Keeping Deer Out of the Garden

I have a problem. A four-legged, doe-eyed, white tailed problem. There is so much wildlife on the island I live on that it is nearly impossible to keep any sort of garden beyond evergreen shrubs and marigolds. I, however, am determined to keep my plants alive. I have quite a bit of variety in the gardens I tend from hostas and monarda, to roses and hydrangea, to impatiens and begonias. If you live in an area where deer are at all present, you'll know from your own experience that the little darlings will eat anything. They are particularly fond of hostas, which I imagine must be sort of like a fine, delicate lettuce to their palate.
I have heard of all sorts of hokey things people have done to try to keep deer out of their gardens and I'm fairly certain I have tried nearly all of them. I'll talk about some of the things I've tried, what works and what hasn't in this post. If you have deer in your area, but they aren't quite as dense as what I'm working with, some of the simpler remedies may work for you. However, when dealing with a captive, hungry audience such as these island deer, all the stops had to be pulled out (short of putting up an 8 foot high privacy fence or bringing guns and aggressive canines into the equation). Here's what I found:

1) "Human hair clippings sprinkled around your yard will keep deer out as they are skittish around human scent." If only it were that easy. Well, I'm here to tell you that once the deer-to-human ratio has reached a critical point, they no longer care who's around while they munch.

2) "Dispersing the urine/feces of large cats (wildcats, tigers, lions, etc) will keep the deer away as they will associate the smell with predators being nearby." This is one of the more obscure ones I have tried, but I did manage to get my hands on some processed tiger dung. Many local zoos are now selling the manure of their animals for fertilizing (or deer-repelling!) purposes. This turns waste material that would otherwise be thrown away into a way for the zoos to bring in extra funding to improve their habitats. It would make sense that a deer would be terrified of the scent of a lynx, for instance, and I will say that it works for a while. A short while. After some time passes and no danger has befallen them, they'll be right back where you don't want them - in your gardens!

3) "Motion-sensor lights at night will scare the deer off if they get too close." Not a chance. Just like the previous two, they'll get used to it (or won't be phased by it at all) and move in on your rose bushes.

4) "Hanging bars of Ivory/Dial/Irish Spring soap around your perimeter deter hungry deer from feasting on your flowers." This one gets mixed reviews. First of all, there is much debate over which brand works best (or if it even matters!) and whether or not the soap needs to be used first (to get the human scent on it). I have not had any luck with this method, however others in my area (though not on the island, so less captive a deer population) have had success. Apparently, Irish Spring was the winner and it did not need to be used first.

5) "Cut dryer sheets into strips and tie them around the plants you don't want the deer to eat." Ok, first off: I don't want the deer eating ANY of my plants unless it's a dandelion, violet or creeping charlie. Secondly, I don't really care of have bits of dryer sheets blowing all over the place. Third, I have heard absolutely no success stories with this method so I didn't even bother trying it myself.

6) "Use a repellent where the main ingredient is dried blood. Deer with think one of their buddies was attacked in the area and steer clear to avoid any lurking predators." DeerScram, Plantskyyd and other repellents using dried blood have been effective, even on the island. I have some people tell me that they've used such products for years and have had no problems since applying them to their gardens. But there have also been many others who claim that they had success for a while, but the deer wised up and came back.

7) "Deer hate onions and garlic. Hang fresh garlic around or try applying a repellent based of garlic to your property." The fresh garlic thing seems to work if your deer problem is less severe, however if you've got a major issue like me, the Liquid Fence seems to be working. It is the most foul smelling substance ever (rotten eggs + garlic) and I wear a mask, gloves and rubber boots when I apply it using a pump sprayer. I apply it to absolutely EVERYTHING - I want the smell all over and the taste (should they take a nibble) to be everywhere. I dry heave and feel nauseous for hours after applying - and don't even THINK about eating anything with garlic in it for a day or two. Be sure you shut all windows to your home, car, garage before spraying. But it works. I have had a lot of success with it as have my neighbors. But it is seriously nasty stuff.

Do you know of any off-the-wall deer repelling tricks or tips that might save me (and others) the misery of spraying Liquid Fence or other nasty smelling repellents?

Read about another blogger's struggle with deer in her garden.