Protection from or Deterrants for Deer?

[WVBill]

Don't know if it's been mentioned, joined this thread late. Irish Spring Soap (original scent). We drill a hole through a bar and hang them from trees and bushes at "deer nose height" with a zip tie. It works.

 

[tractortroof]

A dog in an out door kennel works about as well as anything.

I’m kinda a new farmer but we have 3 roaming dogs that bark all night long and don’t have too many problems. Currently have 1 acre of strawberries fruiting and have some small animal damage on there outskirts only.

I like a dog that chases everything

 

[DieselBound]

Our dog will chase off anything. But, she's a browser, so she needs to be kept out of the berry garden! (she's not deprived! when in season we will be out on the property and she'll get to browse on plums, cherries, blackberries and huckleberries)

TWO fences. A bit of a maintenance headache (having to trim/maintain between the fences). Maybe get by with a 4' outer and then a 6' inner. Deer wouldn't be able to launch over the inside taller fence. Depth perception thing: most probably wouldn't even attempt the jump. I'd read about this a long time ago when reading up on fencing strategies for various things: also read up on what various airports do to try and keep critters away (mainly birds*). This double-fencing strategy was mentioned as being effective. BEST was said to be humans walking around; then dogs.

* Our berry garden has a 6' high fence (local deer just haven't attempted to scale it). To discourage birds we run wires overhead with streamers hanging off them; this seems to work pretty good. Speaking of birds, interestingly enough we never had crows ravage anything of ours (neighbors have been hit); I am always friendly to crows (they follow when I mow); crows also chase off the big aerial threats (hawks and eagles), so they help protect our fowl.

 

[Raul-02]

A dog. Get a Shepard and put it on a run that lets it go around the garden. No need for a fence or electric or anything else.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Deer, like horses, will not jump a fence unless there’s enough room on the other side, which is why you see double fences around horse farms.

I’ve had some luck making the garden plots 10 feet wide with t-posts and wire down both long sides. The deer won’t walk in to the ends. I guess it’s too confining.

I wish there were a lot fewer deer though. 60 years ago there were very few deer in Kentucky and people around here had big gardens. Now there is 1 deer for every 3 people living in the state and they are a nuisance. Dead deer litter the sides of the highways.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

Deer (unless desperate) usually won’t touch pumpkin, eggplant, summer squash, okra, onions, so I generally grow those wherever I want to without any fencing. They will eat sunflowers but I’ve been able to grow lots of those without too much getting eaten.

 

[PILOON]

Deer simply love hostas, like desert to them.
On a gardener's advice we made sachets of shaved irish spring soap chips.
Seems there is something about the aroma that deters deer.
We've used that successfully for 3-4 years now.

Another no-no is wind chimes as deer being curious chimes attract them.
In some areas hunting is forbidden wherever lumbering activity occurs due to their curiosity nature.
I got rid of my chimes but the neighbor kept all his and he had all the deer and none for us.

 

[kenmbz]

Deer will eat pumpkins if they are open or rotted.
I have one area where deer won't eat tulips, I guess it follows the rule of they can't figure out how to jump and distance like the dual fences.
Use Deer out and that has worked well, but need to reapply after rain.
I try to just buy stuff that deer won't eat.
They love Hosta and most flowers and small trees, I have to cage the new trees when planting them or they become topless...

My dog bothers them, but not enough for them to go too far.

 

[Hay Dude]

I tried almost everything. Nothing would keep those freakin miserable mangy deer from eating my landscaping. I finally put up electric fence with solar chargers.
We shall see if it works.