Dealing with deer

I can't remember if I've asked this somewhere on the forums before, so my apologies for any repetition.

I haven't had a problem with deer until last year. They ate the tops off of all my tomato plants, and then ate any new growth every time the plants tried to rally. It's the only year I didn't plant marigolds, but otherwise, I have no idea what would be different.

I have a 4' fence that backs up too woods, but they will come in on via my neighbor's backyard too. Any humane and inexpensive way to keep them away from my garden? Could I just plant mint all along my fence (I know it spreads).

Keep this in mind.  Deer can jump high.  They don't like to jump far.  They also don't do 'detail' so well.  If confronted by a fence they cant get close to they are reluctant to spring over a high fence.  Likewise if they encounter a high fence with a chaotic landing zone on the other side, they are reluctant to take the risk.  Will they?  Can they?  Yes, of course.  Deer are very capable.  The idea is to make the risk higher than the reward.  

Since they don't do detail well, adding things like cd's or shiney foil to fishing line above your fence makes them reluctant, since they see the movement but not the support.  Again, trying to disincentivise your garden.  A double fence or visual barrier on one side or the other gives them pause.  Try stringing a line of from supports in their landing zone with things that will move in the wind or 'bounce' around.  It will likely make them think twice before jumping into something they can't really make sense of.  They are prey animals.  Getting hurt in the wild usually means risking fatality.  Use their nature against thier drive for an easy meal.

Short of 8 ft fencing with unappetizing plants on the outside, nothing I've ever read comes with a guarantee!

Yes, Marigolds have an odour that is supposed to deter pests (deer count as pests in my book), but trust me, if they get desperate, they may decide to eat it anyway.

The same is true of both sunflowers and allium family plants like garlic and walking onion.

Some mints might discourage them more than others.  They do seem to avoid Lemon Balm with is in the mint family. It mows nicely too, in my ecosystem.

They supposedly don't like the furry leaves of comfrey, until we had a dry spell and they were feeling desperate.

If you know a few people with male dogs that need brushing or pruning, I have used dog fur twist-tied to fences at nose height. It has to be refreshed in the spring and every couple of months during gardening season, but it seems to suggest to the deer to go elsewhere. It looks like I've decorated with pom-poms! In the spring, the nesting birds steal some of it, but I'm willing to share. Just having anyone with a dog inviting it over to mark your land regularly, may be of some help.

Some people plant "deer gardens" far away from their "people garden" in the hopes that they will go there instead, but if the population is high enough, and the lack of alternative food sources great enough, this too may fail. I feel a little as if feeding *any* wildlife is a double edged sword, as their population may increase as a result and then the problem just gets bigger.

Here are some threads about fencing. I personally have had no luck with the black plastic deer fencing once it gets a bit old and they get used to it. Nor did I have luck trying to use electric fencing - they just evaded it - I would have had to keep plants too trimmed back.
https://permies.com/t/140079/Wavy-Deer-Fence
https://permies.com/t/154835/Deer-fencing-advice
https://permies.com/t/141026/Dealing-deer
https://permies.com/t/184425/Deer-fencing-sounds-works

I have heard good things about the motion activated sprinklers... between the noise and the water it tends to scare away quite a few different animals.

If you can’t beat them… feed them! 😀

Almost everyone feeds the deer on this island, but two low fences deter deer better than one tall one. They can’t jump and land over two fences.

I have had good results on multiple sites with different animals using baited electric wire.  You hang one wire at nose height of the critter you're trying to control.  Every few feet along the wire, put a little tag of aluminum foil, with something yummy slathered on it (peanut butter is the default, it's cheap and most critters love it) facing outward.  The deer or other animal smells this, gives the tag a lick and gets a REALLY good shock!  He won't be back for months, and will warn all of his friends too.  I have kept chickens safe in a yard with just a flimsy garden net over it to contain them, from coons and possums this way.  Also with this method it's possible to get goats to respect a single wire fence as well.

French marigolds do work for some pests.  Maybe even deer.

I had something eat my French Marigolds though I think it was rabbits.

Electric fencing or double fencing is probably the closest with a warranty not a guarantee.

Emily Smith wrote:I can't remember if I've asked this somewhere on the forums before, so my apologies for any repetition.

I haven't had a problem with deer until last year. They ate the tops off of all my tomato plants, and then ate any new growth every time the plants tried to rally. It's the only year I didn't plant marigolds, but otherwise, I have no idea what would be different.

I have a 4' fence that backs up too woods, but they will come in on via my neighbor's backyard too. Any humane and inexpensive way to keep them away from my garden? Could I just plant mint all along my fence (I know it spreads).

4ft is not tall enough to keep deer out. If you check out apple orchards, their fences are at least 8ft tall.

We have a veggie garden smack in the middle of deer country, complete with food plots to feed the deer.  My husband's electric fence solution now has worked for over 30 years after repeated attempts to deter deer but failing.  The key is what a previous poster pointed out and that is the electric wire should be at nose height for a deer - approximately 4 1/2 to 5 feet off the ground.  Here's our fence set up:

Chicken wire staked all around the perimeter (and for lower critters - hardware cloth bent at 90 degrees with one foot under ground, outside the chicken wire, pinned down and weighted/covered with stone with the remaining vertical two feet attached wired onto the chicken wire)

A single strand of non-electric wire about 3/4 foot above the chicken wire.

A single strand of electric wire about about 1 3/4 feet to 2 feet above the chicken wire (about 3/4 to 1 foot above the first non-electric wire).

Deer are curious.  They will usually use their nose to sniff or check out the fence or obstacle at nose height before jumping.  My husband actually saw a deer put his nose to the electric wire and it sent it a few feet off the ground and running clear across the yard and pond(!) into the woods.  

I'll try to find a picture to send to help with visualizing this.

As promised, here is an old picture of the electric garden fence we have.  The fence at that time was in need of repair, so though it's the best shot for understanding the two wires above the chicken wire (top one is electric, the bottom one, above the chicken wire, is not), it is not the best looking - the wires need tightening up every few years depending on the integrity of the stakes (we live in Wisconsin with freezing and thawing ground).  Hope this helps.

The double fence idea is the one that actually works long term from what I've seen. A neighbour of mine tried everything, soap bars, human hair, sprays, and the deer just got used to all of it within a few weeks. Two low fences about 4 feet apart was what finally stopped them. They can clear one easily but they won't commit to the jump if they can't see a clear landing.

The audacity of some deer is incredible. I remember when my local deer were frightened of people but now they will tolerate standing fifteen feet away from me unless I act crazy. I don't have a proper solution to exclude deer but I have learned to strike a balance.

I have a short fenced (four foot) garden that I grow the majority of veggies that deer find appetizing in and they have, for now, respected the barrier. I believe the respect comes from the fact that I have un-fenced garden spaces that the deer can peruse (and they do). This year, the deer grazed amaranth and pumpkin leaves but I still managed to obtain a yield (even with a few losses of pumpkins). There are a few old apple trees that the deer enjoy munching on the drops from as well.

I have to say, I'm fortunate that I only am dealing with two to three deer at most. If there was a higher population, I don't know if I would be able to strike the balance that I have now.

Timothy Norton wrote:... I have to say, I'm fortunate that I only am dealing with two to three deer at most. If there was a higher population, I don't know if I would be able to strike the balance that I have now.

In my area, that balance also changes depending on the season. In winter when things are more scarce they are much more bold than in the fall when things are plentiful.

The deer are awful this year. They come in the night and I usually don't even know they're there except for the gardens they choose to mess up. I'm getting stuff together to build one of Mike's wavy fences, which I've been interested in for a couple of years at this point.

We have a lot of deer in the neighborhood, but they mostly stay away from the gardens and yard. I'm not really sure why as my fences are not tall enough to stop one if it really wanted in. Occasionally, if one seems to be getting too comfortable, I put a 22 bullet in the ground under its belly so maybe overall, they just don't feel all that welcome.

Remember you moved into their habitat.  Their parents and/or grandparents might have been there long before the first human moved there.

We say let 'em come. Then again, we're in the woods, and on enough acreage that they become freezer fodder.