You have enough trouble with a home garden; the last thing you need is a deer munching on your flowers or vegetables. But what is the best way to enforce your boundaries without hurting the animal? Many people think fences would be enough, but a fence that reaches chest height on an average sized person is still low enough for a deer to easily jump. Therefore fences and ‘guards’ do nothing unless you build them 14′ high. You can use a deer repellent, preferably a taste based deer repellent like Deer Guard.
As with most other animals, deer are very sensitive to smell. They are a comparatively docile form of wildlife and run away at the first sign of a predator. The urine of a predator is the best way to mark your territory–but there is something about walking around with a spray can of urine in your hand and spraying it around your garden. How about the edible stuff?
There are scented chemicals that are similar to the smell of real animal urine. Few animals would be willing to risk getting food that is clearly in the middle of a predator’s territory. These can be found in any hunting or home care department. Still there is something about spraying stuff that stinks on to the plants.
Deer are known to be sensitive to high-frequency noises; either blow a whistle high enough for only animals to hear when you notice a deer around (inconvenient) or invest in an electronic whistle that can automatically play whenever its motion sensor is triggers or at specific times. This will make the deer steer clear.
Some claim chopped garlic has a strong enough scent to make deer turn back. Others swear by chopped up hot peppers. If you hang bars of Dove soap above your plants, that is also rumored to work. Other uses are moth balls, ammonia, vinegar, and cloves. Try things out until you find one that really works!
One other way to go is to plant plants that deer find distasteful; if you surround your valuable plants with these, the deer may not even get close enough to your garden to find the palatable plants. This technique is called ‘deeroscaping, ‘ meaning your yard has been fashioned to deter deer by the usage of plants. These plants include any ornamental grasses, sage, verbena, spearmint, or mums. There are plenty more.
In winter, though, almost any plant is fair game. When deer are starving, they seldom care about gross smells or irritating noises. They can compete with goats for eating anything that may sustain them a few days longer. You may have to be extra diligent in the winter and guard your yard with several of these repellents.
Are you having trouble with deer? Then deer repellent is the best way to go. Online, you can find many different deer repellent recipes that will get rid of those creatures.
