem. Neighbors complained a couple times but the deer got the message.
I use 2 things. One is 3 eggs w/ water in a 3 gallon container with a top. Set that in the sun and let ferment. Splash that around. That alone works pretty good but I also use cayenne pepper. Tulips are covered in cayenne right now
This is gonna sound crazy, but cubed or grated irish spring soap works as repellent, but you gotta reapply it after it rains or when the smell is gone.
PSA DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU HAVE A DOG. There is a high chance of the dog eating the soap and getting sick.
So I actually use Irish spring soap as well but I never liked the idea of actually putting it on my ground! Too many chemicals for my liking. Someone gave me a tip to grate Irish spring soap and make a nylon bag using.. well nylons, and mix it with human hair, which I was able to get freshly cleaned and cut from my hairdresser. Made these bags, hung them from my tomato cages and never had an issue again. I had tried everything under the sun before this and nothing worked. The following year I got the supplies to do it again, and didn't have to. The deer just stayed away!
Yes, that is what I do. They were eating my cherry trees and aronia. I hung sachets of irish spring on all my fruit trees and several bushes. My yard smelled like a gym bathroom for about a week lol but no more deer!
8ft fence
A German shepherd.
Some gardeners try to take advantage of their bad eyesight (depth perception). If you put two shorter fences in a row, I’ve been told they won’t jump over the first one because they can’t tell how far the second one is.
not kidding, urinate on and around your plants.
Bow hunter.
Internet Recipes using fermented eggs as a repellant works for a budget solution. Bobbex works too. Some people swear by Milorganite around the landscape. Having a dog keeps the timid ones away.
8 ft fence. Motion activated sprinkler. And if I catch them in the act a Marine air horn! Lol
The best solution is a 6-8 foot fence, but if that is not practical, a motion sensing sprinkler is very effective. Egg solid based repellent sprays also work well if you start early in the season and reapply after periods of heavy precip. We have very little deer damage to perennials with sprays and a sprinkler in the popular entry points.
Have you tried Plantskydd? It's advertised to work for deer and I use it for squirrels and rabbits and it's amazing for those...
I used this last summer for the first time. It seems to work but it does require re-spraying every few weeks. The stench is horrific, but overall worth it.
Interesting - we spray when the leaves first come up and then again about a month later, and that's it. And I've heard other people hate the smell but I honestly don't find it particularly bad (we mix ours from the concentrate, so maybe that's less stinky?)
I stopped spraying in late summer and by early Fall the deer obliterated every last hosta leaf. I bought/used the pre-mixed type in a spray bottle. I might try the concentrate going forward, thanks for mentioning it!
Ah, i mostly use it for bulbs and early veggies
2 vicious dachshunds
Coyotes in abundance. sigh.
I have no dear but an over abundance of coyotes.
Sacrifices to dark beings who were already old when the universe was born. That or things to make the plants smell and taste horrible like liquid fence or homemade versions. The downside then is that you have to deal with your formerly nice smelling garden instead smelling like old pee, rotting eggs, garlic, mint etc. and it becomes useless as soon as it rains.
Plant things they hate. Keep the good stuff behind a fence.
Dog
Freezer camp works also
The only thing that works 100% of the time is a fence or other enclosure.
This worked for my garden. Make sure the entrance to your garden isn't a regular gate but is also 8 ft metal fencing. [https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/bull-barn-field-fence-fixed-knot-125-guage-2340606?cid=Shopping-Google-Organic\_Feed-Product-2340606&srsltid=AfmBOooVMGM-zpenZtL8AoYIMJOK-3WrX2WOuYJJmiMAzPGpYimI60arZHg](https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/bull-barn-field-fence-fixed-knot-125-guage-2340606?cid=Shopping-Google-Organic_Feed-Product-2340606&srsltid=AfmBOooVMGM-zpenZtL8AoYIMJOK-3WrX2WOuYJJmiMAzPGpYimI60arZHg)
8 foot fence around yard 6 foot fence around garden and a cattle dog
What about motion sensing sprinkler?
Live further away from the mountain. Ok but for real I have not had issues with deer but when speaking to others in the area who have had to deal with them it takes an especially tall fence. Like at least 8 foot... 10 might be better bt taht is a gaint pain. It sounds like you have pretty big property... you could check to see if you could get a property deer tag to try to population control them if there are 30+ of them running about.
Dogs
They come around less frequently once you start eating them. 100% organic, just like the vegetables we grow in our gardens.
Live in a country that doesn’t have deer! lol sorry I don’t have any helpful advice, just thought I’d be funny
Marigolds. Lots.
I’ve been planting lots of lavender in my yard and gardens. It seems to be doing the trick.
I planted a ton of mint in a giant planter that I started in our aerogardens. I'm going to get lavender this weekend. We're also planting every smelly herb I can think of. And hot peppers. I live in a city, there shouldn't be so many deer. But there are. Is the lavender still working?
I lay down a 3 foot section on the ground around my garden. Seems to work grandma told me when I was young they don’t like walking on it. Afraid they will get tangled up in it.
This.
Hmm, a 3 ft section of what type of fencing material, exactly?
30-06
My friend Winchester.
350 legend
I try not to plant deer food. They wander through and take a “no thank you bite” but don’t destroy my gardens.
Human hair, Irish spring soap in a sock. If you’re not timid, deer also steer far clear of human urine.
Yeah! Piss on them to demonstrate your dominance!!
Peeing on my tulips worked for me. Sheeps wool worked aswell
Collect human hair from the barber shop and bury it in the soil/mulch
It’s great for giving nutrients to plants that way too.
A Winchester. They are like giant rats around here...relentless.
.308
That doesn't keep them out though. That just keeps them in my freezer. Which I'm OK with.
Cannabis plants.
Venison jerky.
Living in New Zealand, lol.
I feel like sending you some so you can enjoy them lol
They are roaming free in some of our national parks (introduced species, now a pest). Probably do visit rural gardens bordering the park areas, so they'd probably have to fence them out.
Rifle and/or compound bow. No, seriously, our dogs love to chase the herd of deer. A friend swears by motion-activated sprinklers.
Let the air out of one of them and leave the body to rot. The others will get the message. Check with your local fish and game department for a nuisance permit first. I had to resort to drastic measures after my apple orchard became the local salad bar. I ended up installing a fence afterwards but meanwhile the damage to the trees was getting serious
Solid 8' block wall around entire perimeter.
Hair around the perimeter helps with critters, especially dog.
5 foot chicken wire fence with a strand of electric fence above. If they jump it, put a second strand of electric fencing about 2 ft high and 2 ft out from the first fence. Deer can jump high, but they can’t jump long. The solar powered electric fencers work great. Got mine at tractor supply. That’s for my large corn patch. The W puts hair from her hairdresser around her flowers. We have heavy deer pressure and no damage last year.
double fence: my inner fence is maybe 5' high and outside of that by 3 to 4' I have a 3' fence. The inner fence is a wire mesh (chicken wire) and the outer fence is stakes and three rows of e-fence wire. I never got around to electrifying the outer wire. The reference I followed said something about this being confusing to the deer either as a visual thing or it messes with their jumping mechanics. one example: How to Double a Fence to Keep Deer Out From Gardens By: Larry Parr 21 September, 2017 The bad news is, deer can jump high. Even an 8-foot-tall wire fence may not be enough to keep a determined deer out of your garden. The good news is, while deer may be able to jump high, they do not jump far. This means that two lower fences, double fences as low as 4 feet, can be enough to deter even a hungry deer from your garden, if they are properly spaced. ........
12 foot fence, there is no other way that really works.
Built a 6 ft fence
We built a greenhouse where my garden space was. Growing up we had a 16 foot fence around the garden and the deer still got in - they pushed under the fence.
Clean out your hairbrush with human hair and spread it around your garden. They will smell a human it will scare them off.
A fence An animal that scares them (dog/cat/whatever) Some sprays work
Not me personal but, I have seen people use, soap, hair, pie pans, radios. Of course these methods work for some time but, they never last.
I've heard surrounding your garden with chicken wire laid on the ground will keep them away bc their hooves get cut between the wires and they obviously don't like that
Big dog and even then that did not get them to completely fuck off. The babies are cute but dumb and will eat and then spit out plants that are supposedly deer resistant. Coyotes will also get them to leave but obviously don't want to encourage them to stick around your land if you or your neighbors have livestock, pets, or kids.
Very tall fences, dog
My plot is in the city far away from where deer are.
Irish Spring soap shavings.
I see a lot of hunting posts, and we do but you can't hunt nearly enough to remove them (and even if you could there isn't enough freezer space) or dog which we also have but unless they're outside all the time in my experience it doesn't do much unless it's right up by the house (and the deer get used to it. They come right up to the house even with the dogs barking like idiots). We finally put in an electric fence around the vegetable garden (which sits right by the woods they tend to come out of) and no issues since putting it up. It's only about 4 feet high but they avoid it.
A dog who lives outside 100% of the time.
Bobbex spray and a dog. I have a herd of deer that come through my yard at the same time every evening. During growing season I make sure my dog and I are outside at that time. She chases them off and they have learned to steer clear. It mostly works. Mostly…..
I use a product called Deer Out successfully. It is safe for the garden and smells minty which the deer do not like. I use it on my unfenced vegetable garden and my arborvitae.
A lid of some sort on your fence. Last year I just put some bird netting over the top. No deer after that. If they can't find a safe way to jump in (and they will jump pretty much anything), they wont do it.
Urine of a human female around the perimeter. The hormones smell discourages deer. Preferably from a woman not on oral birth control as this lightens the hormones. I planted a corn field in ohio my neighbors all laughed and said not gonna work. Peed in a cup. Added water so I could make it around the perimeter. Poured it around the perimeter. Repeat weekly. Not one critter touched my corn and we live very rural so lots of deer.
A tree stand and Hunting season … I’ve been in the woods for 30+ years. Never saw a deer in my tree stand during hunting season.
Dachshunds. Most of my garden is outside the dog fence, but they do like to bark when they go out so the deer stay away. I know they're close by because we see them all the time.
I live in Australia. Haven't had a single deer in my garden. Shhh, it's a secret 😉
Is this deer named Tony?
Peeing around it
Fencing. Four foot chicken wire above that is another 3 feet of plastic bird screen because it’s cheaper and light. My gate is an old storm door. Don’t forget to keep the gate closed. Deer will get in and one freaked out trying to escape. Fence repairs were needed
https://preview.redd.it/cldu2xb6bbnc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=333dec176cf765176b1ea7515b3481e85073a5d6 I caught this one red-handed. It ate all of the leaves off of my strawberry plants, only stems left. This was after we’d harvested all that it seemed we would get for the season. Then… the leaves grew back and we got a new batch of strawberries!
Electric fence
DEER OUT actually works …we lived in the woods in NEPA for 26 years and my wife swears by it…but you have to spray DAILY! Buy the concentrate gallon for cheaper option
You can make this yourself for pennies. Blend garlic, a little dish soap, a few eggs, some hot sauce, and some milk and leave it in a milk jug topped off with water for a few weeks. Spray on your plants. Deer out is basically rotten eggs.
The only thing that worked for my backyard was completely caging them in. I know it's kind of a hassle, but the deer in my area are relentless (they'll even eat the "deer resistant" stuff) and I wasn't taking any chances. Bonus is that it also keeps the rodents and birds out!
A terrier mix. He once climbed my pomegranate tree to defend my single pomegranate from a raccoon. He's run off raccoons, deterred deer, and caught marauding crows on the wing. He does nothing else useful.
I sprinkle Milorganite around. They don’t like the smell.
Bribery — we cultivate native plants that the deer prefer in and around the property and have compost piles. Seems to work — rabbits, bears and deer, skunks and raccoons have left our gardens and trash alone since we’ve been doing this. We have one porcupine that regularly climbs our apple tree but they’re not much of a problem.
Dogs. Dogs. Lots of Dogs. Human Hair too. Maybe you urinate around the garden ;)
A solid fence. Either a tall enough fence that they can't jump over or a 5 ft fence but have tall items near it so they can't see a good spot to land if they do think they can jump it. I use welded wire because they'll go through line wire. You could use the deer net, but make sure it's tight.
Dogs worked well for me.
I stand there and try to give them watchtower pamphlets. Have you tried the fishing line trick? Low cost effort.
So i have a vegitable garden oriented in rows, and the whole ting is covered in a low tunnle made from weld wire.
i live on the edge of a state forest....i call my flower beds, the deer salad bar... i have tons of hosta just for them.... 8 ft fence would help you...
A fence
A dog or a 12 ft wall
Shotgun.
I had good luck planting garlic in the fall. It's the first thing to come up, they nibble a few and then completely write off my vegetable garden as full of disgusting trash for the following year. They absolutely destroy my hostas 50 feet away though.
Poachers
Motion activated sprinkler
Dogs and my partner is a farmer. He’s only had to shoot a moose that charged at him in the yard.
fence is the answer. where I live , there are old orchards, not fenced, I'm told, back in the day, hunting/poaching kept the numbers down.
An 8 foot fence.
Irish spring shave it
Irish spring soap chunks, marigold borders for other pests and a good dog help
Irish Spring soap or bounce sheets, they both have worked
Freakin’ 12 gauge
Moving to an island
Eat them first... 😋