We must consider the facts when it comes to deer: if deer are stressed by drought, an increase in their population or a loss of browsing area, they can become a menace.
There are basically five typical solutions which have been tried in the past with limited or short-term success. People ask me on a regular basis, "What can I use to keep deer out of my garden?" My answer to them is, "I wish I knew, because I would be a rich man."
One temporary way to rid dear from the garden is fear. However, scaring them away only works for a short period of time. If the deer are hungry, they will be back. A few ways to scare deer include: loud music or lights flashing when motion detectors sense their presence and dogs barking.
Another way to deter deer from eating your favorite plants and flowers is through the use of sensory deterrents. These include hot sauce sprayed on the plant, egg spray consisting of 2-3 blended rotten eggs in a gallon of water sprayed on the foliage, human hair, and milorganite spread in the garden at 5 lbs per square foot.
Two other sensory deterrents which can be purchased include the repellent Hinder and, of all things, dryer sheets. Hinder is a deer and rabbit deterrent made from ammonium soap. It has proven quite effective and relatively inexpensive. Dryer sheets may sound crazy, however, I have had several avid gardeners say that when hung up in the garden, the dryer sheets' odor actually repels deer.
Building a barrier to prevent or deter deer from entering a landscape or garden area is a third option. There are several ways to accomplish this. One method is to protect individual plants using plastic or chicken wire.
Another method is the old "tripper-upper", which is unrolled chicken wire placed on the ground near your plants so its still springy. Deer don't like unstable footing. One last fool-proof method is a fence, the taller the better. Also, if you can slant the fence away from the garden at a slight angle, it will be even more effective.
Another great way to keep deer out of the garden is an electric fence. The traditional fence consists of 5 wires with the bottom wire 10 inches from the ground & the others 12 inches apart.
Another type of electric fence uses a single strand of wire 30 inches above the ground with aluminum foil flags placed every 4 or 5 feet along the wire. The trick is to bait the the aluminum foil with peanut butter. The deer will certainly be surprised and will not be back anytime soon.
The last way to manage deer is by selecting plants which are deer resistant or at least tolerant of some feeding damage. For a list of deer tolerant plants, give us a call at the Hall County Extension Service at (770)531-6988.
Billy Skaggs is a Agricultural Agent Hall County Extension Coordinator - 734 East Crescent Drive Gainesville, GA 30501 Phone:(770)531-6988 Fax: (770)531-3994 Email: [email protected]
Monday
August 4th, 2025
6:04AM
