Anyone havea suggestion to help preserve some plantings around our property? I suspect deer are filling thier bellies with our fantastic black eyed susans. They really have done a number. Anyone know of a simple solution to discourage the guys from eating here?
Wildlife destroying landscaping!
- Thread starter coachgrd
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beenthere
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Hang a fresh deer hide on the fence every night. That seems to scare them away, I think.
DocHeb
Veteran Member
I've tried the hair, the soap, the urine to no avail.
This is the first year I've been able to grow hostas in my backyard. There has been no snacking on my roses and the liatris has bloomed for the first time in four years.
This year I spray Repellex Deer Repellent and have had good success. It is based on blood. I put the first dose on after the first hosta shoots were eaten, and applied a booster dose a week ago. There has been no further damage. This formulation has a latex base that makes it rain-fast. The manufacturer states it lasts 2-3 months. It has worked really well so far. It does have the most repugnant, organic, putrid smell, however. When I first opened the bottle it smelled so bad I called the company to see if it had gone bad - they assured me that it does have a "disagreeable" odor. I can easily say it is the worst smell I've ever encountered (and that says a lot since I work in an Emergency Department!) The smell faded after ~ 8 hours, and doesn't smell now at all.
It does seem to work. It cost $35 at my local expensive suburban garden center, and the concentrate dilutes up to make two gallons.
Attached is a picture taken off my back deck last year, showing one of the local hydrangea lovers .... mmmmmmm ... tastee!
This is the first year I've been able to grow hostas in my backyard. There has been no snacking on my roses and the liatris has bloomed for the first time in four years.
This year I spray Repellex Deer Repellent and have had good success. It is based on blood. I put the first dose on after the first hosta shoots were eaten, and applied a booster dose a week ago. There has been no further damage. This formulation has a latex base that makes it rain-fast. The manufacturer states it lasts 2-3 months. It has worked really well so far. It does have the most repugnant, organic, putrid smell, however. When I first opened the bottle it smelled so bad I called the company to see if it had gone bad - they assured me that it does have a "disagreeable" odor. I can easily say it is the worst smell I've ever encountered (and that says a lot since I work in an Emergency Department!) The smell faded after ~ 8 hours, and doesn't smell now at all.
It does seem to work. It cost $35 at my local expensive suburban garden center, and the concentrate dilutes up to make two gallons.
Attached is a picture taken off my back deck last year, showing one of the local hydrangea lovers .... mmmmmmm ... tastee!
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rmorgan
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Coachgrd, I'd trust anything DocHeb says, and want to add that I've had truly impressive luck this summer with a product called Liquid Deer Fence--like what he's talking about, it is almost nauseating when you apply it (rotten eggs and garlic), but is odorless when it dries and it is so far absolutely working, including on hybrid daylilies we haven't seen bloom for years. I got it at Frank's in a diluted form with a spray pump that stinks almost as bad as the product, but concentrate is available at their website. So far, it has our unreserved recommendation as long as you put it in something that will actually let you apply it. Good luck!!
ronjhall
Super Star Member
We have 2 Mulberry trees that we planted a couple of years ago. The deer find these to be a delicacy and will not stop eating the leaves. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
My wife went Jerry Bakers store. They recommended Liquid Fence. It smells terrible but has stopped the deer. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
They have other products that to stop other animals.
My wife went Jerry Bakers store. They recommended Liquid Fence. It smells terrible but has stopped the deer. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
They have other products that to stop other animals.
JimR
Elite Member
A dog will keep them away. My farmer neighbor asked me to shoot a few on his farm that are devastating his green beans before they are even ripe. He forgot to put up his electric fence this year.
mwechtal
Silver Member
We have deer around our yard all the time, and they don't eat the flowers. When we first moved here, we had a garden for a few years. One time we were on vacation, and my father-in-law was watching the garden for us. He saw that the green beens were ready to pick, but since we were coming home the next day, he left them. Well the deer came in that night and ate them down to the ground. They were climbing in a plastic net, and they picked every leaf out of the net. The rabbits ate the tops off the carrots and beets. I think the woodchucks ate the swis chard. Basically we just gave up on vegatables. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif The critters sure can be destructive.
Mike
Mike
Junkman
Super Member
Jim... my Weimeraner chases them away every morning and they keep coming back for more of the sweet grass in the back yard. When she sees them from the upstairs window, she starts barking and they just ignore the noise. Then I let her out the front door and by the time she gets around to the back of the house, they are scattering. She chases them toward the stream and when they cross the water, she comes back to the house. This has been a daily ritual for the past 3 years during the warm months. Last winter, they ate all my Holly bushes down to nubs. What the severe winter didn't kill off or take its toll on, the deer did. This fall, I am going to allow hunting on the property for the first time in 20 years. The deer population has skyrocketed around here even with all the hunting around my property.
Today, when I lifted the cellar steel entrance door, I found why the mouse population has been diminishing. There were 5 snakes on the top stair. I just closed it and left them undisturbed. A good mouse trap is hard to find. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I lost a beautiful Japanese Maple tree to the mice a few years ago when they ate the bark off the bottom of the tree in the winter.
The dog has just about gotten the rabbits gone.... she chases them all the time. Now, if someone has a way to get rid of Chipmunks, that is the last of the plant eating problems.
Today, when I lifted the cellar steel entrance door, I found why the mouse population has been diminishing. There were 5 snakes on the top stair. I just closed it and left them undisturbed. A good mouse trap is hard to find. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I lost a beautiful Japanese Maple tree to the mice a few years ago when they ate the bark off the bottom of the tree in the winter.
The dog has just about gotten the rabbits gone.... she chases them all the time. Now, if someone has a way to get rid of Chipmunks, that is the last of the plant eating problems.
JimR
Elite Member
I have a friend that hunts CT. each year. I can get in touch with him if you like about hunting your property. He hunts with his two sons.
A .22 caliber pellet gun will take care of the chipmunks. Or better yet. I have a nice black kitty that will eat the daylights out of them. The farm behind me use to be hunted pretty heavily each year. Now the hunters have seemed to stop hunting. That includes myself due to working days now. Three years ago I counted 13 deer in his field on Thanksgiving night. There were 3 bucks and 10 does. My daughter could not believe all of them hanging out eating what was left of the corn crop. It was around 9:30 at night when we spot-lighted the field. Maybe this year I will help him out a little with his deer problem. The only reason that I haven't yet is because there are just too many busy bodies (neighbors) that need to know what is going on. They don't like hearing gunshots. It was so much nicer when all the old-timers were still alive and lived in those houses. Now we have a bunch of city-slicking do-gooders that like the peace and tranquility of the country woods. Enviornmentalists and tree huggers to say the least. My tractor lending neighbor (doctor) moved back to Vermont because of these people.
A .22 caliber pellet gun will take care of the chipmunks. Or better yet. I have a nice black kitty that will eat the daylights out of them. The farm behind me use to be hunted pretty heavily each year. Now the hunters have seemed to stop hunting. That includes myself due to working days now. Three years ago I counted 13 deer in his field on Thanksgiving night. There were 3 bucks and 10 does. My daughter could not believe all of them hanging out eating what was left of the corn crop. It was around 9:30 at night when we spot-lighted the field. Maybe this year I will help him out a little with his deer problem. The only reason that I haven't yet is because there are just too many busy bodies (neighbors) that need to know what is going on. They don't like hearing gunshots. It was so much nicer when all the old-timers were still alive and lived in those houses. Now we have a bunch of city-slicking do-gooders that like the peace and tranquility of the country woods. Enviornmentalists and tree huggers to say the least. My tractor lending neighbor (doctor) moved back to Vermont because of these people.
SPIKER
Elite Member
Ive been having a similar problem with deer lost a lot of good white pine saplings this winter to them eating the tops off to the snow line. I have aneibor who asked to hunt several times and I told him he can this year but only for th ebucks as they are rubbing MANY trees in the back 10 acres very bad. they ATE the beans and lettus heads clean down as well as my corn in the garden. less than 30' from the back door. so I took WHITE twine/string coton stuff a bit larger than kite string and ran a single row around the garden LOOKS like electric fence. appearantly they KNOW what electric fence is and they have not been back in there. the rabbits are a different story. as for the wood chucks in the last 3 weeks I've cut down the population byt about 10 with my 10/22 /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif I still have about 6 or 7 that are smarter to get, but my brothers been riding in the woods keeping the trails mudded down pretty good, so sneaking up on them is pretty easy problem is I only have one way in and out, they pay attension to those two ways, so now I got 3 this past week by SNEAKING in through a different way and they are supprized as heck!! lol the little ones are pretyt easy to get its the big uns that are too wise. nearly got one with a pretyt long shot 50 yards or so for my place as very wooded so I sight at about 30 yards or less otwherwise you will not see them untill you are nearly up on them. he saw me and took off running I sighted on his hole and waited for him to get there he stopped just shy and the slub probably gave him a mowhock and he turned and ran across the creek to a different hole. I COULD have let loose on him but from where I was shooting the neibors barn is close by and the creek is all rock so I didn't take him down on the fly. There will be a nuther day for him /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Mark M
Mark M
