Deer Problems
Oh deer! Deer will eat just about anything when they’re hungry. Here are some tips to stop deer from using your landscape as their all-you-can-eat buffet.
Deer can be destructive to home gardens and natural areas alike, browsing through the landscape at night for tender stems and leaves, including newly planted material. They may pull plants out of the ground and fling them across the yard – even deer resistant plants. In late summer, bucks rub their antlers on rough surfaces including fences, limbs and tree trunks.
What’s Happening?
Deer are attracted to home gardens. They will even eat deer-resistant plants when they are numerous and when other food sources are scarce.
Threat Level
High, especially for new plantings and new trees.
| TREATMENT | CATEGORY | EFFECTIVENESS | NOTES |
| Electronic or mechanical noisemakers and lights | Exclusion | Low | Deer will typically habituate to things that don’t hurt them. |
| Repellants | Exclusion | Low | Repellants must be reapplied frequently, especially after a rain or sprinkler irrigation. |
| Use deer resistant plants. | Plant selection | Fair | Many deer resistant plants will need to be protected until they have been in the ground for a year. Drive the neighborhood to see which plants are unmolested. Deer may find fuzzy, herb-like plants with fragrant oils to be less palatable. |
| Full-height permanent deer fences with four-inch woven wire | Exclusion | Effective if properly built and maintained | Deer-proof fencing should be 8 to 12 feet high, depending on the site. |
| Temporary fencing products | Exclusion | Fair | Protect new plantings for the first year with thin black netting, portable deer fences, low-shock deer fences, wire fencing, plastic trunk protectors around small trees, and cages. Inspect tree protectors to make sure they are not restricting growth or causing moisture or heat damage. |