Oh deer

[Dave]

Well, the deer are eating the tops off my green beans :mad: I've read where cayenne pepper works for dogs, how about deer? Any other remedies before I have to resort to fencing?

[PhilosopherStorm]

When is archery season in your area? :)

[lovetogarden]

My neighbor is having the same problems. She has hung up old clothers around the garden and sprayed the clothers with cologne. Also, hang irish spring soap up in nylons around the area. Deer do not like that.

[Horsea]

Sooner or later, a fence is necessary. Just one of those things in life. You name it, I tried it. A fence did it.

Re archery & other killing methods. I have (so far) found 2 nice big bucks slowly dying in our yard (from being improperly shot) not too far from our house, where they had run to escape hunters (who were rightly not wanting to come too close to our house). May these hunters suffer likewise one fine day.

[PhilosopherStorm]

Horsea,

I would certainly also chastise those hunters who chose to take a shot which was not immediately fatal. That said, I have to point out that it was doubly cruel on your own part to merely watch an animal suffer, as well as to waste the meat. We differ in that I do not wish to see pointless harm to others or to animals.

As for fences, they can be effective, but they have to be huge eyesores to be effective. Recall that deer can jump quite high. A better alternative is to plant hedges, with wide barriers, and then use a wire or rope with some flags on it at a higher level to complete the illusion of a barrier. While deer with easily jump a fence which is less than 8 feet high, they will not go over barriers that are wide, that do not provide an easy approach.

Rocks, shrubs, small trees and other natural items work well so one does not have to see large obvious barriers. Just make sure that they cannot just walk through the barrier..

[Horsea]

I forgot to mention that hedges are indeed probably the best solution, except that they are not quite as instantaneous as a fence.

As to the deer who slowly died of their wounds, I arrived at their bodies shortly after they expired. I do not believe they were alive when I reached them. I had no one to consult with, no help. The Dept of Natural Resources people, who are supposed to come and help out are often useless (at least around here) in these matters.

As to my feelings of vengefulness against the hunter, I can't help it. The feelings are just there and I fully own up to the fact that I am not a highly moral person in some instances, if morality includes feelings as well as actions.

[drobinson]

Regarding keeping deer out of your garden; some have successfully tried a single wire electric fence, placed about 3 1/2 to 4 ft. off the ground. The deer could easily jump it but first they investigate and touch it with their nose, or they try to go under it and it contacts their back. Either way, they lose interest in trying to get into the fenced area, and it does them no permanent harm. Chances are you could turn off the electricity after a week or two when they become afraid of the line. Garlic spray, or egg spray can be used. Both are real possibilities. I have used garlic spray for rabbit control and it works on them.

[PhilosopherStorm]

Ah Horsea, so the situation was not at all like you described at first. Well of course that changes the matter of course. Now there is no basis for claiming that the hunters were at all at fault for a poor shot. In fact now we know the "slowly dying" part also was an appeal to emotion that was simply not justified.

Hunting remains a viable option, especially since a herd which is at a healthy and natural level is less likely to venture into areas occupied by humans.

[Horsea]

PhilStorm: bucks never come near our house, never. Only young-uns and females. If I find a young, healthy-looking, apparently just-died buck (warm) near the house with a wound, what conclusion should I come to? Not once, but twice. What would your conclusion be? That the deer was strolling along one day and decided to commit suicide with a weapon near my house?

I am not here to condemn hunters & hunting. I am here to say that if you are going to hunt, you better know what the heck you are doing, or hire someone with competence to do it for you. If you injure an animal and that animal runs onto private property, show a bit of intestinal fortitude by following and finishing it off, and if someone in the house sees you, be a man about it - explain what happened, and accept the consequences. It is the lesser of two evils.

[Mary]

Hi, I'm new,I had the same problem with deer in my garden.A lady told me about a product called ( Liquid Fence ), its a deer and rabbit repellent and it works. Its environmentally safe, bio-degradable,will not harm plants or animals. I don't spray it on my plants, I spray about two or three feet outside my garden all around .It really works. I don't know if you have a Farm and Fleet store near you but they sell it.Hope this helps you . Mary

[zebraman]

Hey Dave:Blood Meal is a great for Deer and other animals.Also venison tastes really good with green beans.

[Mary]

Well, the deer are eating the tops off my green beans :mad: I've read where cayenne pepper works for dogs, how about deer? Any other remedies before I have to resort to fencing?


Hi Dave, There is product called ( Liquid Fence ) , it's deer & rabbit repellent, IT Really works , Farm and Fleet stores have it, I spray it about two or three outside my garden all around, hope this helps you . Mary

[gardendude]

I have had problem with a deer doe and 2 fawns last year eating my beans, don't have fencing around my yard, so i tried tying string around my garden and it worked. Deer are shure footed animals and don't like things that would trip them up and it worked. Hope this works for you if you try it, please let me know and pass it on to your friends. bye Mark

[sweetpea]

I found deer in my fenced backyard until I got a dog. He died a few months ago, and we now have a greyhound (who looks like a deer!). He only goes outside at intervals during the day, so we'll see if he is as good of a deer repellent as my other sweet old dog was.

[wvorganics]

Anybody have any suggestions on building a semi-cheap fence? Deer are definatley a problem, and I see their prints in the soil already. I usually don't have a problem until later in the season when all the grasses begin to dry up. My area isn't that large, about 12'x 30', so I don't think they will want to jump in over a high fence. I would like to electrify, the real problem I have is the posts. Does anybody have any cheap ideas?

[Horsea]

Hi, wvorganics. I have made fences with rebar instead of posts. Instead of metal fencing, I have used plastic fencing secured to the rebar "posts" with cable ties. That is as cheap as I know how to do it. No screaming hell to look at - but the deer keep out.

[Mary]

Well this year the Liquid Fence is not working as well, maybe I'm not spraying enough around my garden.The deer are eating my beans and tomatoes, so I guess I;ll have to try something else.

[Cliff Timmons]

Deer or poultry netting is pretty cheap.

[johno]

Horsea,
Is The Dept. of Natural Resources the agency responsible for issuing hunting liscences in Canada? If not, whoever issues liscences is the agency you need to talk to about such matters.

Dave,
The idea about hedges or other wide barriers sounds good to me, I hadn't ever thought of that. But it might be a lot cheaper to put up a fence that leans outward, which discourages them pretty well. Have you talked to Game and Fish?

Sweetpea,
If your greyhound looks like a deer and runs free, you might want to invest in a bright orange collar before hunting season...

[Cliff Timmons]

How to wok your dog.

[johno]

Hee hee hee

[sweetpea]

LOL, Johno. No, he doesn't run free, except in my fenced_in yard. But he is the color of deer, and looks like a small one until you look at him good.

[miller]

The deer have breached the perimeter. I am trying everything I've heard that would keep them out. I have the typical 3 foot high metal garden fence you get at home depot with the 9 foot metal green stakes. I bought something called deer netting or something, it's like a volleyball net, only with smaller holes. The netting is draped over the 9 foot staked around the fence, this has pretty much worked for the last 2 years.

So I go out 2 days ago, and in the corner of the garden, the netting was ruffled a bit, and I noticed the tops and leaves were eaten off about 7 pepper plants. So I fixed the netting, shredded a couple of bars of soap around the perimeter of the garden, and hung a few sweaty shirts on the fence posts around the area they got in. I hear the smell of human sweat and soap will drive them away. Bullsh**. The next morning, the netting was ruffled even more and the next dozen or so pepper plants had the leaves and tops eaten off.

So last night in the dark, I put an extra piece of metal fence up high in the area they got in. This morning, the netting was sagging on the opposite sides of the garden, and the rest of the pepper plants are gone.

So I guess my questions are as follows...

1. Are the deer done? They seem to eat only the leaves and stems of pepper plants, not the fruit.
2. Will the pepper plants grow back? It's odd to go out and see pepper plants with no leaves, chewed off stems, and 4 nice peppers hanging on the bottom of the plant.
3. Are peppers the caviar of their diet? Do they just go for them first because they like them more? Will they eat other things just for the sake of eating them? In the past they seem to leave tomatoes alone...what about cukes, squash, pumpkins, eggplant, beans, melons?

and also, the sweaty shirt and the soap don't work for squat, just so you know.

And Cliff, can I borrow your shotgun? Does it have a silencer? (I live in a residential area)

Thanks,
Miller.

[johno]

Wow, I thought only grasshoppers ate pepper plants!

If Cliff won't loan you his shotgun, you might want to get a bow and arrows. They're pretty quiet, too.

[Mary]

I have deer as well and they eat tops off of beans, tomatoes, peppers, and snow peas and maybe more if I had it.They didn't eat the green tomatoes they knocked off, but they like the ripe ones.I bought The Vegetable Gardener's Bible ,it says deer fences are usually 8 feet tall.You can also install a 3 foot tall fence, next, string a strand of electric fencing atop the post. With the power shut off , dab some creamy peanut on the electric strand. Then, turn the power on, when the deer come they get a harmless but memorable shock. :D

[Mary]

Guess I'm going nuts , forgot to put peanut butter.

[johno]

Hey I was just outside checking my garden and I scared off some whitetails from the adjacent field. Then I thought of something: do you have enough room to plant a patch of something they like better? Maybe lespedeeza?

[Mary]

Yes I do,what in the world is lespedeeza, your kidding aren't you?Sounds like a disease.Ha!Ha!

[johno]

Why is it everyone thinks I'm kidding when they don't know what I'm talking about?

[johno]

Sorry, maybe I'm a little grumpy tonight...

No I'm not kidding. I don't know if it would work everywhere, but lespedeeza (don't know if that's spelled right, maybe that's why it looks funny...) grows thick here, and the deer and livestock like to eat it. It looks kind of weedy, a tallish plant with somewhat coarse stems and loads of tiny leaves along the stem. It's not as good as a fine grass for hay, but a lot of people plant it and bale it. It is very common here.

[Mary]

I'm sorry Johno, wasn't making fun of you , I do believe you, I just don't know much about weeds.They may be growing around here, maybe I can find a picture on the net.Thanks for your help.

[johno]

No apology necessary - my bad.

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;This place sells electric fencing with Solar chargers.
www.premier1supplies.com This is the place that Heritage Farm (SSE)uses.-
On main page click on Fencing-then click netting.-

[Mary]

HI Zebraman, that sight you said about fencing, well I got Janitoral supplies,vet supplies and aquariums,maybe I'll use a battery.

[Mary]

I went back to that sight again and got the right one,the prices are not bad, don't know what I'll do yet.

[johno]

Sounds like you're on the right track, Vikki. Good idea - work with nature instead of against her.

[Joan]

I had a friend who swore Irish Spring soap hanging around the garden worked for him. Always wondered about it!

[Carolina-Family-Farm]

We produce a product for a major deer deterrent company; the major component in the product is blood meal and garlic powder; the garlic powder is only 3% of the mixture and the product is well over 95% blood meal. Deer wont come near blood meal and they wont eat anything with the slightest dusting of blood meal.

It also works for rabbits !

[johno]

But does blood meal attract dogs?

Joan, my feed store owner swears by Irish soap hanging from a branch to keep the deer away from his roses.

[Carolina-Family-Farm]

I use it and the dogs don't seem to bother it none, I add the garlic powder and that may be the turn off for the pups.

[johno]

Nice to know!

[Mary]

I feed the birds,and I saw deer come up to the feeder and eat off the ground.I guess they are hungry,I have fields around me ,I thought they ate grass and alfalfa, not sunflower seeds.

[Norma]

We had one shot with arrow come through our Yard and called Human Society and then put us in touch with right department. They came and were able to put the poor doe out of its misery! So sad!! I was angry for the suffering and the hunter!!

[bhpigeon2]

To deter deer:

One tablespoon of Bulliard's Louisiana Supreme Garlic Hot Sauce per quart of water. Apply using spray bottle. Deer will only bite one leaf and associate the garlic smell with something bad. Reapply after rain or heavy dew.

bhp2

[Mary]

Thanks for the tip,where can I find this sauce?I have Louisiana hot sauce, but it doesn't have garlic.

[bhpigeon2]

Thanks for the tip,where can I find this sauce?I have Louisiana hot sauce, but it doesn't have garlic.
Check the ingredients as some of those hot sauces already have garlic in them and it doesn't take much for the deer to smell it. If you only have the plain hot sauce, all you need is add something with garlic in it. If spray bottle is used, that must be liquid to prevent the nozzle from clogging. Just using hot sauce is fine but no smell deterrent factor. Deer will often just keep pulling off leaves or fruit and dropping them.

bhp2

[Mary]

Sure going to try this on beans, tomtoes,etc.Last year they destroyed my bush beans and a lot of tomatoes,some of the tomatoes were just dropped on the ground.I didn't get to can at all. Thanks bhp2!

[bhpigeon2]

Sure going to try this on beans
Beans were EXACTLY what we were using it on! That was the deer's first choice of food. With about 25 varieties of beans, wasn't willing to lose many. One gardener had 2 rows of beans and only the outside row was sprayed. Deer stepped over the first to get at the second. Lesson learned! Second choice were beets and chard. Most annoying since the deer would uproot the plants and only eat one leaf.

bhp2

[Sanproff]

Hi
We have a fence around the garden. Did no good. We tied Wal-Mart plastic bags to the fence in a way so that they blow in the wind. So far so good. The deer were eating my climbing cukes to the ground. So far they have left the beans alone. Guess they like cukes better.

[Mary]

I put up a fence and so far its working.My fence is 5 ft., how tall is yours, Sanproff ? I know thats not very tall, they could jump over it if they tried.If they do jump, I can add some fence at the top.

[052039]

BASS PRO has a deer repellent from BIO-LOGIC- it comes in a kit & it is a plastic fence that you put up then spray the fence & deer WILL NOT cross to the other side of the fence. our so. indiana turkey chapter uses it to keep them out of feed plots until established....works well....
052039 - BILL :) :) :D :D

[LarryS]

I put up a fence and so far its working.My fence is 5 ft., how tall is yours, Sanproff ? I know thats not very tall, they could jump over it if they tried.If they do jump, I can add some fence at the top.


We have a fence that is electrified and is 6.5-7 feet tall. They can still get through it, if they wish, but much less so than before.

We did not plant our garden for the animals. We planted it to eat. If we
cannot eat our corn and beans and okra, we will eat venison. It is just that
simple.

[Sandbar]

Why is it everyone thinks I'm kidding when they don't know what I'm talking about?Maybe because they've read some of your other posts? :D

[052039]

The fence i am talking about does not stop the deer it is the carrier for the liquid you spray on it....the spray is what deters the deer..

052039 - BILL :) :) :D

[Sandbar]

We did not plant our garden for the animals. We planted it to eat. If we cannot eat our corn and beans and okra, we will eat venison. It is just that simple.LOL ... thanks, I needed that today. :D :D :D :D :D

[Joan]

Pine Tree Seeds has something called Deerscram and another deer repellent - I just got notice of their clearance sale. Worth a try

[BEEGES]

I have a 7ft fence at my home garden. Deer came threw the gate this morning and ripped up my garden. To depressed to continue.

[bhpigeon2]

I previously reported how the garlic hot sauce mix worked so great. It did, for 2 years. The local deer population quickly learned to stay away from anything that smelled like that. Worked for awhile this year until a new buck came through and apparently hadn't been around gardens before. Sampled everything in sight including beets and sweet potatoes which had been sprayed. The hot sauce mix was doubled for his possible return visit and indeed he was back the next night. 16' of beets had almost every leaf eaten. About 15 sweet potato plants ravaged. We quickly called him the Cajun deer! He didn't show up for over a week since I know what he was going through after that hot meal!

New tactics are drastic. First is the stinky drippings from a compost tumbler which had 4 or 5 pigeons and maybe a young rabbit or two. Saved in gallon milk jugs and fermented a bit. Then a pint or so of my own urine topped off with a good slug of garlic hot sauce. First time that I used it, I even gagged! Only a starving deer would ever touch anything with a drop of that stuff on it! It's worked perfect so far but I'm limited to what I can use it on. Among the deer's favorites are beets, chard, and spinach. They all have to go under chicken wire.

bhp2

[recipefordisaster]

Sigh. I just returned from a week in NH; my mother 'took care' of the garden. I returned to find most of the green beans, peas, hot peppers, salad greens, zucchini, and about 1/3 of the tomato plants GONE. Fruit, leaves, everything. I can't tell you how depressed I am-figured if no one else understands my pain(they don't!)you guys would. I fully expected vegetables when I returned(some zucchini, lots of beans and peas, tomatoes and hot peppers should all have been more than ready)and now instead I have the pain of seeing this and trying to figure out what to do. And the few remaining baby zucchini are yellowing and falling off-maybe because there are no longer male flowers?? Anyone have another idea for that?

Also, the aphids(now three colors!)and whiteflies are multiplied by a billion compared to when I left.

I may try hot sauce and garlic(but this is the second year my jalapenos were some of the first attacked! hot sauce must taste similar to them to hot peppers!), the soap, the urine, the plastic bags(I thought of that too), but I'm also going to lay down a layer of bubble wrap around the garden-hoping they'll step on it, burst the bubbles and scare themselves to death. I have a ton of it. I did put my floating row cover on but it doesn't cover nearly as much as it needs to... and last year they just moved it.

I'm surprised they ate the leaves off the tomato-poisonous, I thought! One thing they seemed to avoid was eggplant, but the flea beetles and whiteflies are killing that anyway.

I'm so mad and disappointed-my first BIG garden and the first where everything was grown from seed. So much personal investment and I was counting on all those delicious veggies(can't eat venison-vegetarian for 20 years).

Luckily I did harvest a ton of green beans, 6 varieties/4 colors, last week. I had no idea those would be my last-or will they fight back from stubs in the ground? I figure it's late July and most of this won't have time to regenerate and produce fruit again. Last year they just hit my hot peppers and that's what happened-only got back to tiny fruit in September.

Even if no one has another idea, I just wanted to vent.

RFD

[Sandbar]

RFD, I am SO bummed for you ... that is just awful.
I'm surprised they ate the leaves off the tomato-poisonous, I thought!I'ver heard that, too. However the deer here will eat the mater plant tops on a regular basis if not fenced. I have fencing and barbed wire up in my small plot here at the house (in a residential neighborhood overrun with deer. Yeah, the barbed wire is real attractive ... especially since it is old, used, rusty wire ... :D

Out at the farm, there is plenty of commercial corn & soybean crops for them to eat, so they leave my garden alone for the most part.

[recipefordisaster]

Thanks. That's funny, my mother was just complaining that the garden was no longer attractive-covered in floating row covers, screens, bubble wrap, flying plastic bags, heh!

I'm not sure which was the kiss of death: the fact that I took all kinds of photos of the garden looking good before I went on vacation, or the fact that I was mentally plotting how I would cook each delicious vegetable I picked!

I didn't have a leaf touched by deer before this this year, though we have certainly seen them. I don't understand why they attacked overnight when they could have been doing it for months.... one was in my horse pasture yesterday afternoon, too.

RFD

[Norma]

After gardenng for several Years and being brought up on a farm in PA I know that deer are becoming more unafraid of their surroundings! Maybe because they are starving or!? Deer use to eat at far end our our tomato field by the woods and they had plenty to eat at that end. They never bothered other fruits and vegetables or flowers close to house. Well, no farms hardly anymore and in my area, building, building, building!! No woods for the deer nothing for them to eat. Desperate!!! So they have to come 'closer' to our houses to get something to eat. Anything works for awhile, then they figure out and nothing 'stops' them. I believe instead of being smart or crafty they are 'desperate' for food. I have tied the bags and string around garden of 'oh so many different kinds of tomatoes' 3 years ago, when the tomatoes started turning and were nice and big, yep, they broke through the bags and string and ate them all and even the plants!!! Now they are working on a certain kind of hosta, sedum, munching the butterfly bushes, etc. They don't like Ornamental grasses! Who wants only Ornamental grasses!! The Key is, ' anything works for awhile' then You have to come up with a new idea!!
I posted this somewhere!? In PA the gov turned out Coyotes to cut back on the deer herds!! What a cruel un-human thing to do! There are no deer there hardly now! Strange to see the fields empty of deer. Remember, "Keep Gardening," good therapy and if We can keep fooling them with new ideas, we may Harvest Something!!!:)

[recipefordisaster]

Yeah, they are definitely getting more bold-however, we are surrounded by woods and there's everything from weeds to hay for them to eat around here.

Thanks, I'll have to try to keep coming up with a new trick. We DO have a ton of coyotes(I am not too fond of those either)-between those and fisher cats I didn't sleep for a minute last night~

No new damage in the last couple of days-here's hoping. I have these mesh surgical caps that I plan to stretch over 'important' fruits to at least protect those.

[david mervis]

a new garden in deer country and of course rabbits, racoon, armidillo's and who knows what else. I'm thinking of a tradition wire mesh farm fence with a strand of electric wire at the top. Any comments or suggestions on this strategy?

[EdlinUser]

I have had problem with a deer doe and 2 fawns last year eating my beans, don't have fencing around my yard, so i tried tying string around my garden and it worked. Deer are shure footed animals and don't like things that would trip them up and it worked. Hope this works for you if you try it, please let me know and pass it on to your friends. bye Mark

Thanks gardendude.

I garden in a clearing in the woods. Lotsa problems with deer this year.
Two weeks ago I strung one line of 20# monofilament 2-3 feet off the ground all around my clearing, a few feet into the woods. Since stringing it I haven't had any deer damage or seen any tracks.

[hikingonthru]

I will help out. I too detest hunters that make bad shots. That said I myself love to hunt. I LOVE deer meat and I am an excellent shot. I hunt deer up really close and then place a shot that results in an immediate expiration. I will come and shoot your problem deer!:)

[david mervis]

I'm thinking there may not be a substitute for a good fence including a little electric. At a certain point there is the peace of mind factor and over a 20 or 30 year period, it would be worth it. I know there will always be an occasional deer that gets in but that as bad as a herd working it's way thru some night. A couple of dogs and some occasional hunting will help. I'm assuming with the increasing urbanization of the countryside, the deer populations will continue to increase.