Deer invasion

[Dirty Steve]

This got beyond ridiculous yesterday. We have deer in the yard on a regular basis and it's usually cool to see them. However, this year they are eating all of our extensive landscaping. Not just the stuff out around the edge of the yard against the woods, but they are now climbing up into raised beds right against the house. Friday night they were within a few feet of the front door eating the holly bushes. We ran them off when we went to dinner. Two hours later when we came home we drove up the driveway right past them. They looked at us and then went back to eating the bushes. Pulled the car in the garage and walked back out front and asked them to leave. They obliged but probably came back later. Saturday it was non-stop every half hour all day long. Climbing up into raised beds, walking up and down sidewalks, standing around the fire pit, .......they could care less that we live here. Each time someone would walk out and ask them to leave, they would,...but would be back 20 minutes later. I swear they turned and said "F-you buddy" once when I walked right past them going down to my barn.

Over the years we have tried all of the commercial repellent sprays, coyote urine, human urine, shooting them (in season), etc. Nothing works. This year it has gotten out of control. For the past month, they are at it every single day. We have a feeder in the woods behind the house and they are burning it up. I'm going through 40 lbs. of corn in two 4 days. Apparently that is not enough and the landscaping has become an appetizer. At this point, we are considering trip wires, FU gas and claymores.

Does anybody have any other ideas to keep them from eating our landscaping? I don't want suggestions from a friend of a friends uncles brother-in-law that supposedly works, I need something that you have actually used with success.



Dirty Steve

 

[churchmouse]

Can you get a permit to eliminate as a problem. I see you enjoy them in limited numbers but they have become destructive now.

 

[buckhunterbb]

Get a large dog or 2 & install wireless fence. Or maybe spray bushes/ landscaping with deer repellent or dish soap.

 

[Mgderf]

Get a large dog or 2 & install wireless fence...

This.

 

[Tryin']

If you can get a depredation permit, I would be happy to come down and help thin them out.... Dogs work pretty good too, but may hurt the hunting.

 

[bocefus78]

Quit feeding them and or get a dog.
They need other stuff besides corn in their diet as you are finding out.

Sit out some meat and attract some coyotes. The deer will dissappear quickly.

 

[eric001]

If you can get a depredation permit, I would be happy to come down and help thin them out.... Dogs work pretty good too, but may hurt the hunting.

THIS!! I'll be happy to put some time in helping you out once you get the depradation permit thing taken care of.

 

[tyrajam]

Doesn't even need to be a big dog, a little yapper running around inside an underground fence will keep them all away.

 

[Leadeye]

Quit feeding them for a start. Shoot the more persistent ones. The DNR allows shooting of non protected wildlife if you can demonstrate that they are damaging your property.

 

[Thor]

These might help, though not in the winter:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:motion-activated sprinkler

I have found that in the fall/winter I need fencing and judicious use of a magnum springer pellet rifle. They are persistent and destructive.

Edit: I should add, if you use the motion activated sprinklers and also have Raccoon's they consider them a water park.

 

[1775usmarine]

Get a large dog or 2 & install wireless fence. Or maybe spray bushes/ landscaping with deer repellent or dish soap.

Just make sure they are husky fur-babies that can dig.

 

[mom45]

I feed deer in my yard and they eat some of my flowers/shrubs but have never killed any of my plants. I recognize that when there is snow on the ground, they are looking for things that are easier to eat. They love my crabapple trees and other fruit trees as well.

It isn't pretty, but the simplest deterrent I have found is plastic grocery bags tied to things and flapping in the wind. Spraying them with dollar store cheap air freshener for added scent doesn't hurt, but I'm not sure how much it helps. I tie bags around the perimeter of my garden on the fence and haven't had a deer in my garden since I started doing this. They don't come within 20 feet of my garden now. I have tied them to things in my flower beds when stuff first sprouts in the spring since they seem to like those tender starts the best, and that keeps them out. It looks funny with all of those bags blowing on my fence and such, but it works. On the garden, I leave the bags up until harvest is complete.

 

[Dirty Steve]

Our 19 year old dog just died 3 weeks ago. She didn't bark at the deer anymore (hadn't for the last 3-4 years) and they didn't mind her presence. A fawn tried to play with her in the yard last summer and she tired of it and plopped down in the grass after about 2 minutes. A yapper dog is not going to happen. I cannot stand a dog that constantly barks.

Feeding them makes no difference. They were eating our landscaping in years past when we didn't feed them and eat the landscaping when we do feed them. I don't care if they browse everything in the woods. I do care when the browsing of our landscaping gets out of control.

We have coyotes around on a regular basis. I always have several pictures of them on the camera at the feeder. Their presence makes no difference that we can see.

We have tried every deer repellent spray made. None have worked. We tried dryer sheets, that didn't work either. Until this year, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that they were just going to eat the landscaping and we had to deal with it. This year is different though. It seems they have become much more brazen and totally oblivious to our presence. Climbing up into raised planters next to the house is more than I am willing to deal with.

The only thing we have not tried is the plastic bags. I'm going to give that a try. We have no neighbors and I wouldn't care what they thought anyway. Likely we would just tell them that the bags were Buddhist prayer flags.

Dirty Steve

 

[MRP2003]

It sounds like you have to really thin the herd out in your area. You can try dogs or whatever but if you have too many deer, there will always be a problem. I have 3 large dogs back in PA and the deer would come right up and eat from my garden. I had to fence it in and even then, they would walk right through. Usually very early in the morning when it was still dark out. Unless you are going to keep your dog out all night, then thinning the herd is the best option. I am sure your friends who hunt wouldn't mind coming over to help you thin out the deer.
I doubt DNR will give you a depredation permit unless you have a really good officer who understands the cost of the damage. If the damage is significant enough, keep record of it and talk to your home owners insurance company. They may help you get the depredation tags if that is what you really want.


Good luck and keep us posted to what

 

[mom45]

Our 19 year old dog just died 3 weeks ago. She didn't bark at the deer anymore (hadn't for the last 3-4 years) and they didn't mind her presence. A fawn tried to play with her in the yard last summer and she tired of it and plopped down in the grass after about 2 minutes. A yapper dog is not going to happen. I cannot stand a dog that constantly barks.

Feeding them makes no difference. They were eating our landscaping in years past when we didn't feed them and eat the landscaping when we do feed them. I don't care if they browse everything in the woods. I do care when the browsing of our landscaping gets out of control.

We have coyotes around on a regular basis. I always have several pictures of them on the camera at the feeder. Their presence makes no difference that we can see.

We have tried every deer repellent spray made. None have worked. We tried dryer sheets, that didn't work either. Until this year, we had resigned ourselves to the fact that they were just going to eat the landscaping and we had to deal with it. This year is different though. It seems they have become much more brazen and totally oblivious to our presence. Climbing up into raised planters next to the house is more than I am willing to deal with.

The only thing we have not tried is the plastic bags. I'm going to give that a try. We have no neighbors and I wouldn't care what they thought anyway. Likely we would just tell them that the bags were Buddhist prayer flags.

Dirty Steve

If anyone asks about the bags on my garden fence, I just tell them it is my ghost garden and I am decorating for Halloween early. They kind of look like ghosts if I use white ones. I prefer white if I have them because they show up better at night, but I think the flapping noise is the thing that spooks them the most. Good luck!

 

[Richwon4]

DOG even a medium size dog even a small dog will annoy them enough to keep them away but small dogs get eaten by yotes.

 

[Tynimiller]

Stop artificially feeding them.

 

[Dirty Steve]

Stop artificially feeding them.

Has made no difference whatsoever. Ate all the landscaping in the spring in years that we did not feed them and years that we did. Our woods is fairly mature, as is the woods around us. Most of the browse available IS our landscaping. We are OK with it to an extent, that's part of living where we do. This year it has gotten out of hand, that is the problem. Literally running into them when you walk out the front door all day long, like it was on Saturday is a but much.

Dirty Steve

 

[gunworks321]

We have had success by hanging mesh bags (the kind onions come in) with shavings of Coast bar soap. It really worked wonders on the deer and rabbits. Soap has to be replenished about once a week and after rain storms. Don't just use any brand. Coast is particularly strong and they hate it.

 

[drop45]

Dilute some ghost chili paste with water and put it in a spray bottle. Spray your plants, problem solved.