Deer alarm or repellent

[Red Horse]

Having a huge problem with deer getting into gardens. I have 3' green mesh fencing but they just step over it or reach over it-tomato plants topped off!
Anyone have a recommendation for a battery powered alarm? Lights alone work or do you need noise?

appreciate any recommendations

 

[Fuddy1952]

Try electric fence. Insulators on existing posts or you can get the plastic ones. Two strands should keep anything out.

 

[RNeumann]

The only non fence “thing” I’ve seen work is a sprinkler that sprays with movement. I’ve also seen some success with longer t-posts with fishing line every foot or so vertically.
Piss, eggs and every other magic brew I’ve seen, tried or seen tried may work for a few nights. But as soon as things get ripe the urge overcomes any scent or taste deterrent.
Obviously anything short of a proper fence is a bandaid........but you knew that ;^)

 

[rekees4300]

I've had success with this spray but it is expensive.

View attachment 564764

 

[WoodChuckDad]

Milorganite. You can get it at lowes and other garden centers. It is a fertilizer. I sprinkle a healthy amount n the perimeter of my orchard and it does a good job of deterring the deer. The first year, we had a 3 foot fence with Milorganite and out trees survived. Electric fence is best but. Have 7 foot electric fence and they still come. I will be spreading Milorganite this weekend.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Wife's uncle put strips of aluminum foil with peanut butter on them to "light up the deer antlers" on his electric fence wire.

Milorganite. You can get it at lowes and other garden centers. It is a fertilizer. I sprinkle a healthy amount n the perimeter of my orchard and it does a good job of deterring the deer. The first year, we had a 3 foot fence with Milorganite and out trees survived. Electric fence is best but. Have 7 foot electric fence and they still come. I will be spreading Milorganite this weekend.

 

[am122]

Set Harbor Freight driveway alarms in the garden this year and I planted less corn and I got more out of it.

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Having a huge problem with deer getting into gardens. I have 3' green mesh fencing but they just step over it or reach over it-tomato plants topped off!
Anyone have a recommendation for a battery powered alarm? Lights alone work or do you need noise?

appreciate any recommendations

What are the approximate dimensions of your garden?

 

[jfh28]

they're a real pain as they are incredibly smart and can easily jump a 7' high barrier......this is what I have done......ran a 6' high mesh netting around then got some rolls of surveyors tape.......it's cheap about $5 a roll at HD.......first I run a strand of it on the netting at 42" so at the deers eye level....then I run another strand on the netting at about 7' high.......then about 6' in front of the netting I run a strand at around 4' to 5' high.......and another strand at 4' to 5' high about 6' behind the fence.......so there are three visual barriers confronting the deer......the theory being that deer won't jump if they can't see a clear landing spot.......it's worked very well since I put it up a few months ago........have not had any deer inside the area........prior to that the best deterrent I had was my female wolfhound.......she's as big as the deer plus barks and can run as fast so they took off as soon as they saw her......but she's not out 24/7 and the deer figured that out.....I've tried the fishing line and that worked for a week or so until the deer figured out that they can just barrel right thru it......Jack

 

[teejk]

I doubt alarms will be effective for more than a few days. They get used to it pretty quickly. Reminds me of a former employer that had a pond on their corporate headquarters that attracted geese. They tried everything including alarms, inflated alligators, removing eggs (they only lay more), etc. Finally hired an outfit that brought in water dogs that would cause the geese to leave. They went to a similar corporate pond a few miles away. The dog outfit had that account too so it amounted to running the geese between the two ponds (pretty tough meat I would think). We've had luck with the sprays but otherwise you might be looking at taller fencing.

 

[/pine]

...I doubt alarms will be effective for more than a few days. They get used to it pretty quickly.;;;

motion sensors connected to a cheapo MP3 player with recorded dogs barking has worked for me...
use a cheap 9V amplifier and a couple of cheap boat speakers...

 

[newbury]

Wife's uncle put strips of aluminum foil with peanut butter on them to "light up the deer antlers" on his electric fence wire.

Second vote for PB.
Uncle smeared it on electric fence wire, deer were smart. 1 lick, 1 zap, they didn't come back.
peanut butter electric fence for deer control - Google Search

 

[mapper]

I use a homemade deer repellent made from eggs, garlic and Tabasco sauce. It works for about 3-4 weeks when the weather is dry, a little less so when there is a lot rain. Stinks a bit when first applied but the deer smell it for a long time.
3 dozen eggs
1 cup Tabasco
Handful of garlic cloves.
Run eggs and garlic in blender to puree the garlic and fully liquify the eggs. Strain the eggs and garlic through a sieve to remove the bigger bits. Add the Tabasco, put in a container with a tight lid and store in a location away from other members of your household for a week or so (I use my greenhouse).
Mix 2:1 with water and spray soon the plants you want to protect.
I also use motion activated sprinklers, anything to make them nervous.

 

[/pine]

3 dozen eggs
1 cup Tabasco
Handful of garlic cloves.

sounds like a Paul Bunyan omelet...!

 

[GirlWhoWantsTractor]

Good suggestions here. I asked the dimensions of your garden because as another poster said, the deer need a place to land. I make my garden long and not too wide. If necessary you can add a row of stakes and wire (grow beans on it) down the middle, or if your garden is large and square, as another poster said, put it a few feet inside the fence all around. They won't jump in if they can't land clean. This has worked for me for years and I have VERY friendly deer who hang around the yard all the time. Agree also they are wary of floppy tops. I wrap "bird netting" around my t-posts to increase the height to around 7-8 feet and just let it flop around. It's a flimsy barrier but they won't jump it. Repellents work fine on flower beds but won't work on a garden.

 

[FarmWrench]

Start planning for the deer population to only increase.

Deer and ticks. Tick tubes and treating your clothes with insecticide should start now.

 

[fishheadbob]

I use a homemade deer repellent made from eggs, garlic and Tabasco sauce. It works for about 3-4 weeks when the weather is dry, a little less so when there is a lot rain. Stinks a bit when first applied but the deer smell it for a long time.
3 dozen eggs
1 cup Tabasco
Handful of garlic cloves.
Run eggs and garlic in blender to puree the garlic and fully liquify the eggs. Strain the eggs and garlic through a sieve to remove the bigger bits. Add the Tabasco, put in a container with a tight lid and store in a location away from other members of your household for a week or so (I use my greenhouse).
Mix 2:1 with water and spray soon the plants you want to protect.
I also use motion activated sprinklers, anything to make them nervous.

A lot of people add some dishwashing liquid to this mix to act as a surfactant.

 

[RalphVa]

One of my master gardener coworkers recommended this: Amazon.com : Predator Guard Solar Powered Predator Deterrent Light Scares Nocturnal Pest Animals Away, Deer Coyote Raccoon Repellent Devices, Chicken Coop Accessories : Garden & Outdoor

I've tried a sonic generator. Didn't work. Milorganite does not work. Some use motion sensor devices that turn sprinklers on. They work, but you need to design your system so you can turn it off without getting sprayed yourself.

For electric fence, you MUST use 3 lines on 4 foot high poles. You can get teflon poles at Lowes (maybe Home Depot) and TSC. You just step on them to put them into the ground. Place one wire so it's about 2-3" off the ground, just above mowed grass, another at the top and 3rd one in the middle. Anything less, and the hooved rats will go through it. Lots of experience that tells me this.

What really works is that 8 ft high mesh fence. It's expensive, and you have to be inventive to have your entrance points.

Even with electric fence, it's a good idea to bait it when you first put it up. Bait it with pieces of aluminum foil on which you spread some peanut butter. Place foil on top fence wire. You'll generally only need to do it once.

Sprays that are either egg based or blood based work. However, you generally have to reapply after every rain and need to change out periodically.

Ralph

 

[PILOON]

Drink lot of beer and mark your territory with urine.
Seems that that works just fine. Since I prefer scotch I need another solution. LOL!.