Keeping Bambi Out of the Garden
By Chris Petry
If you’ve ever lived near a tree line, park or forest at any point in your life, you’ve probably encountered the menace of the hoofed ruminant ungulate, family Cervidae. I speak, of course, of the deer. That’s right, I came right out of the gate calling deer a menace. No apologies. Okay, maybe a little. While one can certainly acknowledge their place in the ecosystem, I think we can all agree, they have NO place in the garden!
The United States Department of Agriculture reported that in 2017 alone, Pennsylvania farmers suffered a loss of $20 million in corn crops. That’s all thanks to the local whitetail deer. Furthermore, the reported loss for soy bean crops totaled in around $15 million. While the numbers were not as easy to find for Ohio, the state government did provide access to this handy manual showing the effects of wildlife damage to crops. In the section pertaining to deer, we learn the true breadth of their destruction to everything from apples to Christmas trees. I actually understand that last one. It’s time Santa went electric, don’t you think?
So, it’s pretty obvious just how devastating deer can be to your plants and crops but what can be done about it? How can you implement effective deterrence without harming the deer and thus having a reverse negative impact on the environment? Unfortunately, there’s not a single solution. Read on for some of the various methods people have tried.
Scented Deer repellant- One of the most tried and tested deterrents is deer repellant, both homemade and commercially manufactured. Some people swear by the use of strong soaps, perfumes, predator hair/urine/blood, as well as safe-to-eat direct-to-plant topicals. The problem? Effectiveness is rather mixed. Some sources report success rates as high as 99%, while others suggest effectiveness in the 15% range. That’s a pretty big discrepancy.
One of the reasons why active repellants may not be as effective as advertised: the deer in your area have been exposed to the scent of the repellant for so long, they no long attribute it to danger. Yes, deer learn and adapt to their environment every bit as well as we do. If they approach a property multiple times, smell the same deterrent and leave each time without chase or complication, they will begin to suspect that the danger is no longer present. Or that there was no danger to begin with.
If you decide to go the smell route, just remember that if one doesn’t work immediately, you have options. Try to apply a couple days before a rain to ensure the repellant adheres and it’s probably a good idea to reapply after a few rains to ensure effectiveness.
Deer netting- Seems like an easy enough solution: apply netting or fencing over valuable shrubs or trees you don’t want deer to make a meal of. The problem? For one, stats are hard to come by. When stats are hard to come by, that means the effectiveness of the method is highly debatable. After all, if it worked really well, wouldn’t there be personal testimonies everywhere? The second major issue is that, even if the netting does manage to deter the deer, you have netting on your plants. Which, I’m pretty sure you planted in part for their curb appeal. Not only does it make for a less-attractive yard but it can be destructive on its own if not applied correctly.
Noisemakers- A deer’s hearing is not quite up to par with say a dog or cat but their ears are sensitive enough to respond to sudden auditory stimuli and retreat from any expected danger. It’s for this reason that many people have implemented windchimes and deer whistles over the years. Are they effective? They can be. What if there’s no wind passing through those chimes? Well, I think you can see the problem. On a windy day when the chimes are clanging about like silverware in a cafeteria, deer are probably going to back off. On a calmer day, it’s debatable whether or not the chimes will get enough play and make enough noise to startle the cloven-hoofed intruders. Some people employ motion activated ultrasonic frequency devices to scare away visiting deer. Even that can have so-so results. The device’s design is the number one indicator of its effectiveness, as its important to capture the correct frequency for unnerving your uninvited guests. Look for devices that lie in the range of 15-25 kHz.
Fencing- Want to know what the one 100% effective deer repellant is? A fence. Not just any fence, mind you. Did you know that a deer can leap over any structure less than eight feet? So, to build fencing that works to keep Bambi off your property, you’ll need it to be AT LEAST eight foot tall with a secured gate. If you don’t want or like the appearance of a fence, that’s probably bad news. The fence will also need to use sturdy materials like wire or chain to prevent sneak-ins from breaks in the fence. It’s the only proven long-term solution.
Every day there are new companies and innovators working on the problem of deer-related property destruction. The global deer repellant market is expected to grow to about 2.7 billion dollars annually by 2032. So needless to say, it’s a well-known problem and people are hungry for an effective solution pronto. I should probably formally apologize to any deer reading this for calling you a nuisance earlier in the article. That said, can’t you find snacks in the woods? Does it have to be my hostas?
