Gardeners: How to get rid of deer?

[Ronstar]

A moat? My neighborhood is in the middle of deer infestation city, but we are hemmed in on 3 sides by a lake and on the fourth by a fairly busy road, so I have never seen a deer in the 'hood in the 6 years we have lived there.

Deer can swim - I have seen them swim across the lake in my back yard - about 300' wide

 

[brewer12345]

Deer can swim - I have seen them swim across the lake in my back yard - about 300' wide

Then I wonder why they have never ended up in my 'hood? Maybe its not worth the effort.

I have seen them clumping along in the wetlands in the nearby state park. They seemed less than thrilled to discover that every time they took a step their hoof would sink into the swampy ground.

 

[Ronstar]

Then I wonder why they have never ended up in my 'hood? Maybe its not worth the effort.

I have seen them clumping along in the wetlands in the nearby state park. They seemed less than thrilled to discover that every time they took a step their hoof would sink into the swampy ground.

Probably not worth the effort or risk. I dont think they swim very often - they probably know theyre vulnerable

 

[Danny]

When the kids were on the high school swim team - at the end of the season before the sectionals, we would host a big feed and shave off...we would take the mountains of hair and spread it out in the garden.

Now that they don't swim anymore and I only have so much of my own hair to spare I use Liquid Fence - Deer and Rabbit repellent and squirt it all over - works for me....

 

[Orchidflower]

Here is a photo of a moss rose for Brewer12345:

Yahoo! Image Detail for www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/Moss%20Rose.jpg

Very similar or the same as Portulaca flowers. Very pretty, very tender petals and stems, and, obviously, very big in the deer community.
Moss Rose is used as a border flower for walkways or in planters, whatever. You can get them with a variety of colors in one container at Lowe's or Home Depot or wherever plants are sold, so it's a pretty and lively coloring for your yard. VERY easy to grow, too, as you can just pinch off a handful, stick them in the dirt...and they do all the work of growing themselves.

 

[mathjak107]

throw a beer party and have everyone pee on the lawn

 

[youbet]

Like every other Saturday night?

 

[Khan]

throw a beer party and have everyone pee on the lawn

Have them eat meat first.

 

[Zathras]

We use Deer Stopper from Mecina Wildlife (Deer Repellent – Cat, Dog, Squirrel Repellents – Stop Animal Damage with Messina Wildlife Management).
I have seen deer nibble at stuff treated, and then they don't come back
Lasts about 30 days, rain or shine.
Marigolds around the outside of a section seems to not only be deer proof, but the deer are unlikely to cross the line of marigolds.
I have also heard that Irish Spring works very well. Have yet to try it ourselves, but it is cheaper than Deer Stopper and if it works, we will be using that.

 

[jazz4cash]

This year, Ive had good luck with cayenne pepper (finely ground). To my surprise, it has stayed visible on the leaves even after some heavy downpours and the plants don't seem to mind. Even my hosta are unmolested. I used liquid fence also, but that stuff costs ~$50 for a bottle of concentrate that makes 4 gals. It's mainly comprised of rotten eggs, I believe. Some gardeners swear by a homemade version called 'eggwash". I am convinced that all the "solutions" work for awhile until the deer get accostumed or so hungry they don't care about the odor. The trick then is to switch around from one repellant to another after a few weeks.

Here's an electronic repeller I am thinking of buying.......
Havahart 3-Pc. Electronic Deer Repellers, Model# 5250 | Animal Control | Northern Tool + Equipment

Orchidflower, have you looked on The GardenWeb Forums - GardenWeb ?

 

[Goonie]

Moss Rose is used as a border flower for walkways or in planters, whatever.......VERY easy to grow, too, as you can just pinch off a handful, stick them in the dirt...and they do all the work of growing themselves.

And they reseed themselves, so they will most likely come back again year after year.

 

[chinaco]

30.06 works

 

[mathjak107]

lets be politically correct here!.. its .30-06

 

[Brat]

Deer adorn the hoods of cars in my area. Unfortunately some land on the hood and slide back to the front window resulting in nasty accidents. One of the tasks of the local cops is finishing what a collision with a car did to the deer. On the highway deer-auto accidents have resulted in serious/fatal human injuries.

 

[youbet]

Good venison recipes here:

venison recipies,deer recipies

 

[youbet]

Keep one of these deer predators in the yard and rest assured that deer and children will find another place to play:

 

[JohnEyles]

Haven't read the whole thread, so maybe this has been mentioned ...

Buy blood meal at the garden supply store and sprinkle it around the
perimeter. Repeat after significant rain.

 

[megacorp-firee]

Years ago when we moved to CT (where the state flower is the rock), we had planted (I had to dig into this rock infested dirt), 25 rose bushes.
When the bushes started to bud, a herd of deer came by and had dinner.
My DW was LIVID! We went to the local nursery and asked how to get these deer out of our garden. I noticed that the nursery actually had an area that they had fencing and netting. I couldn't see netting the whole front of my house, so we kept on asking ... the owner and son offered to sit in our front yard, if they could keep the meat. I veto'ed plan b also.
Then he finally said that he had heard that deer avoid 'human noises' and that someone had turned on a radio to a talk show and the deer stopped coming around. I tried it and it WORKED! My son was a little unhappy because his window was right below the garage window where I put the radio every night. But a low volumed talk show did the trick.
FYIW.

 

[summer2007]

I have a vegetable garden that in the past was deer food they can clean out a big garden overnight.

My solution was to put up a fence around the entire garden. I put too much effort into the garden to have it all ruined by deer.

It works in over 5 years no deer has got in although they do eat what they can reach from the outside. And the fence keeps out rabbis also.

My most destructive pest now is chipmunks and no fence stops them.

Jim

 

[HFWR]

It works in over 5 years no deer has got in although they do eat what they can reach from the outside. And the fence keeps out rabbis also.

Jim

Does it work for televangelists too?

 

[BOBOT]

Ditto Liquid Fence. We've used it for several years with good results. I don't think it's urine based, though, but derived from eggs. Initial spray in early spring when foliage emerges, repeat in a week, then every month through the summer.

 

[megacorp-firee]

I have a vegetable garden that in the past was deer food they can clean out a big garden overnight.

My solution was to put up a fence around the entire garden. I put too much effort into the garden to have it all ruined by deer.

It works in over 5 years no deer has got in although they do eat what they can reach from the outside. And the fence keeps out rabbis also.

My most destructive pest now is chipmunks and no fence stops them.

Jim

Is it a kosher garden?

 

[Ronstar]

I think I'll give Liquid fence another try. last time it worked for a while and they became immune to it. Here's a pic from inside my front door. I hope liquid fence can take out whole herds.

 

[summer2007]

I have not seen Benny Hinn inside my garden since I put up the fence.

Looks like leaving out the t slipped past the spell check!

That picture looks like Pennsylvania where I'm at. And that group of deer can clean out a nice 50x10 vegetable garden overnight with no problem.

Jim

 

[jazz4cash]

Ditto Liquid Fence. We've used it for several years with good results. I don't think it's urine based, though, but derived from eggs. Initial spray in early spring when foliage emerges, repeat in a week, then every month through the summer.

Just finishing off one of those 32 oz bottles of LF concentrate. Price tag was still on.....$42.99. It makes 4 gallons and basically lasts me for one year. Seems to be effective, but I need something more 'automatic'. Yesterday, I absent-mindedly got the hose out and watered a bunch of stuff after putting LF on the day before. I also notice the ODOR (putrified eggs) lingers a bit more than I recalled.