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HomeTopics...Gardening TipsDeer Control
Deer Control MethodsOver recent years, populations of the deer's natural predators have declined. While people may initially celebrate saving Bambi's life from those evil, cunning wolves and coyotes, gardeners start thinking differently once they see Bambi in their backyard garden, chewing on their favorite plants.
The presence of deer in your yard is a direct result of the decline in the predator population. Fewer predators mean more deer survive. More deer require more food to support the population. Once their habitats can't provide any more food, deer will start wandering out in search of food. If you happen to live nearby, your garden plants might look like a perfect snack to the deer. You may not be interested in shooting the deer, but you also don't want them treating your garden like an all-you-can eat salad bar. Try some of the strategies below.
Deer-Resistant PlantsIf a plant tastes good to deer, they're most likely to eat it—and eat a lot of it. To discourage deer from eating your plants, select plants that taste bad to them. In general, deer do not like hard or thorny plants, but don't think they will never eat those plants. If they're hungry enough, they just might.
Since deer can eat practically anything when hungry, you won't find any plants that are safe from them except for specific "deer-resistant" plants. Some deer-resistant plants include:
Experiment to see which plants the deer leave alone and which plants they seem to like.
Deer RepellentsDeer repellents have been found to be effective at keeping deer away from your plants. Deer repellent smells bad and/or tastes bad to a deer. On occasion, if a deer is hungry enough, the deer repellent may be ignored.
Deer repellent can dissipate or wash away in the rain, so you'll have to reapply the deer repellent every few weeks. Don't apply the deer repellent to vegetable plants and fruits as edibles might pick up the odor or taste of the repellent.
Deer Fencing and NettingTry to prevent deer from wandering onto your property. With fencing, you have two options: a high fence or a confusing fence. A fence has to be at least eight feet high in order to prevent deer from jumping over. That's pretty high, and it can be pretty unsightly.
You can also try to confuse the deer with more discreet fencing, such as with a black mesh fence. At night, the deer will bump into it and wonder why he can't move forward and is more likely move on to another garden. You might also consider placing your prized plants under netting. The mesh netting lets air and sun reach the plants, but also prevents deer from nipping at the leaves and flowers.
The Bark is Worse than the BiteDeer fear dogs and always avoid them. If you and your garden can handle it, get a dog.
Other Ways to Keep Deer AwayPeople have tried a number of other methods to keep deer away from their plants. Some may work, some may not; it all depends on the deer and how hungry they are.
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