Deer Control Options

MDSteve · Apr 26, 2002

I am with rancar. When we moved into our home the deer used to eat everything that we planted. I got us a hound mix dog and the problem is solved. She will chase deer rabbits and she loves to eat ground hogs.

centex · Apr 26, 2002

"We tried coyote urine - seemed to work well, but when it rained needed to reapply."

Just curious. How does one get coyote urine??? Surely you don't keep thim as pets!

rancar · Apr 26, 2002

<font color=blue>"...she loves to eat ground hogs"</font color=blue>

Does she eat the whole ground hog Steve? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif We used to have a few dogs like this...they loved to help us with our rodent problem...only problem is they would eat only part of the poor ground hog and leave us the intestines here, a leg there, and the head all by itself in the driveway. No problem cleaning all this up but we just made sure it wasn't after breakfast.

Carl_NH · Apr 26, 2002

Don,

We bought it from Agway, and as I have read in other TBN forums here they raise them in cages like chickens then capture the runoff. Not a pleasant task but the stuff sells for $10 a pint or so, so to those that elect this business they earn their keep.

What turned me off to this method was the bottle got tipped over in the garage, soaked the pine boards and the bench, still leaves a nice aroma on the right day..

Rancar,

Dogs are good, and they are effective, as a local fellow had coyote coming in and killing sheep, got a few dogs, showed them the area to protect, they marked the territory and no more problems. I beleive this is the basis for deer control as dogs mark the territory and deer don't enter, as from my experience deer are feeding between 4-7 AM typically in this area, and dogs are either inside the house or in their dog house.

We don't have a dog right now, had labs for 30 yrs, great dogs and when we can spend more time with them then we will have another.

Darren · Apr 26, 2002

Setting a radio out tuned to a talk station seems to work. Tried hanging soap off of bushes. Didn't work. Read a suggestion somewhere that a flasher (the ones you plug into a socket, not the guys in raincoats) hooked to a light will spook the deer as it turns on and off.

Dozernut · Apr 27, 2002

Darren: I would think the flasher (the guy in the raincoat)/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gifwould work very well in scaring the deer off. It would certainly detour me /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif.

rancar · Apr 27, 2002

Carl,

<font color=blue>"...From my experience deer are feeding between 4-7 AM typically in this area, and dogs are either inside the house or in their dog house"</font color=blue>

I should have mentioned that dogs work in as much as you have dogs that like the outdoors. We had dogs in the past that loved the outdoors...liked very little to stay indoors except on bitterly cold winter nights. When outside, the dogs used to bark at the deer...deer never came around. I should also say our dogs were quite civil...they would never attack dear or even chase them to the point of nipping them at their heals. Just barking and making their presence known. This was enough.

Sadly, when the dogs passed on, the dear eventually came back and we're back to the same problems again. One day we will get another dog that likes the outdoors and we will solve this problem again.

Carl_NH · Apr 27, 2002

Robert,

Agreed, dogs are great prevention measures, however right now a dog is not an option. I have had dogs, and they slept outside with a roof. Did a good job a territory managment, though in the present environs, - urban development going on around us seems dogs are relegated to indoor creatures. When we have the acreage, activity (hunting) and room for them to run we will have dogs again.

Darren,

Thanks for the flash and radio idea, bought a outdoor light with sensor last night, plan to connect a light to one socket and the other to a radio on a talk station set for 10 minutes then it's off unless reactivated.

Will advise success.

Thanks,

Carl

Thomas · Apr 28, 2002

Carl,
Maybe some dogs are great for controling wildlife but not our big 82lbs baby of a dog.

She high tails it to the house when a moose,deer,fox come to visit,only to be whipped by our 9 lbs kitten thats waiting for her. /w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

I pity anybody who tries to break into our home,for the dog will lap them to death and black and blue them w/her tail...I 'll put my money on the kitten for protection.