Deer from hell

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by The Perfumed Garden on March 25, 2009 at 10:44am

Hi Jill - I understand totally! We have 3 herds of large deer in our area and all contain at least 30 in each, not to mention the small muntjacks that are around. They always use the same tracks in and out and are usually around at the same or a similar time of day.
The only truly effective way is to fence your garden off, or at least decide which area you want to conserve and fence that area. I appreciate larger gardens will require a substantial budget to do it, but we have recently done this for a customer, keeping half of their garden open and fencing the other half with 6' tall fencing (yes, it really does need to be that high - they have legs like springs!). It has been 100% effective using posts with stock fencing and straining wire. the customers are delighted and are already seeing their plants growing for the first time in all the years they have lived there.
Hope this helps,
Jill Foxley

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by colin on March 25, 2009 at 7:08pm

if you know the tracks they use you could try putting in the little windmills that you get at the seaside, deer are very nervous and are alerted naturally by birds flying off, the little windmills are meant to simulate the bird scatter and make the deer cautious of an area. would be a cheap option to try before a lot of fencing.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pro Gard on March 25, 2009 at 7:25pm

Fencing Im afraid.

Windmills, feed sacks cut up and tied to fences etc etc all work to a degree but youll ultimately still get damadge.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by steve loftus on March 25, 2009 at 8:40pm

mmmmmm,

spray jays fluid solution around, cut a lifebuoy soap(coal tar) into chunks and spread around, human hair around garden,old boys tricks...do they work???.
single strand of nylon/wire electric fence around perimeter .
wild dogs...children rifle etc
p.i.r lights to flash on when approached
n.b i have just read that human hair would fall under the pesticides 1986 act ,as it has not been tested as a pesticide !!!!!!
but lifebuoy soap is a good-un.........hang in a stocking around 28" off the ground

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Dave Sewell on March 26, 2009 at 9:44am

Fencing is your only permenant option. We've had to di it once and managed to fence off approx 10 acres for 30K
Dave
www.the-gardenmakers.co.uk

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Daniel Johnson III on March 28, 2009 at 11:07am

a dog

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by The Perfumed Garden on March 28, 2009 at 12:00pm

a lion

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bella Stander on March 28, 2009 at 1:34pm

Options:
1) Put up a 6ft fence topped by 2ft strand (preferably barbed) angled to the outside.
2) Have at least one med-large deer-chasing dog (husky, Aussie, border collie, Rhodesian ridgeback, etc) that runs around outside EVERY day.
3) Plant things deer don't like:
Thorny plants (they'll still eat rose blooms)
Gray and/or fuzzy-leafed plants (lamb's ears, Russian sage, artemisia)
Most herbs (lavender, rosemary, hyssop, sage--but not basil, which they LOVE)
Echinacea, allium, euphorbia
Large ornamental grasses
Rhododendron, mountain laurel
Peonies
Bulbs: daffodils, crocus, hyacinths

You probably already know this, but hollyhocks, shasta daisies & yew are deer candy. If you're in US, get the book PLEASE DON'T EAT MY GARDEN.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Hamish on March 28, 2009 at 2:18pm

No one has mentioned shooting. But bringing in a local professional stalker to take a few out will help everyone in the area - it is unfortunate that deer populations are so large as to become such a pest, but properly controlled they should not want to destroy or approach a garden. However the only deer that can be shot at the moment are red deer stags or bucks, (venison rump in pepper sauce- mmmm).
Alternatively human urine is a really effective detterent.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by David Channon on March 28, 2009 at 4:41pm

If your in SE England, take a look at www.deer-britain.com which is one of my business sites.
I can arrange a stalker to come and shoot them for you for free if the garden is big enough for a safe shot. Generally, culling one or two deters the rest for quite a while. However, the close season for many species is only days away.
If you want this discretely, send an e-mail to fewmet@gmail.com which gets to the admin of the deertalking site (www.deertalking.com) . Most of this site is private and stalking opportunities are only circulated to verified subscribers. who are DSC qualified.
If you want to keep them out permanently, fencing is the only way. 1-2 metres for muntjac, roe, cwd; 2;3 metres for fallow, red and sika


Hamish said:

No one has mentioned shooting. But bringing in a local professional stalker to take a few out will help everyone in the area - it is unfortunate that deer populations are so large as to become such a pest, but properly controlled they should not want to destroy or approach a garden. However the only deer that can be shot at the moment are red deer stags or bucks, (venison rump in pepper sauce- mmmm).
Alternatively human urine is a really effective detterent.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Bella Stander on March 28, 2009 at 5:09pm

Another solution is to fence in a small area around house, in which you'll have dog(s) & deer candy (roses, malva, shasta daisies, candytuft, yew, etc.). In unfenced area, put naturalistic plantings of deer-resistant flora, per my previous post. And have all resident & visiting menfolk pee around the fenceline.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Daniel Johnson III on March 29, 2009 at 9:30am

Hamish said:

No one has mentioned shooting. But bringing in a local professional stalker to take a few out will help everyone in the area - it is unfortunate that deer populations are so large as to become such a pest, but properly controlled they should not want to destroy or approach a garden. However the only deer that can be shot at the moment are red deer stags or bucks, (venison rump in pepper sauce- mmmm).
Alternatively human urine is a really effective detterent.

I was going to mention this .. get your husband to mark the area

▶ Reply to This

▶ Reply to This