The deer are KILLING us

[davelinde]

Our landscape is all outside the screen enclosure and apparently includes a couple bits of deer candy. Every few months they come through and strip several sections of all leaves. It was worse in the winter and at this point everything has (mostly) recovered and pushed new growth. I just picked up a bottle of Ortho "Deer B Gon" and sprayed down the tasty plants. From the smell I've gotta think it is a clove oil of some kind?

It says to spray monthly... so at $10 bottle it's affordable. But if I could just boil up a handful of cloves it would be cheaper? I'll see if this works first... but in any case. What do you all use to repel deer?

 

[Bama Rambler]

Shotgun!

Seriously I'd never shoot one in the yard. We have about 15 that regularly visit. Anything that I don't want them eating is fenced in with 6' garden fencing.

 

[davelinde]

We did have a friend who took one with a crossbow a few years back. The rest didn't take the hint though.

 

[mrcarcrazy]

I have a friend in VA that uses deer repellent. He says it works if you apply it frequently (It stinks to high heaven).

In Texas we just name the deer "Dinner" and that takes care of that (not really. I couldn't kill a deer...they are too cute for me to kill)

 

[pwrstrk]

Try planting marigolds around the area you want the deer to stay out of. They don't like the smell of them. ?

 

[bridgman]

We did have a friend who took one with a crossbow a few years back. The rest didn't take the hint though.

We had a problem with crows eating all the cherries off my mother-in-law's trees. After exhausting all the noisemaker options we shot one, but the others didn't take the hint either. Spray-painting the dead crow orange and hanging it upside down in the tree worked pretty well though -- maybe you could try something like that.

Having a bright orange deer hanging upside-down in the yard might look a little odd, but it would be really hard for the other deer to miss

Full disclosure -- we go deer hunting every year but there's no way I could shoot any of the deer that hang around my house. Sometimes they're standing in the driveway when I come home from work and don't move until I honk the horn.

 

[Casey]

If the deer are in season and I have tags for them, they are going in the freezer. You have to control the herd or they will become a nuisance. Yard or not, it's what's for dinner. If it's out of season, which they probably are at this point, then your best bet is finding something that is going to keep them away from their dinner.

Good luck and call your friend back when the season opens back up. You will never eradicate them.

 

[davelinde]

I just got the brilliant idea to read the ortho label and it has egg white, cinnamon and clove.
I actually really like the way it smells. All the "deer candy" plants outside have been misted, now let's see...
If this works out, I can likely get 3 applications per bottle so $10/bottle is fine (IF it works).

 

[ssgumby]

I just got the brilliant idea to read the ortho label and it has egg white, cinnamon and clove.
I actually really like the way it smells. All the "deer candy" plants outside have been misted, now let's see...
If this works out, I can likely get 3 applications per bottle so $10/bottle is fine (IF it works).

I would love to hear back from you to see if this works. We have a herd of over 30 here, I live on 26 acres. My in-laws do hunt it but it doesnt put a dent in the herd. I love watching them, just not in my gardens!

I will say one things we did last year that seemed to work well. We put little bars of soap around the garden. I guess the smell keeps them away. We basically take a large bar and shave it into strips and spread it around. Has to be replaced every few weeks or sooner if it rains much.

 

[pragmatic]

A Labrador will keep the deer out..as well as birds, squirrels and cats