Deer Repellants
So what’s the deal?
The Honest Answer
The honest answer is that if a deer is hungry, nothing short of a fence is going to stop it from eating.
How Deer Work
That’s the truth. So when we talk about deer repellants, keep that fact in mind. If you’ve ever watched a deer move into your property, you’ll see them constantly sniff and swivel their ears, checking out the local fragrances and watching for movement.
If you’re still and downwind of them, they will walk right up to you. They’re checking for “different” fragrances and something that’s a problem (like a dog or person).
If they aren’t hungry, then a “different” fragrance will make them shy away. “This is not normal – I’m leaving” kind of thing. But if they are hungry, then they’re a little more determined and will – perhaps more slowly – investigate exactly what is smelling “different” and whether this is a harmful deer deterrent or simply “different”.
Fragrances That Have Worked - Short Term
What kind of fragrances have worked for other gardeners? There’s a lot of them, including bloodmeal, Irish Spring Soap, urine – yours or ??, rotten eggs, milk, human hair, dog hair, ammonia, and just about anything that smells different.
But once the deer get used to it - the effectiveness goes down.
Commerical Products
There are commercial products such as Deer Offr Repellent
But what about plants?
This is almost the same thing. In checking out deer deterrants with plants, there are plants that deer don’t like to eat but there are only a very few truly deer resistant perennials.
There are no evergreens or shrubs a *hungry* deer won’t munch on including yews and holly. And young trees are considered dessert. :-)
I also note that deer in one part of the country won’t eat some plants that deer in another area consider a delicacy. Go figure.
A hungry deer is simply a force to be reckoned with.
Fences?
Deer fences work if installed properly.
Ask for references from the builder. Solid board fences a deer can’t see through or over also work. Deer don’t jump blindly over a solid fence.
Electric fences work well for a short time – coat the wire with peanut butter (turn it off while you do this) :-) and run two strands of wire (thigh high and shoulder high) for best effect. The peanut butter will attract the deer to the wire and they are more likely to get shocked. Once shocked, deer will avoid the area.
So that’s the honest answer on deer repellants. You can experiment all you like with “different smells” but understand they require rotating and re-applying on a regular basis to keep them “different”.
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