Natural Deer Repellent

[murphy1244]

I tried Mountain Lion when he had his cat that worked too.

 

[whistlepig]

We have horses. They don't smell near as well as deer (at least I don't think so). I have spooked our horses with some smells that they have never smelled before. They perk their ears up, snort a little bit, smell a little bit, and then go back to munching grass. They don't jump fences and run away to the next county never to return again. Drop some tiger poop next to a bucket of nice sweet feed and see what the horsies do.

 

[milkman636]

I really don't envision surrounding the garden with poo. I am employing some of the free deterrent suggestions first today. Hair and soap because they are immediately available at the house.

Funny timing this morning with the poo suggestions here. I woke up early this AM for a nature call and spotted some movement behind the garden as I was sitting on the stool. It was those %$#@! deer. The mom with her cute little fawns were at the edge of the woods. In my indisposed condition the only option I had was to yell out the window to "get out of my garden you %$#@! varmints!" My wife was still asleep in the bed less than ten feet away. Boy was she happy with my outburst.

 

[treefarmerguy]

I use Milorganite every year and have had excellent results. This past winter I forgot to spread it and the deer started to eat some ground cover. Threw some Milorganite down and never saw them again.

 

[sam5570]

well I have delt with the deer problem for years and have tried most all of the sugestions in this thread, and the hair thing works but everytime it gets wet it's got to be replaced. the soap works a couple weeks and then they pay it no attension. so far for the first time in over 30 years there has not been a deer in my garden. this is a method that is very easy and cost affective, just get you 4 stakes and put at each corner of the garden tie a rag on each one and about 2 times month take some under arm deodorant and rub on the rags and no deer. this has also kept the deer away from my apple tree's. oh yeah I have watched the deer get within 100' of my garden so I know they are there

 

[milkman636]

I use Milorganite every year and have had excellent results. This past winter I forgot to spread it and the deer started to eat some ground cover. Threw some Milorganite down and never saw them again.

Here is a part of the website that concerns me about using Milorganite in my garden:

Pharmaceuticals

Milorganite, like manures and other organic fertilizers, contains very low but detectable levels of pharmaceuticals and household and personal care products. To ensure consumer safety, Milorganite is actively monitored for a host of compounds that the EPA has ruled as being hazardous. Pharmaceuticals have been passing through humans since their invention, but only recently has analytic science gained the ability to measure chemicals at the extremely low concentrations we see today. When Milorganite is recycled to soil for nutrients, no evidence of harm has been found in earthworms, the primary exposure group. Research on earthworms continues as new classes of therapeutic drugs with distinct modes of action become popular.

When I was a kid I was told that human waste is not a healthy garden fertilizer, even though it does wonders for the grass over the drain field. It may work fine but I'm not ready to eat veggies grown in it.

 

[IkeRoberts]

Dish detergent. Mix your favorite brand 50/50 with water and load a standard spry bottle. Spray on your plants and the deer won't bother them until the next rain storm. Then you'll have to reapply.

 

[caps]

I have tried everything but the electric fence. This area is heavily overpopulated with deer and they eat everything. Even had one of them come up a flight of steps on to my back porch and eat a rose bush out of the pot. Human hair doesn't work more than 2 days, The deer repellent in the spray bottles that consists of putrified eggs only works a couple days. Garlic, cinamon, hot pepper, soap, dish detergent - no good. Someone told me to try WD40 as they didn't like the smell but WD40 will kill the plants if you get it on them. Hanging old CDs from strings around the garden only worked three days. I put a 6 foot high chain link fence around the garden and it keeps most of the smaller deer out but still one gets in now and then. I guess I need to figure out a way to run an electric fence along the top of the flower bed in the front yard without zapping any of our neighbors who come to call. My wife says no! to the fence but if the deer eat any more of the roses...... The deer are eating even the plants that are so called deer resistant. I did get the neighbor across the street to stop feeding the **** varmints. We have had many cars run into the deer in this area. They just stand in the road and ignore you. Honk the horn - they don't move. Open a door however and they run like ****.
I am ready to start shooting them but my neighbors would have a conniption.

 

[milkman636]

Dish detergent. Mix your favorite brand 50/50 with water and load a standard spry bottle. Spray on your plants and the deer won't bother them until the next rain storm. Then you'll have to reapply.

Are we talking about liquid dish soap here? That sounds fairly harmless. What types of plants have you tried this on?

 

[milkman636]

caps I feel your pain buddy. I am actually encouraged that I saw them this morning at sunup. I feel better now about my chances of shooting them if none of this other stuff works. In a perfect world that can wait until November when the flies will be gone. But just in case, I think I'll invest in a trail cam to see if they are developing a predictable pattern.