Our &%$@^$ deer

Hi All

Got up early yesterday morning, and as the sun came up, walked down to my hosta garden.

)(*#^ bambi had once again visited the plot.

Here on the mountain, we have a real deer problem.

The critters breed like rabbits, one herd camps at the bottom of my property. Last fall, the one hunter I let bag a deer said he saw eight one morning.

This isn’t the first time. Just two weeks ago I saw hoof prints around the green (bush) beans and the deer had sheared off the tops of all the plants in one row, so evenly it was like I mowed them with my lawn-mower set on the highest setting.

Anyway, I called my garden-lady friend (she and her husband own a hardware/garden center.) She said that deer were a terrible problem in our county again this year and suggested some preventive measures.

I purchased surveyor’s tape, an $11.00 pint bottle of ferti-lome “Rabbit and Deer Repellent” (mixed some and sprayed), more Ivory soap, and a bottle of baby powder.

Yesterday evening, after a full day’s gardening, DW and I built two more scare-crows (scare-deer?) and doused them with cheap perfume.

The garden smells like our daughters bathroom before a Saturday night date.

But, the deer didn’t visit last night.

BTW, pictures are at the bottom of the page here http://www.gardengym.com/pictures.htm

What was the surveyors tape for? I passed a garden in the country (read deer country) yesterday and they had a wire around the perimeter with dryer sheets attached with clothespins. I've had good luck with the Scarecrow that is attached to a hose and has a motion detector and gives them a squirt when they come within 35 feet of the garden. This is the first year I have been able to grow green beans. But I did notice a baby rabbit hopping out of the garden this morning. He is so short he didn't trip the sensor.

they got the tomatoes, castor beans and confederate rose last night. fuming here!

Our son's girlfriend says that if you will use horse manure to fertilize and top dress your gardens and flower beds the deer won't come near them. Here mother does it with great success. I have also noticed that since we have been getting stable cleanings from a neighbor the deer aren't bothering us anymore. It's worth a try.

"What was the surveyors tape for?"

It was suggested to me that the deer shy away from the color and movement of the surveyor's tape. We'll see.

"I've had good luck with the Scarecrow that is attached to a hose and has a motion detector and gives them a squirt"

Really, tell me more.

If this doesn't work, I'm considering trip wires and anti-personnel mines :-)

"we have been getting stable cleanings from a neighbor the deer aren't bothering us anymore. It's worth a try."

It certainly is, this is horse country, and stable cleanings are plentiful around here.

I use my tractor to pull the trailer to a friend's stable, fill it with the front-end-bucket. I hauled 15 trailer loads for my garden last fall, then turned it under.

HAH...trip wires and mines! I know the feeling gg! We have more than our share of those deer here also!
I think cuz I like to spray fish emulsion as a foliar food it helps to keep them out. Usually they come around in the early spring tho when my lettuces and such are out.

By the way, that rabbit and deer repellent, is that for use on food crops? I saw some once but it said only for flowers and ornamentals.
Friends of mine use electric fence with peanut butter on it...after a few shocks the deer don't come near.

Hang in there, maybe this Fall you'll be eating really really good (tenderloin, deerburger, deer roasts).

PS...the color of the surveyors tape will have no effect on the deer, they're color blind. (Otherwise all these hunters who are required to wear blaze-orange would never see a deer!) What hangs from the tape is what works.

I'm having rabbit problems and with just 3 squash plants in the garden! I cannot imagine having a larger garden out in the country and having to guard against deer as well. Good Luck.

"By the way, that rabbit and deer repellent, is that for use on food crops?"

Yes, according to the label, but it's fairly noxious.

I sprayed it on the new green bean plants, but not on the mature beans that I will soon be picking, hopefully.

The baited electric fence is an idea. I have experience with fencing livestock, and gave that some thought yesterday.

Tomorrow, I will visit my local Tractor Supply and browse the fence chargers, etc.

gardengym, when I lived in Boone and had horses, we had a solar charger hooked up to the battery for the elec. fence. I believe we got it at Sears but that has been many, many moons ago. It was really great, and since the pasture was not close to the house, the power supply was no problem. (Only problem was keeping the weeds down at the fence lines so the wet grass didn't short out the system.)

This is a really good price for a Scarecrow. I paid $80 but have been happy with the results.

http://www.awesometools.com/scarecrow.htm

Problem is the limited range of the sensor eye. About 100 degrees and you have to face it to the directions they are coming from. In my case my house is blocking the approach for part of it and a large brush pile along the property line helps. They will not jump into something like a high brush pile as their depth perception is bad. If you are in the country, can't you get a "nuisance license" to shoot them. I know just how you feel. It is so very frustrating to try and garden, work, put money and time into it and they just destroy it all.

I have the best luck with "chicken wire" (more accurately "poultry netting") laid flat on the ground around the area to be protected from the deer. The beatiful creatures with their soulful eyes do not like to step into the wire because it catches on their hooves,

I use dried blood,deer like plants and don't like meat......so they stay away from it.

only problem is if it rains you gotta apply it again

Here in S.E. Wisconsin we have too many deer about.
I think the Hot Wire will fail unless you are in a congested area it may be worth a try. In the open,they get goin' and run into the wire snapping it before they know what it is .Dead Hot Wire! "HONEY! THE horses are out AGAIN".....Sheesh.
TRY this , some inexpensive elec.fence posts, with 2 hooks on each, Use your Walmart or grocery bags...loop each handle loop on a hook,one top and one lower, poke a finger thru the bottom,makes them fly better....viola.."Wally World Scarecrow/Windsock". You get movement and noise..............................................NO.2...........Buy a "fragrant" aka stinky -" deodorant" bar soap ,like Zest,Irish Spring, etc....If you need alot maybe WallyWorld has a generic. Hang them off of whatever in an old nylon,cheesecloth sack,onion mesh or whatever is light enough to let it breathe. The Magic is revived every time they get rain or dew on them. A friend uses this at her new home they built in the Nicolet National Forest area up in N.Wisconsin,deer would mow her prize Peonies every morning.It Worked! Good luck..SB >^,,^<

The last couple of weeks a racoon (or racoon family) have been rototilling my yard looking for worms & grubs. After tearing out most of my new plants, I decided to act. I contacted animal control and they suggested getting a deterent at the hardware store. I got "Shake Away" which is coyote, fox or bobcat urine in a shakeable form (I think it is mixed in sand.) I sprinkled it around the yard and it appears to have scared the buggers off. I did not notice a smell, but I don't have the nose of a coon. There are four different products http://www.shake-away.com/Index.html with a cost of around $15 for 600 linear feet of "protection"

My favorite for deer is "Not Tonight Deer" http://www.nottonight.com/ I have no idea if it works, but I thought the name and West Coast twist was cute.

george4tax..Did you mean that this was your favorite advertisment..since you have not used the product??

I liked the play on words.

Try playing a radio at night.

Rooty, Maybe a D.J. and drinks on the house.........But then you may attract an undesireable crowd, you know how those 'Ho' raccoons,squirrels & deer can find a good party.....Heh-Heh-Heh ;-)

After the fact....sheesch

lol!! That's priceless and a darn cheek!! :-) I am so interested in this thread and yes I have the dratted deer problem too, so will try everything and anything to protect my roses and everything else which suffered badly. I've read that mylar works but have no idea what that is and also human hair stuffed into knee high hose. I can just see me now at the barber shop on my knees - to my hubbie's embarrassment!! :-)

A wheelbarrow turned upside down with handles sticking up; dowse it with a bucket full of Irish Spring (or any stinky cheap cologne) suds. Does the trick for us!

anybody have a dog?
I mean, I cannot imagine a deer wandering into my garden with my dog roaming around.

just remember one very very important fact my friends... no matter how bad they ruin your garden, no matter how many there are, no matter how pretty they are... they taste REALLY good. So you arn't loosing crops, you are fattening them up.

makes me feel better
Drew

louisa, Mylar is a strong plastic that looks like metal. The helium filled balloons you can buy instead of greeting cards are made of this. Sometimes you can find it knit into a shiny festive fabric,(for shiny,festive occasions...LOL ).
Easier & cheaper .....String wire or cord around the area and hang 'LONG' strips of aluminum foil here and there,prob 2 or 3 in. wide.Breezes create movement & noise that we hope will scare the critters away. <;-)
They do not last as long as mylar.
IDEA!! Woo-Hoo! Check in the gift wrap section,I have seen this type of different colored film for gift wrapping........SB >^,,^<

This message was edited Sunday, Jul 20th 9:45 AM

I almost hate to write; it's one of those "knock on wood" moments; but since I started this thread two weeks ago, I have had not one incident of any varmint visiting my garden.

Fresh corn, green beans, squash, cukes, onions and garlic are all fine, as well as my flowers, hostas, new ground cover, cannas, and more.

It seems that encircling the garden with surveyor's tape, two more scare crows liberally doused with cheap perfume, and mothballs around the perimeter have worked, for now.

My only complaint, the garden smells like a bordello, as if I could recognize the smell ;->

I'm so glad we don't have this garden "pest" to deal with in FL. I think it's about the ONLY one we don't have...

Scooterbug thanks for the info re mylar. I know what you mean now. Hey, that's easy to find!! lol gardengym re the bordello but what a success story. I did read that the deer will soon realize that the scarecrows are harmless so maybe you should move them around now and again. I can't imagine how I would 'rope' my piece of land off though but maybe the mothballs would work!! I hear there is an abundance of 'huge' pests in Florida. Maybe we are lucky after all since the deer only really bother us when they are starving.

Our Garden is 50X200 and we've had the same problems this year.... although they do mow the beans nicely... they took all 8 of the 100 foot rows of greenbeans.... Someone asked; "If you are in the country, can't you get a "nuisance license" to shoot them."

We thought the same thing, since we own 100 acres. Our county Wildlife officer said nuisance permits are only for those who make their living from the land, won't issue for a home garden, even though we eat from that garden year round... he suggested we surround the garden with electic fence, and put strips of aluminum foil around with peanut butter. He said once they get shocked, they don't come back for a while... I really like the idea of the motion detector water sprayer... but Hubby said we'd probably have to have several to cover the garden...

We have a dog that adopted us, who lives outside, but I think the deer are paying him off... he lays on the deck in a deck chair and watches them.

Next year I think we're going to have to move the garden into our dogs fenced in area... our greyhound pounces on anything that moves, she got one small deer that happened into their area this year already, and the dobes make lots of noise... but this year, I don't think we're going to have any green beans. :-(
Melissa

My God Woman! You would put out poison? re; mothballs.[couldn't help myself,no offense implied ] SB

It was only when I left DG after posting and not thinking clearly on two accounts....mothballs would be a no-no for me since I'm strictly organic and in ref to deer only invading when they are starving - not true!! They just love my roses anytime, anywhere anyday!! Kathleen always tells me to own a dog but if they are as laid back as Melissa's then what's the point!! lol...

He did chase a skunk out of the garden yesterday!

Yes, if you're going to get a dog to guard the garden, make sure it's one that will actually guard the garden....
In defense of our dear departed German Shepard... we NEVER had not one bit of problem when we had him in the garden area.

Melissa