Deer

[fizzle7033]

We may have a problem this summer. Our property is LOADED with huge deer. Some of the biggest I have ever seen. OK, that's not the problem!! But, how are we going to keep these guys out of our garden??

Also, we have the most coyotes I have ever seen anywhere!!!!

[msta999]

Sounds like you need to get huntin licenses for you the spouse and all the kids, aunts, uncles...... this fall ;D

[Deberosa]

We met people with a beautiful garden in an area that was filled with deer near here and asked them how they did it.

They used a product called Deer Scram - said it worked like a charm!
http://www.deerscram.com/

We just finished the fence around our place and let the dog run loose and that seems to work.


I've also heard that planting rosemary is somewhat of a deterent. Before we had the dog loose I also ran strings all around the garden up to 8 feet high and then hung ribbons from the string. Didn't have any deer but not sure if it was because of that or not.

Some ideas anyhow...

[MooseToo]

heard somewhere recently that deer will cross a vertical barrier much more readily than a horizontal barrier - haven't tried it yet but plan to -

[fizzle7033]

Thanks for the advice. My step dad said something that has worked for him in the past is planting a feeder plot of some field corn away from the garden in an area where the deer frequent. Has anyone else had luck with this???

[sbemt456]

Put up a really tall fence with electric added to that. This is what we are doing. We had string, streamers and 30 acres of grass land and they still ate all our garden last year.They were not detered by stinky stuff or clothes that had been worn, our solution was to thin them at hunting season, and you may have to resort to thinning them now to protect your garden. As`for the coyotes, the deer are their food source, but they also like cats and dogs as well, lost more than my share of both to coyotes.
Do a google search for "deer fencing" and you will get a website for a netting type fence that is reasonably priced, we got the 6' tall and are putting electric (solar) around as well for rabbits and ground hogs/
Good luck!
stella

[CountryKitty]

Thanks for the advice. *My step dad said something that has worked for him in the past is planting a feeder plot of some field corn away from the garden in an area where the deer frequent. *Has anyone else had luck with this???

To an extent...yes. in the past couple of years clover has taken over my yard. While deer cross the yard after sunset and before sunrise on a near daily basis, they mostly confine their attention to the clover and leave the garden alone. (This fall they DID discover my sorrel and munched it down to the ground, but I've moved it to inside the fenced in portion of the yard with the dog).