Image: Stoneystone68
Did you know that, despite their somewhat dainty appearance, a mature white-tail deer can eat up to nine pounds of food in a single day? To a hungry deer, your backyard probably looks like the world’s biggest salad bar!
Dining deer strip bark by raking their incisors upward, making a 2-inch gouge. When they eat foliage, they tear it off, leaving ragged edges. Deer also possess several physical advantages allowing them to detect danger, including a heightened sense of hearing and smell, as well as vision that allows them to view 310 degrees around themselves.
How to Repel Deer with Various Types of Deer Repellents
But here’s the good news: you can use a deer’s heightened senses to your advantage by using a deer repellent. Deer repellent best practices include using a long-lasting product that specifically targets the senses. Electronic deer repellents also work well. Using a short-range lure scent, they provide a harmless static shock to the deer, conditioning them to stay away from the area. Motion-activated water sprayers give a deer an unwanted blast of water, effectively driving it away.
How to Repel Deer by Erecting a Fence
While deer repellents are often the cheaper option, you can also choose to erect a barrier, such as a fence. But not just any fence will do the trick. If you’ve ever witnessed a deer’s leaping ability, you know they can make NBA players green with envy. An effective fence should be sturdy, at least eight feet high, and if possible, electrified.
How to Repel Deer with Homemade Concoctions…Good Luck!
Another option is try one of those homemade recipes for getting rid of deer that have been passed down through the generations. How does mixing together raw eggs, hot sauce and garlic juice together in a blender, then letting sit in your refrigerator for 24 hours sound? It probably sounds like a lot of work, not to mention the smell in your home! These remedies are often ineffective, though, and require frequent reapplication.
How to Repel Deer by 'Deer-Proofing' Your Garden
Many also try deer-proof gardening methods like placing deer-resistant plants in the garden. Some plants that deer avoid are wormwood, hypericum, mint, oregano, lamb’s ear, thyme, bleeding hearts, ferns, lavender, catnip, peony and soapwort. Keep in mind, though, that these plants are deer-resistant, not deer-proof, and environmental conditions could force a deer into eating plants it normally disdains!
By finding the right deer repellent, you can solve that annoying problem: how to repel deer and keep deer out of my yard for good!
