I’ve had phone calls recently from readers who’ve asked me how they might prevent deer damage to their properties. Here are some suggestions.
Deer — a ‘red flag’ word for homeowners. They’ll plant up lovely gardens, only to find that the flowers, or veggies- have vanished down the throats of this four-letter ‘greens’ gourmet.
Anguished people wring their hands, grind their teeth, or grope for guns while cussing the midnight marauders’ audacity.
They’ve tried dangling bags of soap, spraying obnoxious, expensive potions, spreading hair from the barbershop around the perimeter of their property, buying a pooch, renting a lion, even hiding battery-powered radios (whose blather deer learn to ignore). They’ve experimented with motion-triggered, raucously chuckling gnomes, or setting up motion-triggered sprinklers, which, of course, must be shut down in winter when these sizable animals do the most damage…
One desperate fellow even tried peeing his boundaries, which worked fine for a while. But then, fascinated deer decided that urine garnished their salad-y feasts; it’d become part of the a-pee-l. (Only wolves consistently honor this sort of boundary, anyway, which must be constantly refreshed. The task is not fun in a snowstorm, or in sub-zero weather.)
Finally, most gardeners give up.
Don’t hold your breath here; if I had the perfect solution, I’d be rich. But I can offer some suggestions that beleaguered folks might consider.
-Deer need fleet feet to flee: if you roll out cheap chicken wire and lay it flat around the garden area (securely anchored with garden ‘pins’ so you can mow and walk over it- it’s practically invisible-) deer step onto it, then stop in nervous shock. It ‘gives’ slightly, which sends out self-preservation alarms. What if their feet got tangled? They couldn’t run.
Loosening it enough to make it ‘billow’ during the winter season is really effective, too. Begin the line about ten feet from the plants you wish to protect. Unnerved by that ‘sinking feeling,’ most deer nervously move on.
-Contrary to wailing gardeners’ opinions, fences work. But, you have to do them exactly right. Electric fences deliver, but if they’re unmarked, or scantily wired- one thin line set too low, or too high- deer simply step/jump over it and munch away, unshocked. Research the ways NOT to make an installation mistake.
You must flag the electrified line with orange or yellow caution tape that flaps in light breezes; if deer don’t see the boundary they’ll pass though it- before they grasp they’ve been shocked. Then, of course, it’s too late. They’re in.
Many people, though, can’t reasonably encircle large areas: besides being impractical, it’s expensive.
-Consider staking out and surrounding a flower or veggie garden with a tall, solid wooden fence. Deer need to see over barriers; they hate feeling trapped. Jumping blindly might find them next to a predator.
“The expense!” you cry, but just about anyone can dig postholes, and install a ready-made 8-foot high wooden fence. (Watch for bargains: it’s a great time for sales right now.) Cheat a little and raise the fence a foot off the ground for added height — deer won’t kneel to peek in — and add long poles with waving, lightweight ‘flags’ atop them, spaced at intervals. Wind will make the flags move: high winds create ‘snap.’ With all that motion and no way to see inside, deer will likely move on to other, more accessible salad bars.
By the way, that open space below the fence, overlaid with partially buried chicken wire, keeps rabbits out, too. Remember: a solid-fence area means your flower or vegetable garden investment- which represents considerable physical work, not to mention decent money spent, will remain safe.
-I encouraged one man to buy up and install a used chain-length fence around his garden, and, after removing the pole caps, poke 6-foot vinyl pole ‘extenders’ into each of the hollow, galvanized steel fence poles. (By the way, local fence companies often remove and discard perfectly good chain-link fences when installing wooden ones; let them know you’re interested.)
He then attached chicken wire to the extended poles using those plastic tie wraps, to add height, then planted fast growing Boston ivy vines, which took over the fence in summer and turned flaming orange and red in autumn. Tendrils weave in and out of the linkage, and through the added wire. In winter, the vines’ dark-stemmed tracery, which collect snow, actually look quite attractive. Best of all, he’s had no further problems. This vine requires practically no maintenance, by the way. (Well, maybe spraying for Japanese beetles might be necessary in early summer...)
It took a week to build, by the way, after his working day was done.
-Deer noses keep them alive, so they’ll usually avoid plants that interfere with their ability to sniff out approaching predators. One homeowner, though, reported a deer that didn’t seem to mind his wall of lavender. The beast bounced over the lot to devour the fellow’s shrubs and daylilies. (There are always exceptions…)
Others sniffed the lavender and turned away.
-Go to Google, type in ‘deer spray’ and read about ‘Deer Out.’ This product has a pleasant, but powerful mint-y scent, as opposed to ‘Deer Off’ (which smells vile: you won’t visit your own garden). Apparently the first product lasts through rains, but still, you must refresh it regularly. It might work very well for the bushes and evergreens that decorate your home. Do read the many customer comments, though, before you open your wallet.
Keeping the area freshened can be time-consuming and costly in the long term.
-One solution, having a dog of reasonable size, does offer dramatic results, if you have a fenced in yard. If your pet is allowed to run through it at odd times, including at night, the deer problem vanishes. I found two families in the Upper Peninsula who installed doghouses that stayed warm on freezing nights, as they had a thick straw layer laid atop the wooden floor, and a thick fleece bed on top of that, along with a heavy rubber flap door to keep out wind and snow. When Fido- in this case, a husky- caught the scent of invading deer he gleefully roared out of his doghouse to confront them. There was general panic as every deer fled. Word quickly got around.
The homeowners have no more stealthy visitors these days.
-You’d be surprised how much helpful information is out there. I found a paperback book, for example, called ‘Deer Proofing Your Yard and Garden,’ by Rhonda Massingham Hart, which offers clear, easy-to-read suggestions, and wonderful drawings, for management of this perennial problem. Check the local bookstores, or order it from Amazon.
Don’t give up!
Deer — a ‘red flag’ word for homeowners. They’ll plant up lovely gardens, only to find that the flowers, or veggies- have vanished down the throats of this four-letter ‘greens’ gourmet.
Anguished people wring their hands, grind their teeth, or grope for guns while cussing the midnight marauders’ audacity.
They’ve tried dangling bags of soap, spraying obnoxious, expensive potions, spreading hair from the barbershop around the perimeter of their property, buying a pooch, renting a lion, even hiding battery-powered radios (whose blather deer learn to ignore). They’ve experimented with motion-triggered, raucously chuckling gnomes, or setting up motion-triggered sprinklers, which, of course, must be shut down in winter when these sizable animals do the most damage…
One desperate fellow even tried peeing his boundaries, which worked fine for a while. But then, fascinated deer decided that urine garnished their salad-y feasts; it’d become part of the a-pee-l. (Only wolves consistently honor this sort of boundary, anyway, which must be constantly refreshed. The task is not fun in a snowstorm, or in sub-zero weather.)
Finally, most gardeners give up.
Don’t hold your breath here; if I had the perfect solution, I’d be rich. But I can offer some suggestions that beleaguered folks might consider.
-Deer need fleet feet to flee: if you roll out cheap chicken wire and lay it flat around the garden area (securely anchored with garden ‘pins’ so you can mow and walk over it- it’s practically invisible-) deer step onto it, then stop in nervous shock. It ‘gives’ slightly, which sends out self-preservation alarms. What if their feet got tangled? They couldn’t run.
Loosening it enough to make it ‘billow’ during the winter season is really effective, too. Begin the line about ten feet from the plants you wish to protect. Unnerved by that ‘sinking feeling,’ most deer nervously move on.
-Contrary to wailing gardeners’ opinions, fences work. But, you have to do them exactly right. Electric fences deliver, but if they’re unmarked, or scantily wired- one thin line set too low, or too high- deer simply step/jump over it and munch away, unshocked. Research the ways NOT to make an installation mistake.
You must flag the electrified line with orange or yellow caution tape that flaps in light breezes; if deer don’t see the boundary they’ll pass though it- before they grasp they’ve been shocked. Then, of course, it’s too late. They’re in.
Many people, though, can’t reasonably encircle large areas: besides being impractical, it’s expensive.
-Consider staking out and surrounding a flower or veggie garden with a tall, solid wooden fence. Deer need to see over barriers; they hate feeling trapped. Jumping blindly might find them next to a predator.
“The expense!” you cry, but just about anyone can dig postholes, and install a ready-made 8-foot high wooden fence. (Watch for bargains: it’s a great time for sales right now.) Cheat a little and raise the fence a foot off the ground for added height — deer won’t kneel to peek in — and add long poles with waving, lightweight ‘flags’ atop them, spaced at intervals. Wind will make the flags move: high winds create ‘snap.’ With all that motion and no way to see inside, deer will likely move on to other, more accessible salad bars.
By the way, that open space below the fence, overlaid with partially buried chicken wire, keeps rabbits out, too. Remember: a solid-fence area means your flower or vegetable garden investment- which represents considerable physical work, not to mention decent money spent, will remain safe.
-I encouraged one man to buy up and install a used chain-length fence around his garden, and, after removing the pole caps, poke 6-foot vinyl pole ‘extenders’ into each of the hollow, galvanized steel fence poles. (By the way, local fence companies often remove and discard perfectly good chain-link fences when installing wooden ones; let them know you’re interested.)
He then attached chicken wire to the extended poles using those plastic tie wraps, to add height, then planted fast growing Boston ivy vines, which took over the fence in summer and turned flaming orange and red in autumn. Tendrils weave in and out of the linkage, and through the added wire. In winter, the vines’ dark-stemmed tracery, which collect snow, actually look quite attractive. Best of all, he’s had no further problems. This vine requires practically no maintenance, by the way. (Well, maybe spraying for Japanese beetles might be necessary in early summer...)
It took a week to build, by the way, after his working day was done.
-Deer noses keep them alive, so they’ll usually avoid plants that interfere with their ability to sniff out approaching predators. One homeowner, though, reported a deer that didn’t seem to mind his wall of lavender. The beast bounced over the lot to devour the fellow’s shrubs and daylilies. (There are always exceptions…)
Others sniffed the lavender and turned away.
-Go to Google, type in ‘deer spray’ and read about ‘Deer Out.’ This product has a pleasant, but powerful mint-y scent, as opposed to ‘Deer Off’ (which smells vile: you won’t visit your own garden). Apparently the first product lasts through rains, but still, you must refresh it regularly. It might work very well for the bushes and evergreens that decorate your home. Do read the many customer comments, though, before you open your wallet.
Keeping the area freshened can be time-consuming and costly in the long term.
-One solution, having a dog of reasonable size, does offer dramatic results, if you have a fenced in yard. If your pet is allowed to run through it at odd times, including at night, the deer problem vanishes. I found two families in the Upper Peninsula who installed doghouses that stayed warm on freezing nights, as they had a thick straw layer laid atop the wooden floor, and a thick fleece bed on top of that, along with a heavy rubber flap door to keep out wind and snow. When Fido- in this case, a husky- caught the scent of invading deer he gleefully roared out of his doghouse to confront them. There was general panic as every deer fled. Word quickly got around.
The homeowners have no more stealthy visitors these days.
-You’d be surprised how much helpful information is out there. I found a paperback book, for example, called ‘Deer Proofing Your Yard and Garden,’ by Rhonda Massingham Hart, which offers clear, easy-to-read suggestions, and wonderful drawings, for management of this perennial problem. Check the local bookstores, or order it from Amazon.
Don’t give up!