Sometimes on a snowy morning, my mother would enter my bedroom, shake me awake, and shush me. We would tip toe to the window to watch a deer in the back yard. Though they occurred occasionally, these visits were random and spaced far enough apart that they were a real treat for us.
These days, the woods have shrunk, and the deer prowl housing developments. My sister finds piles of deer doodles all over her front lawn in a bustling D.C. suburb. My friends and neighbors complain that their landscapes and vegetable gardens are nibbled to death by the deer. This spring, when the ground was soft, I found deer prints everywhere.
I always thought deer were gentle creatures that spooked and ran at the slightest noise. Last night I met someone whose dog was attacked by a deer. The dog's wounds were pretty serious.
So how do we avoid the deer? Here are some methods:
1. Landscape with deer resistant plants. Lowe's and Home Depot clearly mark their deer resistant plants and shrubs. As a rule, deer dislike lilacs, evergreens, black eyed susans, lavender, things with hairy or spiny leaves, or highly aromatic plants.
2. Scare them away. If you do this, you have to change your method every couple of weeks. You can hang CD's in trees, flash lights, or purchase a machine that emits ultra sonic noise.
3. Use deer repellent. Commercial repellents are available, but they are expensive. One home remedy is to hang Dial soap in trees and bushes. I think you would have to pierce the soap through the middle, so it doesn't fall to the ground as it dissolves. It will last a long time.
You can also make home made deer repellent. Here's the recipe:
1 cup milk
1 egg
A few tablespoons of cooking oil
1 tablespoon liquid soap
1 quart water
1 teaspoon hot chili oil
Mix in a blender (I think you can probably just shake vigorously). Spray every 5 - 7 days.
4. Put black, plastic drainage pipe around trees if deer are using your tree trunks to shed their antlers. For some reason, they don't like to cross the pipes. I think a better idea is to string fishing line around trees. It's invisible and scares the deer when it makes contact with their hides.
5. Take advantage of the deer's fear of predators. Scatter dog or human hair clippings. Buy a dog decoy and sit it in the garden. You could also make a scare crow and move it around. Your scare crow should wear light colored clothing that deer can see at night. Another alternative is buying blood meal or predator urine to place at the perimeter of your property, but it's cheaper to let your dog do it's business around the edges of your yard. I don't know if this is against the law in Hainesport, but Organic Gardening magazine recommends that the man of the house have a beer with his dinner. After dinner he should take a stroll in the garden and mark his territory!
6. If you are growing a vegetable garden, cover small plants with cages.
7. Remove bird feeders. Deer like corn and bird seed.
8. You could try fencing, but deer can jump as high as nine feet. Some people use electric fencing to zap nocturnal visitors.
http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Deer
http://www.getridofthings.com/pests/varmints/get-rid-of-deer.htm
If all else fails, you could try a tree stand! Just kidding.
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