When I see deer in our woodlands or along the driveway, my heart softens. Those big soulful eyes, alert ears, graceful movements. I feel compassion for wild creatures that are being forced by commercial development and the housing boom into smaller and smaller native habitats. When I observe their destruction in my garden, however, my empathy disappears. I have learned to regard them as large rodents.
The deer mating season (the “rut”) begins with the onset of cooler weather here in the deep south. Male deer rub the fuzz off their antlers by scrubbing them against tree trunks. Thin bark trees are vulnerable to damage that may be fatal. In the Mary Snoddy garden, it seems deer bypass large oaks and tough hickories while targeting dogwoods, figs, and peach trees. When they are not rubbing against trees, they are eating, eating, eating. And rather than dining on the tasty plants in our woodlands, they choose to snack on whatever grows in my flowerbeds, borders, and vegetable garden.
Common but unproven discouragement strategies range from the hanging of shiny foil streamers in trees to playing a radio in the garden to using motion-activated sprinklers. Once deer have become accustomed to any of these, their initial value as a deterrent falls to zero.
Here are some coping strategies:
Protect vulnerable tree trunks with wire wraps or protective cages.
If allowed, consider erecting protective fencing. Deer are amazing jumpers, so fences will need to be eight feet or taller. Two shorter fences can be installed, one a couple of feet inside the other, so that deer do not have a good landing pad between. Electric or solar fences protect vegetable gardens, but they are not attractive.
Deer are creatures of habit. They follow the same trails every day. Do not plant tempting trees or shrubs along their regular paths. If you must plant one of their favorite snacks along their route, try surrounding it by plants deer avoid.
Spray with deer repellant products. There are many commercial products available and numerous recipes for homemade concoctions. I have had limited (read: no) success with most of these, and human hair had no discernable effect. Likewise, hanging bars of stinky soap in my trees was not a deterrent. They gnawed on the bars of Irish Spring in my fruit trees. The only repellant product that succeeds in my garden is Milorganite (a type of fertilizer derived from sanitized human waste), and it must be reapplied after every rain. An added benefit of having dogs is that deer avoid the area where the pets take care of bathroom business. Perhaps they smell the dogs as predators?
Select plants that deer do not favor (examples: Rosemary, Yew, Boxwood), and avoid those they prefer (examples: Hosta, Daylily, Indian Hawthorne). The NC State University Cooperative Extension has prepared an excellent report of Deer Resistant Plants for southeastern gardens. Click HERE for the full text.
Mother and fawn. Photo by Jerry King, Reidville, SC
A young male. Photo by Jerry King, Reidville, SC
Light reflects in the eyes of nocturnal-dining deer, giving them a spooky appearance.