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Garden Gate:  Persistant deer - at my wit's end!  |
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LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 20 2014 : 2:48:52 PM
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Hello everyone and HELP!
We have a deer problem in our area that gets worse every year and our city does nothing about it. There is no authorized hunting in our immediate area, either, and they are coming over into our area from a nearby protected MetroParks nature preserve to "graze" all day and night (destroy is more like it).
I have deer-fenced our fruit trees, our raised bed and our patio garden and (plus we have a 5-foot fence around our entire yard) thought we were finally safe, but I went out today and discovered that it looks like they actually pulled some of it down and ate almost our entire plum tree - leaves, ripening fruit and branches! This year they have also eaten down to the ground several flowering bushes and shrubs, as well as a sapling. Here is what I have tried (besides the fencing) to drive them away:
1) Deer repellent
2) Predatory animal urine scent
3) Soap on roap
4) Dryer sheets
5) Putrefying egg scent
6) Garlic
Nothing seems to keep them away. Does anyone have any other ideas? I am absolutely heartbroken that all my money and hard work is just going to feed some darn deer!
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder
"A [wo]man is rich in proportion to the number of things which [s]he can afford to let alone." - Henry David Thoreau |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2875 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2875 Posts |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2014 : 6:56:20 PM
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I've always heard that the scent of humans will scare them away - in fact, if you place people hair around the area they supposedly stay away.... can't say I've tried it though.
What we use to do (we are in a neighborhood here and do not have the deer issue) was to put a motion light and wind chimes out there.... the sudden light often scared them as did the noise of the wind chimes.... I personally loved the windchmes, just because I thought they were pretty :) Windsocks and flags also work well :)
Our deterrent for critters now is our dogs :) We are one of the few yards that has no issue with cats, squirrels, and hardly ever snakes (we've had one so far this year)
~ Shannon
http://hudson-everydayblessings.blogspot.com/ |
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gramadinah
True Blue Farmgirl
3557 Posts
Diana
Orofino
ID
USA
3557 Posts |
Posted - Jun 20 2014 : 7:33:19 PM
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Paint ball gun. Hurts like heck but doesn't kill them a great deterrent. Or a spud gun I have actually shot them with ice cubes so noT to have to clean up the spuds.
Diana
Farmgirl Sister #273 |
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LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2014 : 05:39:44 AM
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Thank you so much for the input and advice.
Diana - I LOVE the idea about paintball, ice or spud gun! I will be looking into that immediately!! These deer near us are so bold even when you are screaming to scare them off, they will let you get within a foot of them before they run, so I don't think they are at all scared of humans. Maybe they will be more scared of getting shot in the butt by paintball, ice or potatoes!
Farmgirl Sister #3243
"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder
"A [wo]man is rich in proportion to the number of things which [s]he can afford to let alone." - Henry David Thoreau |
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hudsonsinaf
True Blue Farmgirl
3162 Posts
Shannon
Rozet
Wyoming
USA
3162 Posts |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2014 : 12:27:12 PM
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bubble wrap, it really works, they freak when they walk on it and it pops, I know several people now that are useing it, and no more deer, and they all live in heavaly populated deer areas...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - Jun 25 2014 : 3:49:39 PM
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Susanne,, you are not alone! they love our trees too!
as do the ground squirrles and woodpeckers! oh joy!
and, I have tried all the different deterrents short of sleeping out under the trees to scare them off! lol!
>^..^<
Happiness is being a katmom and Glamping Diva!
www.katmom4.blogspot.com & http://graciesvictorianrose.blogspot.com
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Garden Gate: Persistant deer - at my wit's end! |
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Persistant deer - at my wit's end!
