Perfume/Cologne As a Deer Deterent?

[jack Haze]

I started a few plots and have made a point of leaving as many 'unnatural' scents behind as possible in hopes of deterring Deer and other critters. I'm thinking of bringing a bottle of strong perfume and spraying it around. Sounds plausible in theory but I'm wondering what the real life outcome will be.

My main enemies will be Groundhogs and Deer. I pre-dug about 125 holes and virtually all of them were dug up, as I expected. I'm ready to stand guard over a weekend and shoot every Groundhog I see.

 

[stratmandu]

I buy a bulk pack of Irish Spring soap bars, cut them into chunks, and scatter a few about in the area. During veg I use Deer -away spray (rotten egg and capsiacin, from HD) on plants that are being actively browsed. Haven't had issues with ground hogs, just regular (feral) hogs, and I have zapped a few of them with my AR. Usually the deer stop hitting them when they start to bud, because at that time their more preferred soft mast such as crab apples, muscadine grapes, and persimmons become available, as well as ripening corn and peanut crops nearby. So if I can get them that far, late July, then they are good the rest of the way. They are rough right now on young plants. A wire cage sometimes is all that works 100%.

 

[lostsailorsaint]

Dog hair and lots of it will usually fend off most deer/elk imo

 

[KanadianKronik]

from my history... when deer are hungry and there is nothing else around.. they will eat it.. here are a few things i would maybe try if i were you... depending on how hidden your area is.. i dont know about where you are but i know iv seen some of the electric fencing for not to pricey along with the thing to hook up to it to electrify the fence... they have ones that charge off of solar power and can hold a charge for up to 20 days without sun.. if this is a spot you would thinking about keeping for a yew years it would be worth it to run the wire and then just take the power supply home at the end of each season.... i think i priced it out to be under 500 for everything which will pay for itsself the first year!... a deer net works awesome for deer... i dont know about groundhogs .. i dont know if they will just dig under it or how far they can dig.... maybe put a deer net and also put in like 3 foot metal spikes into the ground every 6 or 8 inches... may cost a bit to do that to... or if they dont dig down far just dig out the area around and put like 2 2x8's so its a lil over a foot of a wooden wall...
-KK

 

[jack Haze]

Thanks for all the responses. I've already scattered dog hair, dirty cat litter, my own sweat and urine around the area. I've sprayed a 50/50 mix of ground Cayenne pepper and water around the area in hopes of deterring all wildlife.

The plot I'm concerned about is half surrounded by cornfields. In a way I hope once the corn matures, they'll focus on it. OTOH, a massive supply of corn may attract the Deer. There are tracks everywhere around it but I've not had any trouble.

It's not feasible to set up an electric fence and I'm worried about setting up cages, fearing it will be a beacon and attract spotters and rippers. If I can make it through June I should be alright.

 

[GuerrillaDidgi]

i find three or more trees around my plot and run a spool of fishing line around the perimeter from 3'' to 5ish' that does a pretty good job keeping them away

 

[jack Haze]

i find three or more trees around my plot and run a spool of fishing line around the perimeter from 3'' to 5ish' that does a pretty good job keeping them away

That's good to know. I was just talking to a guy that does that and claims he's never had a plant eaten or messed with. Definitely something I'll do next time I go out there.