The Battle Has Started

[czechsonofagun]

Some people do fence pointing out 45 degrees and the deer never jumps it.

 

[HappyCPE]

The battle is already lost.
You cannot deter a hungry deer. They get very used to living with humans and very much enjoy the food we grow for them. Killing them doesn't work since there are too many... they just keep coming... like waves of four-legged marines...
Mighty tasty, though.
Only a sturdy physical barrier, an 8' tall fence, works for me. They respected it the first year but now that I have yummy things growing on the other side I notice a couple of folds/dents in the wire. They are probing the perimeter... sending scouts out... sooner or later they will discover a weakness...

 

[HuskerInVA]

This year I put a fence around the garden and planted about an acre or clover/alfafa mix as far away from garden as I could on the property. So far no deer in garden, but I see 4 to 6 grazing on the clover every night. Right now the fence is only 4 ft high, but plan to put inverted 'L' outriggers the first day I see a deer print within the perimitter.

 

[DUMBDOG]

We did have a fawn born in our 40 acre garden this year. Mother just jumps through the fence each night and morning to care for it. Guess I need to work on the fence again.

 

[waynokakid]

My experience with deer in the garden, is that all scent based repellents work for a short time. Then once they notice no danger associated with it they continue the feeding. Aggravating in the least. As stated before, hard to deter a hungry deer. If you do put up a fence, put up a second one about 3 or 4 feet away. They can't jump very high over the second one. Lots of extra work but it does work. I did have some luck tying bright colored yarn about knee high around the perimeter of what I wanted to protect it from the deer. Worked long enough for me to get what I wanted harvested.

 

[GA WTDeer]

You could plant hydrangeas, hostas, roses, oriental lilies, tulips, sedum, irises, daisies, day lillies, coneflowers, lilacs, wiegela, viburnum, ornamental pear, holly, crabapple trees, maple trees, spruce trees, apple trees, pear trees, apricot trees, plum trees, cherry trees, asparagus, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, pumpkins, and squash. All have worked effectively in my yard as being deer attractants and may help to serve as a decoy to distract their attention away from your corn. Note that the list above is everything I've planted, and it has all been eaten by the deer. Not suprisingly, rabbits and woodchucks finished of the plants not eaten by deer. My .17 Hornaday has become a close friend in my battle against the smaller vermin, and my Browning BPS got me my first hooved demon during last years hunting season.

On a serious note, I now have a three strand electric electric rope fence with baited cups for apple juice concentrate and peanut butter. The strands are 1, 3, and 6 feet tall. I don't think I need the 6 foot rope, but it does give some visual deterent. I have not had a deer jump over in two years, and no deer tracks within the area either. For the areas not surrounded by the fence, I've had good luck the last two years with a solution of liquid gold (at least you'd think it was liquid gold from the price) - a solution based on garlic and rotton eggs called Liquid Fence.

Hooved demons.... Love it..!!! I try telling my wife every year when deer season starts "they are not nice animals" "and they hate children" Call it a food plot and you'll never see them again. Clay

 

[jbrumberg]

This works ! 90 pounds of deer scaring energy. The deer sense her and stay away just like UPS, FEDEX, and DHL . Jay

 

[Oleozz]

Very pretty dog Jay. My uncle had German shepherds that were terrors on the rats in his barn.

 

[jbrumberg]

Oleozz:

Samantha thanks you for the compliment. She was bred for beauty and a little less so for brains . She was abused, literally abandoned, and undersocialized when I "rescued" her. She's not so hot with woodchucks ; all my old dogs would quickly dispatch them. She tries to "herd" them. I have never seen her kill one , but they tend not to come back . I never saw a woodchuck run until I watched her in action ! Jay

 

[Jaybr]

I'm in one of the few states left where we hunt deer with hounds. I've got a bunch of foxhounds that run deer in fall, and fox trials rest of the year. Most stay kenneled, but we have one that runs loose, sleeps on the front porch, and keeps the deer out of my garden.

On the downside, the only deer I ever see on the property are in full stride with him behind them, fortunately I have plenty of other land to hunt.