Deer problem

[IluvABbeef]

First of all, I got a fair bit of beeotching and complaining to do to get off my chest.

Every night there's about a dozen deer, all Mulies, that come around the yard and nibble off the new irises growing and the rose buds, and even last summer they were a problem, munching on the beets and trimming off the sweet pea flowers, and chewing out pumpkins and sunflowers.

We've tried to discourage them from eating the pansies that have been just planted in the flower pots by draping netting over top...that seems to work, but those darned deer always seem to find away around. Putting in lights (those outside solar-power lights that some folks put along the driveway) worked for a few days, until they figgered out that it was completely harmless and found the beets chewed right down the very next morning...grrrrr.

This year, I'm trying to convince Mom that maybe putting a scarecrow up in the garden MIGHT help, but we have a feeling it'll be temporary.

So, after all that rambling, do any of you have any personal tips on any deer replent-strategies? They (the deer) have come back again this spring (as expected :roll: ) and we'd like to be ready for counterattack.

Any tips an' tricks you have are welcome.

 

[Northern Rancher]

Blood meal or dog hair have worked around some feedyards up in this neck of the woods. Find a pet groomer and het a bag of it and try it. You could plant a little food plot for them back off the yard and intercept them that way. I know it's sometimes cheaper to sacrifice a few hay bales to the deer gods if it keeps them out of the stackyard.

 

[jess35]

Irish Spring soap has been a good deterent in my garden in the past, I hung several bars out it seemed to work very well as long as the soap had a strong smell.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

How bigs your freezer? ;-)

 

[Txwalt]

Get a dog from the dog pound and put him out there. I've heard of using human hair, never heard of dog hair. Probably works the same.

Walt

 

[Jogeephus]

Some say if you get hair clippings from barber this will discourage them - whitetails anyway.

 

[Beefy]

tell errbody to start peeing out in the yard.

 

[MikeC]

Hair, tin pie plates, aromatic soaps, etc. will work for a short period of time but the deer will get accustomed to it also.

A neighbor of mine chained a dog (A BAD DOG) next to his garden. The deer eventually figured out the dog coudn't get them and stayed just out of reach while he barked at the end of his chain. :lol: :lol:

 

[Dusty Britches]

My mom has tried all of the suggestions mentioned here. The deer eventually figure out that whatever you did won't hurt them. But, she did find an automatic sprayer that is motion activated. It shoots water up to 30 feet in 2-3 second bursts. It is the only thing that works.

 

[Farmgirl]

We battled the deer for most of the winter until we bought a deer deterrent device. Do a google search on Phantom deterrents. The one we got makes a cougar sound. It really does work. PM me if interested in more info.

Good luck,
Farmgirl

 

[Stocker Steve]

Every night there's about a dozen deer, all Mulies, that come around the yard and nibble off the new irises growing and the rose buds...

Any tips an' tricks you have are welcome.

- a 30.06 with 165 grains works the best for me
- a dog would be my second choice, I have a settler that likes to run deer and point cats. Got to do more bird hunting this year...
- fencing would be a distant third. It only has to be higher than the neighbor's fence ;-)

 

[backhoeboogie]

We battled the deer for most of the winter until we bought a deer deterrent device. Do a google search on Phantom deterrents. The one we got makes a cougar sound. It really does work. PM me if interested in more info.

Good luck,
Farmgirl

Will that work for feral hogs???????

Nothing like having your best pasture look like it has been through bombing raids.

 

[Limomike]

I get a kick out of reading all the ways to rid your place of deer. Dogs will definitely do the trick. My neighbor put up some "white" flags.. thinking that would do the job. All the deer did was get curious.. came up and sniffed them.. :lol: :lol:

 

[sidney411]

If you start hunting them they will not be so likely to poke around the house. LOL

 

[IluvABbeef]

If you start hunting them they will not be so likely to poke around the house. LOL

Well, we DO have a .22 and a paintball gun :idea: ;-) ...no 30.06's or 30-30's though.

I sorta know about them figgering out that they can come back more often once they figger out that something won't hurt them.

I like the idea of the motion-sensored water-sprayer...there was also an idea of a motion-sensor singing/talking fish (I think it was a base)...

Any more i-deas?

 

[skcatlman]

I have had friends who had the same problem with deer on their acerage. I hooked them up with a couple of native guys who live in the city who love to hunt but have little time. They only got a couple of deer but that fixed the problem for a while and now when ever the deer get to be a problem my friends call these native guys. It seems to work very well. But if you don't want to be killing them be ready to deal with this problem until you are over run by deer.

 

[Northern Rancher]

The problem is that people like deer i the front yard till they eat the flowers. If SERM would issue a few more doe tags we wouldn't need the 'native' solution.

 

[Horticattleman]

Well as A Cajun I think you should put em in the freezer, but if your opposed to that use human hair from the barber or salon. When somebody really pi$$es us off we seek revenge by spreading human hair all around their deer stand. Guarantees no deer activity! :tiphat:

 

[IluvABbeef]

Well as A Cajun I think you should put em in the freezer, but if your opposed to that use human hair from the barber or salon. When somebody really pi$$es us off we seek revenge by spreading human hair all around their deer stand. Guarantees no deer activity! :tiphat:

Horti, it's not that I'm OPPOSED to it, it's just that we're not really hunters.

If the pie plates and the human hair don't work, I'd be glad to sit in a lawn chair in the middle of the lawn (right by thier path they like to follow) watching the stars come out...and wait for the deer to come. I'd have my little .22 with me and pull off a couple shots at them...not to kill, just to scare the he!! out of them. ;-)

Stupid q: A .22 bullet wouldn't really cause any serious damage to a deer if I was aiming for a body-shot, would it? Only if you aim careful for the ear or eye? I remember Dad telling me it'd only knick them (body-shot), but I need to be reminded...

 

[Northern Rancher]

Shooting a deer in the body with a .22 will just cause them a slow lingering death instead of a quick one. Plus if the federales ever catch you it will be major trouble.Get a high end paintball gun if you want to sting them plus it will be alot more fun painting up the culprits.