Deer Damage & Deer Damage Control Methods

There are five basic deer damage control methods commonly used to reduce deer damage: 1) deer resistant plants, 2) deer repellant, 3) electric fence, 4) scare tactics, and 5) physical barriers. Among these deer damage control techniques, there are literally dozens of variations of deer repellant, several options for physical barriers, numerous scare tactics, bait and non-baited electric fence, and many plants deemed "deer damage resistant". Everything that you have heard that reduces deer damage, or keeps deer away from your plants has worked for someone at sometime. The problem is that most deer damage control methods only perform for a short period of time and most likely will not work for everyone.

Deer Resistant Plants

Any honest landscaper or nurseryman will tell you that even "deer resistant plants" are mostly edible and vulnerable to deer damage. Deer will eat these plants if they are hungry enough. There are very few plants that are considered truly deer damage resistant, and the number gets smaller every day. What the deer don't eat in one area, they may devour in another depending upon the number of animals per square mile and the available food supply. The bottom line as it relates to deer control… If the deer are hungry enough they will eat most anything…even "deer resistant plants"!

Repellants

This form of deer damage control can be separated into three categories:

1) Deer damage control substances that make your plants smell bad.
2) Substances that make your plants taste bad.
3) Control substances that make the deer believe a predator is near.

For enhanced deer damage control, some manufacturers will actually combine the odor and taste ingredients, typically making a more comprehensive repellant. Commercially, there are available deer repellants for each of these categories. In our opinion, the "predator" repellants are typically the least effective. The reason for this is that in many parts of the country, deer have become more adapted to having humans and other dangerous creatures like dogs in closer proximity. Typically, ingredients such as lion feces, fox or coyote urine, and bags of human hair work as viable deer damage control techniques for only a very short time or not at all.

There are a few reasons why a "smell bad" and/or "taste bad" repellant may fail to protect your plants from deer damage. A repellant is typically a spray-on chemical that can be prone to being washed off from rain and watering. Fresh growth (a deer's favorite part of any plant) that goes untreated will be vulnerable. Deer are persistent and adaptive creatures that can get used to a repellant. Deer repellants can be more effective most of the time if applied often. The effectiveness is enhanced if different types of repellants are used and rotated on a regular basis. Historically, the problem with this type of deer control is that most people forget to apply these deer damage control substances regularly and never remember to rotate the mixture. If deer are hungry enough, repellants may sometimes be ignored all together.

Another group of deer damage control repellants (not dignified by a category) we call the "home remedy" variety. Included in this category are things like shredded deodorant soap, creosote, and mothballs. Although these may work in varying degrees in low deer pressure areas, we would not bet your landscaping or garden on them.

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