Best Way To Keep Deer (pests) Away?

[Guest]

It was really the only problem I had last year.

Some sort of fence is pretty unrealistic given my circumstances.

Any ideas?

 

[Papulz]

i want to know as well, had some of those little bastards eat my entire plants.

i've heard of using a bar of soap in the ground nearby to leave a 'human type' smell around. *irish spring* specifically that soap trick was used to fight off raccoons but perhaps it would work on the deer too.

i think people use different animal urines and such too

 

[davehigh]

You can buy coyote piss in outdoor stores I believe and I have herd this will work.

 

[Guest]

ya, I've heard the whole soap, urine, hair trick can work sometimes.

One time a buddy told me to roll a couple balls of peanut butter in a piece of bread and soak it in bleach -- then when the deer come to eat the pb and blead they get sick and stay away from the crops.

Personally, I don't like the idea of doing that because one may cause the animal to become really sick. Too many deer around here, though.

 

[Guyute54]

Look Here http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=48151

 

[Berry_Coughin']

any predator piss, or blood..... beat a coyote dead with a bloody rabbit and piss all over and leave at the foot of your plants..... any deer would be like 'WTF'???

Just kidding, but yea, blood and predator urine are good deterrents.

 

[Cannapits]

here is something I found....hope it helps


DEER REPELLENT STUDY

At Illinois Walnut Council Butternut Plot

By Ken Konsis

The Illinois Walnut Council planted butternut seedlings in 1994 at the Tree Research Area, Forest Glen Preserve, Westville, IL. This is also the IWC Headquarters. Butternut (Juglans cinerea) were chosen in response to the declining butternut species due to the Butternut Canker fungus (Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum.) The butternut plot consists of 14 rows of trees with 17 trees per row, or 238 total number of trees. Height measurements and herbicide treatments have been performed since the second year the seedlings were in the ground. Pruning of the trees was performed in the winter of 2001. The plot was overall heavily browsed by deer and had several major buck scrapes. This seemed to be the perfect area for a deer repellent study, especially since the Walnut Council receives many inquiries about repellents. The Vermilion County Conservation District has already conducted deer fencing studies and deer browse studies at the Tree Research Area. The results of the fencing study was part of the Walnut Council Annual Meeting tour in 1998. These results were very positive.

The products that were chosen to be part of this study are products that are readily available from nursery and garden catalogs. The Vermilion County Conservation District and the Illinois Walnut Council do not endorse any of these products. The attempt is to report on findings of this study. Also, some products recommend multiple applications (after rains, etc.) This was not done. All products were treated the same. They were applied on the same day and results were documented on the same day. It is quite possible that the results would be different if complete product directions were applied. This, however, was not feasible due to lack of manpower, time restraints, and everything else that enters into one’s busy schedule. Therefore, this is not applied research but may be comparable to what a landowner would do.

The following is a listing of products tested using the brand name, active ingredient, quantity purchased, price paid, and general application and information on the product label.

PRODUCT TESTED

Repellent Name Durapel
Active Ingredient


Benzyldiethyl (2, 6, xylyl carbamoyl)
methyl; ammonium benzoate (also known as Denatonium Benzoate of Bitrex)
Unit purchased 1 gallon
Unit price $29.99
Application Ready-to-use; pump spray or squeeze trigger; apply in fall after first frost or on foliage in spring

Repellent Name Deer Away
Active Ingredient


Allyl isothiocynate capsaicin and related compounds; oil of mustard; vegetable oil; lemon extract; oleoresin of capsicum

Unit purchased 1 gallon
Unit price $19.99
Application
Ready-to-use spray; repels by odor & taste

Repellent Name Deer Away Powder
Active Ingredient Putrascent whole egg solids
Unit purchased 8 oz.
Unit price N/A
Application
Apply to browse areas when damp (after rain or dew)

Repellent Name Deer Chaser
Active Ingredient Citrus
Unit purchased 6 pouches
Unit price $29.95
Application
Hang citrus pouches at browse height; lasts up to 1 year


Repellent Name Deer Off
Active Ingredient

Putrascent whole egg solids; capsaicin and related capsaicinoides; garlic
Unit purchased 16 oz
Unit price $29.99
Application



Concentrated liquid (mix 1 pint per gallon of water); treats 200 trees/shrubs 4 feet tall; treat leaves, stems, branches; also repels rabbits and squirrels

Repellent Name Plantskydd Animal Repellent
Active Ingredient



Specially processed sterilized and dried Edible animal protein; 87% bloodmeal; 37% Vegetable fat, 5% salt, 5% water; Manufactured in Sweden

Units purchased 2.2 lbs. (dry powder units)
Unit price $37.00
Application






Can be applied during rain or snow; retention – 6 months (winter); 4 months Can be applied during rain or snow; retention – 6 months (winter); 4 months (spring or summer); considered minimum risk pesticide; works by emitting an odor


Repellent Name Deer No No
Active Ingredient Sodium salts of mixed fatty acids
Unit purchased 1 oz. packages
Unit price N/A
Application
Draw net bag that is hung on tree at bud level every 2 feet


Repellent Name Hinder Deer and Rabbit Repellent
Active Ingredient
Ammonium soaps of higher fatty acids
Unit purchased 32 oz. (liquid concentrate)
Unit price N/A
Application

Mix at a rate of 6 oz. per gallon of water and use spray application; repels by “ammonia odor”


Repellent Name Hot Pepper Wax Animal Repellent
Active Ingredient
Capsaicin and other capsaicinoids; hot cayenne peppers

Unit purchased 32 oz. (liquid concentrate)
Unit price $27.29
Application

Mix at a rate of 8 oz. per gallon of water and use spray application


Repellent Name Garlic Clips
Active Ingredient
Oil of garlic; capsaicin and related Capsaicinoids

Unit purchased 25 clips
Unit price $19.95
Application Place 3-4 clips per tree

Repellent Name Repellex
Active Ingredient

Dried animal blood plasma; paprika resin concentrate; quaternary ammonium salts

Unit purchased 32 oz. (liquid)
Unit price $18.99
Application

Ready-to-use spray; 3-month retention; utilizes bad taste and offensive odors


Repellent Name Coyote urine
Active Ingredient 100% coyote urine
Unit purchased 8 oz.
Unit price $12.35
Application

Apply to scent rags and place 10-12 feet apart, hanging from low branches


Repellent Name Dial soap
Active Ingredient N/A
Unit purchased 1 bar
Unit price $.50
Application
Drill hole through bar and hang 1 bar from each tree




MECHANICAL CONTROL TESTED

Type Ross Protective Deer Netting
Application




Fine netting that contains inhibitors that prevent ultraviolet rays from damaging the netting; made from durable polypropylene; 7 ft. x 100 ft. roll; completely drape over small trees


Type Woven Wire Fence
Application

48 inch high open-weave fencing Surrounding 6 trees on 10 foot spacing


PRODUCTS TO BE TESTED

Repellent Name Bobbex Deer Repellent RTV
Active Ingredient


Garlic oil; acetic acid; cloves; gelletin; fish meal; edible fish oil; onions; eggs; vanillin; wintergreen oil; vitamins C and E

Unit purchased 32 oz.
Unit price $19.95
Application

Ready-to-use foliar spray; year-round use; also plant nutrient; apply every 7-14 days


Repellent Name Not Tonight Deer Repellent
Active Ingredient
Dehydrated whole egg solids; white Pepper

Unit purchased 6 oz.
Unit price $11.50
Application


Powder; mix 1 tbs. with 1 quart water; use spray application; re-apply every 10 to 14 days or after rain; apply on new shoots


Repellent Name Deer and Rabbit Repellent
Active Ingredient N/A
Unit purchased 32 oz.
Unit price $15.19
Application N/A

Repellent Name Get Away Animal Repellent
Active Ingredient N/A
Unit purchased N/A
Unit price $17.95
Application N/A

Repellent Name Repel Bye Deer
Active Ingredient Sodium salts of mixed fatty acids
Unit purchased
2.5 oz (6 -.42 oz draw-string pouches)
Unit price $11.95
Application

Draw-string pouches; tie to trees at various heights at bud level (2-4 per tree)


Repellent Name Tree Guard Deer Repellent
Active Ingredient
Exactly the same ingredients as Durapel (same product)

Unit purchased 1 gallon
Unit price $44.95
Application Ready-to-use; squeeze trigger spray

Of the 238 total trees in the plot, at least 2 trees not affected by deer browse or scrapes were chosen for each product. Six (trees) were surrounded by 48-inch woven wire fencing. The average height of the trees is 5 feet 3 inches.

Product Application Assessment




Durapel
November 1999
July 2000


October 2000
November 2000


September 2001
June 2002





Deer Away (spray)
November 1999
July 2000


October 2000
November 2000


September 2001
June 2002





Deer Away (powder)
October 2000
November 2000


September 2001
June 2002





Deer Chaser
November 1999
July 2000


October 2000
November 2000


September 2001
June 2002





Deer Off
October 2000
November 2000


September 2001
June 20002





Plantskydd
November 2000
September 2001


September 2001
June 2002





Dial Soap
October 2000
November 2000


September 2001
June 2002





Woven Wire Fence
November 1999
July 2000



November 2000



June 20002





Product Application Assessment




Deer NO NO
September 2001
June 2002





Coyote Urine
September 2001
June 2002





Repellex
September 2001
June 2002





Hinder
September 2001
June 2002





Hot Pepper Wax
September 2001
June 2002





Deer Netting
September 2001
June 2002





Garlic Clips
September 2001
June 2002




GENERAL ASSESSMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS
Product Results
Durapel This is one of the most tracked repellents, having been applied 3 times and assessed 3 times. It has been applied to 3 trees. Two trees have had absolutely no damage during the 3 assessment periods. The third tree showed a deer rub on the last assessment period, but was unaffected on the previous two.

Deer Away (spray) Also one of the original repellents, it was applied to two trees. One tree showed no damage on one tree, but the second tree had slight browsing. The second assessment period showed severe browsing. The third assessment period, treated stems from both trees were dead (multiple use of the repellent?)

Deer Away (powder) This repellent was applied to two trees on two occasions. There was no deer damage on either of the trees on the 2 assessment periods.

Deer Chaser Another original repellent, it was applied to two trees. There was no deer damage at any of the 3 assessment periods on either of the trees.

Deer Off Applied to two trees, this repellent also had no deer damage on either tree or any of the two assessment periods.

Plantskydd This was applied to two trees. One exhibited an old buck rub before the repellent was applied. During the first assessment period, there was no damage to either tree. The second assessment showed slight browsing to one tree and no damage to the other.

Dial Soap Hung from two trees, there was no deer damage to either tree on either of the assessment periods.

Woven Wire Fence Constructed one time, there was no visible deer damage to any of the 6 trees during any of the 3 assessment periods.

Deer No No Only 1 application occurred to two trees with no damage to either tree.

Coyote Urine This was applied once to two trees. One had no deer damage, the other had severe deer damage.

Repellex Applied once to two trees, only one tree could be positively identified during the assessment period. It had no damage.

Hinder There also was only one application to two trees However, the tag was missing from the second tree and a positive identification could not be made. There was no damage on the other tree.

Hot Pepper Wax Applied once to two trees, it too had only one tree that could be positively identified. It had severe deer damage.

Deer Netting Applied once, deer netting had no effect. Applied to two trees, the netting was obviously invisible to the deer and was destroyed. Both trees had severe deer damage.

Garlic Clips Applied once to two trees, one tree had average browse damage and the other had severe browse damage.


There were originally 238 butternut seedlings planted in 14 rows with 17 trees per row. Of these original trees, only 112 or 47% are currently surviving. This has not changed since the beginning of this study in 1999. Of the 112 surviving trees, 35 are a part of the deer repellent study. The remaining trees (77) can be considered “control” trees. Of these control trees, 71 trees were damaged be deer. Only 6 trees showed no damage. Of the 35 trees in the study, only 10 trees showed deer damage in some way. Therefore, it is probable that these repellents do work.

Conclusions
First and foremost, deer repellents are very expensive to use and are labor-intensive to apply. The results are not guaranteed and depend on many factors such as time of year applied, weather conditions, application rate, following exact label directions, suggested re-applications, and the total number of trees to be protected. Product active ingredients must be examined closely, but this is usually unknown when ordering from a garden or nursery catalog. An example of this is the product “Tree Guard Deer Repellent” which is yet to be tested in this study. It was purchased for $44.95 per gallon. When examining the active ingredients, it is exactly the same as a product already tested, “Durapel”. The price for Durapel, however, was $29.99 per gallon.

Before applying a deer repellent, ask yourself these questions:

How many trees do I wish to protect?

Is cost a factor?

Do I have the time to apply the repellents?

Will I be satisfied with mixed results?

Sometimes it is better to try and understand the deer. Deer are basically lazy animals that often use the same trails or paths. Along these paths (deer runs) you usually notice the most deer damage on trees (buck rubs or browse damage.) It is also easy to notice if deer are bedding down in the plantation at night. Deer damage is usually severe here. Our experiment with deer fencing worked because deer did not bother to jump a 48-inch fence, although they could do so easily without any effort. It also worked because we fenced in a small area of trees. A larger area would be ineffective unless a taller fence would be installed (costly.) If you have a favorite tree to protect, we have had great success by enclosing the single tree with fence wire, forming a cylinder. This protects trees from deer rubs, but not browsing. If the tree branches reach 4 feet in height, this will be above the browse line and the problem is gone. The key is to get the tree above that height. Annual browsing forms “bushy” trees. Deer also tend to rub on smooth barked trees. Young trees of all species fall into this category. When trees mature and form rougher bark, buck rubbing usually stops, or if it does occur, it does not damage the inner bark.

Examining the results of this study, taking into consideration cost, time involved, and effectiveness, the old stand-by Dial soap would be recommended. One problem we often heard was that soap does not last long on the tree. Ours is still hanging after two years. All you need to do is drill a hole and hang it with fishing line.

Everyone has his/her favorite stand-by deer repellent. We have been told to use human hair bags, sulphur/egg mixtures, large cat feces from a zoo, and even human urine. If nothing else, I hope this report will assist landowners with deer problems in their decisions if deer repellents are considered.

A special thanks to Tree World of Sechelt, British Columbia, who provided their product “Plantskydd” for free testing. Also, special thanks to Lorna Konsis and Amy Steeples for their assistance in compiling this data.

 

[selfprofider]

CMEMORY AND EFFECTIVE ANIMAL REPELLANTS
A dettrring smell is the best approach in my experience, I use some mothballs scattered aroud the area or sprinkl;e sevin dust on the groynd around my plants, most animals smell these prpellants and shy away from the areas, mothballs last a little longer than the sevin dust

 

[OutdoorGrower]

The BEST way ive found of keeping the deer away is a large caliber firearm!

 

[Ganico]

So basically from that experiment the best overall results were with capsicum (the chemical that makes peppers "hot"), some egg yokes, and some garlic

That's pretty close to what I had planned based on old "home remedies" I'd read on here:

Bubble a "tea" made out of toilet water, egg yokes, cayanne powder, garlic cloves, with a few dirty work socks throw in. That's got all kinds of abrasive, funky smells in there, with some human scent mixed in too.

If you have an outdoor dog, walking it around the spot will help, cause they'll probably mark when they smell the deer. And also alert you that there were critters there by tracking around the scent.

 

[BACKCOUNTRY]

How well deterrents work depends on your climate, how much normal food is available for your local Deer, and how hungery they are. A deterrent that works for one guy in Maine may be useless in stopping Deer damage for another guy in California.

Deer who are desperate enough will eat plants sprayed with the damndest things.

Check the link in my thread for more info, and thankyou Guyute54 for posting the link!

 

[Deft]

Pepper spray stuff from the local nursery, and I will wait to put out my plants till the deer have gorged on the first new growth in spring.

 

[Closet Funk]

moth balls

 

[COCOPUFF]

Deer Deer Deer

Deer Deer Deer

The only thing that controls hungry deer with near 100 control is a good fence
10 foot high some times there tilted, 2 6 foot fences 4 foot apart works good to
I have sorrounded my garden with a thick layer of manure and it seems to keep most animals out, also planting winter squash helps
If the deer are hungry enough they will eat any thing smell things (soap garlic, egg whites)only work a short time
I have seen deer eating plants next to a large dog
I would go with a large fence

 

[smokeymacpot]

will deer eating flowering plants ?

 

[COCOPUFF]

Deer Deer Deer

Deer Deer Deer

deer will eat anything if there hunger, only thing they don't eat is english ivy wish they would

 

[Doperdave]

2 tablespoons of red pepper and 1 teaspoon of elmers school glue in a spray bottle works for me.I substituted egg with glue because of stray egg eating dogs and coyotes seem intrigued with the egg smell and have dug up all my plant looking for an egg breakfast.Same has happened to me placing blood meal around my plants except they didnt dig them up I believe they rolled around in it snaping plants to the ground.
The rescipe above doesnt seem to attract curiouse critters I believe it sends them to their drinking hole to wash the taste from their mouths because I have seen chew marks that stop with one bite.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

I would have answered "no" to that until recently smokey, but today im not sure. In years of outdoor growing and many crops, ive never had anything eat sticky dank bud. Never.

2 weeks ago, a buddy of mine set out in his yard, 4 sensi stars in pots that were 6 weeks into flower. He thought he would let them finish the last few weeks under the sun. Later that week, he came home to find that 3 of his neighbors cows had gotten out and were in his yard. My buddy went inside to call his neighbor and tell him about the cows and while on the phone and in front of the window, we saw a cow reach down and get one of the star plants and eat it stem and all. He rushed out to run them off to find they had eaten 3 of the flowering plants. Sensi star stinks to high heaven and is coated with resin.


A deer will eat anything a cow will eat.

Pepper spray, moth balls, deer repellants, egg yolks and every other product available to "repel" deer is nothing but pure bullshit. None of them work even slightly. Ive used them all and every other half assed home remedy available from soap to dog hair. Bullshit one and all.

Cages or fencing, period.

 

[Scrogerman]

try Pissing around the area in a 360 ring, scent is what animals do & most stay away from Human scent, yeah thats what ive done in the past & it seems to work! But the Cage is by far the most fool proof or should i say pest proof, its only rippers you gotta watch and the best repellent for rippers is a bloody good kicking!

 

[MJBadger]

One product i have not seen here is Lion Dung . Now before you all scoff i have seen several reports on paper & tv regarding this product . It`s found to be VERY effective against all the deer damage to gardens within The New Forest UK .
There is a company that obtains the dung from zoos , dries & presses it into pellets & sells it to gardeners .
NO DEER will ignore the smell of a lion . I`m pretty sure there are enough nutters in The States that keep big cats and a source can be found , if not someone should be working on it as a money earner .

Human urine has been mentioned but little has been said as to the fact it needs to be STALE . Find some container with a lid fill it up & place it somewhere warm in the garden & leave for 3-4wk before sprinkling around plants .

Stay green .