Protection from or Deterrants for Deer?

[hunt4570]

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.

Your deer have the mange?? WOW..

 

[PILOON]

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.

Re: Irish Spring soap.

I shave it, bag it in window screen material and create a small plastic 'roof' to deflect rain.
That way my soap bags last a very long time.
Shaved increases the aroma dispersal.

LOL, a botanist once suggested that I drink lots of fermented suds and relief my self in and around my plantings and that would deter deer. Human odors/aromas seems to be a major deterrent.

 

[workinonit]

I have never been able to have a garden due to deer. This year I put up the low double run of electric fensing and I haven't hasd a single animal in my garden. I really had my doubts but so far so good.

 

[California]

I'm still looking for a solution to deer in the apple orchard. None for 3 years after the new 6 ft fence. Then they discovered they could jump the fence.

But the immediate problem is something new under this old farmhouse that sounds like it is chewing up through the floor and into the walls. Loudly, crunching lumber. Starting at 2am. Nightly.

But there isn't any visible damage. So I got a Wyze webcam to see what is going on.

There's a circus under there every night! The camera shows everybody passing through: Skunk. Possum. Raccoon. Neighbor's cat. Bobcat. Fox, two of them. In daytime the foxes again, birds, and a housecat we've never seen before. Everything we see outdoors visits except coyote and deer.

Turns out the nightly racket is raccoons scraping the floor joists. Apparently, to bring down spiderwebs to eat whatever the web trapped.

What the heck will deter the visitors? There are low decks around 3 sides so wire mesh would have to be installed from the inner side of the foundation, a nightmare with the low headspace. And a noisy alarm would be as much nuisance as we have now. So some deterrent will be my first attack. Maybe Irish Spring?
I put Cayenne down gopher holes, but that would be nasty to crawl in if I later need to go under there.

Ideas?

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I'm still looking for a solution to deer in the apple orchard. None for 3 years after the new 6 ft fence. Then they discovered they could jump the fence.

But the immediate problem is something new under this old farmhouse that sounds like it is chewing up through the floor and into the walls. Loudly, crunching lumber. Starting at 2am. Nightly.

But there isn't any visible damage. So I got a Wyze webcam to see what is going on.

There's a circus under there every night! The camera shows everybody passing through: Skunk. Possum. Raccoon. Neighbor's cat. Bobcat. Fox, two of them. In daytime the foxes again, birds, and a housecat we've never seen before. Everything we see outdoors visits except coyote and deer.

Turns out the nightly racket is raccoons scraping the floor joists. Apparently, to bring down spiderwebs to eat whatever the web trapped.

What the heck will deter the visitors? There are low decks around 3 sides so wire mesh would have to be installed from the inner side of the foundation, a nightmare with the low headspace. And a noisy alarm would be as much nuisance as we have now. So some deterrent will be my first attack. Maybe Irish Spring?
I put Cayenne down gopher holes, but that would be nasty to crawl in if I later need to go under there.

Ideas?

View attachment 744277

Stupid question from flyover country. Why isn’t the crawl space sealed? Even the spiders can’t access my crawl space.

Unvented, Insulated Crawlspaces | Building America Solution Center

Guide describing methods for insulating an unvented crawlspace or conditioned basement with rigid foam on the interior side of the walls to provide an insulated space for HVAC equipment.

basc.pnnl.gov

 

[bcp]

Electric fence wire, etc. to keep things out of the crawl space.

Wrap it around the outside and maybe here and there inside, too. Turn it off if you need to go under.

Bruce

 

[California]

Stupid question from flyover country. Why isn’t the crawl space sealed? Even the spiders can’t access my crawl space.

Just stupid original construction!

This simple farmhouse is only 700 sq ft now, after the first addition a century ago which was an indoor bathroom, then later the extensions my family added at each end.

It was built on mudsills, redwood timbers laid on the earth. After Dad inherited it, he (and I helped as a little kid) replaced the rotted mudsills with the post & pier foundation in the photo. I think that included redwood plank skirts that originally went down to ground level. As visible now behind the racoon, animals have dug out and made access between every pier now, 70 years later. There's a large deck beyond that visible foundation so there's no access from the outer side.

Wire mesh (for ventilation) all around the inside of the foundation would be the proper repair - but if I can use some kind of repellent this will avoid that project. When I was a journeyman Carpenter I did a lot of stuff like that. Old now. Maybe I can hire some kid to crawl in there.

Plenty of ventilation under the house is good practice here, with the humidity of 10 miles inland from the ocean. Plenty of morning ground fog. And note no insulation under the floor! Freezing weather is rare, maybe every 5 years, so lightweight construction was typical for an inexpensive farmhouse. But modern code would require insulation there.

In summary this little farmhouse was built cheap and simple to start with. Then now with 60+ years of just intermittent second-home visits, there's little incentive to bring it up to modern code. If I can get the critters under there to not bother us then Mission Accomplished.

 

[California]

Electric fence wire, etc. to keep things out of the crawl space.

Wrap it around the outside and maybe here and there inside, too. Turn it off if you need to go under.

Bruce

Good chance I'll end up with that solution!

 

[CalG]

I was under the impression that "food plots" were meant to ATTRACT deer.

Live and learn I say.

There is a problem with deer in my vegetable gardens. Wire fencing is a work around. But GOOD NEWS! The neighbor reported seeing a MOUNTAIN LION in our area. That would change things! I "thought I saw a tail of one (catamount) years ago. They tell me all the big cats are gone. But I've got pics of paw prints that show else wise. ;-)

Cats don't eat vegetables, do they?

 

[3Ts]

My wife saw a cougar crossing the road on her way home one day and the neighbor has a picture of one eating one of his chickens, but the Fish & Game folks said there were no cougars in the area!

 

[Bill Guenthner]

My wife saw a cougar crossing the road on her way home one day and the neighbor has a picture of one eating one of his chickens, but the Fish & Game folks said there were no cougars in the area!

Once in every few years someone will spot a bear in our area but they are extremely rare, which is good.

 

[Raul-02]

Seems there is something about the aroma that deters deer.

There is absolutely nothing on the planet that smells worse than Irish Spring.

 

[California]

There is absolutely nothing on the planet that smells worse than Irish Spring.

I found that out today.

I bought Irish Spring and used the bar like it was chalk, rubbing it everywhere the raccoons (see photo in post 84 above) get under the house and scratch for bugs, waking us up. I applied it where they scratch, and at every entry point I could reach. Not just on the ground, also on the top edge of every low opening so they will get the smell in their pelt.

That smell is nasty! Washing my hands after applying it didn't get the smell off. Washing the dishes, still no! I can still smell it on on my hands.

So far (midnight as i write this) I haven't heard a sound from under the house.

We shall see....

 

[hunt4570]

There is absolutely nothing on the planet that smells worse than Irish Spring.

Febreze!!! Its worse!

 

[PILOON]

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.

I did mention it earlier on.

But to enhance the deterrent I shave it and make little bags with window screening (simply stapled) and a plastic roof (stapled) so that rain does not dissolve the soap flakes.

And WVBill, glad to have found another that has had positive results.
Surprised that this technique is not more widely known.

 

[California]

Reviewing the wifi cam this morning, none of the predators appeared under the house last night. Irish Spring scraped on the entry points seems to have worked.

However. For the first time the camera showed a rat, running on top of a suspended gas pipe.

I need to apply Irish Spring in top of the plumbing under the house. That hadn't occurred to me.

 

[WVH1977]

There is a motion detection system that shoots water at the deer. I know someone that has it and says they don't have any issues anymore.

 

[WVH1977]

I don't normally have too many issues with deer but crows will clean you out as well. Same with raccoons and squirrels. Had a groundhog eat my entire patch of lettuce one time. Really set me off.

 

[Bill Guenthner]

I don't normally have too many issues with deer but crows will clean you out as well. Same with raccoons and squirrels. Had a groundhog eat my entire patch of lettuce one time. Really set me off.

Yep.
Step 1: Plant corn
Step 2: Crows, turkeys, chipmunks dig up corn
Step 3: Go to step 1

 

[oosik]

We had a garden and an orchard. We NEVER found anything that worked 100% of the time nor lasted that long.

Around here if you must keep deer out - ABSOLUTLEY. Eight foot high heavy mesh fence with minimum two foot, three foot is better - top mounted outrigger. Two or three strands of barbed wire on the outrigger.

Now - what are you going to do about the coons that will climb the fence. And the moles, voles, pocket gophers and chipmunks. And the entire "crew" that will dig under the fence.

We kept a garden for four years. We learned - the "wild creatures" have no desire to share. We got tired of keeping a garden for the "wild creatures".

We did keep six apple trees. We were usually able to get all the apples we needed. It was simply because neither the deer nor the baby coons could get at all the apples. It certainly wasn't for their lack of trying.