Deer Control

June 11

My yard is home to deer.  Last summer, a doe raised her two fawns in the 50 yards of woods between myself and my neighbor.  In the woods there are three main trails crossing from one area to another.  Every year, the hostas in my yard get grazed, some to the point of looking like they were run over by the lawn mower.  Two years ago, every day lily flower bud except one was eaten just before it opened.  One year a dear ate several tulip flowers and my rose buds.  My fenced vegetable garden had an unsecure gate and a deer got in and ate all the carrot tops.  Deer love carrots.

How do you control deer from grazing in your yard?  Anyone with deer in the area knows how destructive they can be.  They are yard vermin.  Temptation to shoot them runs high but it is illegal, even though I feel like it is similar to shooting rats.  Here are some remedies:

Dogs – Don’t laugh, a good dog and deer don’t mix.  The dog has to be outside and the ability to run helps.

Deer fence – This works for some items but not for ornamental beds.  (Remember to keep the gate closed.)  For deer it must be a 6 foot tall fence.  Electric fences work but they require some maintenance like weed control and the electricity supply has to be reliable.  This is costly and not very aesthetic.

Ultrasound and electronic controllers – Here are words from one rater: “In theory this keeps deer away from the area because they dislike the sound.  However, ultrasonic devices don’t work around obstructions.”  Motion detectors set to turn on a real noise maker like a radio may work.  I have not tried these.  Products are named Deer Gard and Yard Guard. The cost $50 to $100.

Chemical deer repellents – The several types of repellents are those made of putrescent eggs or blood with mint oils, garlic and so forth; hot pepper sprays or capsaicin; products containing Bitrex, a bittering agent deer dislike; and large predator animal urine.  These all have the ability to work rather well.  However, they all need to be reapplied on a regular basis.  Some are malodorous to humans as well as deer.  They also shouldn’t be used on plants used for food.  Product are named Plantskydd, Deer Scram, and Deer Repellent. Cost is $10 to $20 a package.

Motion activated water sprinklers – My neighbor deploys this method with great success.  It does require water use.  The motion detectors and water sprinklers are physical objects in the landscape and some maintenance may be required.  This is one of the more costly methods.

Milorganite – Last year at a large nursery in the Twin Cities at which I spent the day working, I saw Milorganite.  It is a granulated dried, residue from the Milwaukee sewer system sold as an organic fertilizer.  It worked for deer control. Every week after I mowed my lawn, I spread two to three pounds around my yard over plants deer eat.  Not one plant was eaten until a month after I quit spreading it in the fall.  Then the deer again grazed the hostas.  My lilies were beautiful, my summer flowers all had heads on them and there was no browsing anywhere I treated. There is a human smell when you open the bag but after it was spread, I couldn’t smell it in the yard.  Over the spring, summer and fall I used one and a half bags for a total cost of about $15.  It was very easy to spread with my hand held granular spreader and only took 3 to 4 minutes a week.  In addition to deer control it does supply needed fertilizer.