Keep deer from snacking on my trees

[bonsaiDerek]

I planted some cotoneasters and amur maples in a field on the edge of some woods near my place... to fatten them up for a few years. I see deer walking in this area daily. How can I keep them from munching on my trees?

 

[penumbra]

Liquid fence works pretty well but you need to spray it heavily all around the area on plants, mulch and anything else.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

30.06?

 

[Flowerhouse]

Liquid fence

The deer in my town call this "salad dressing." The best deterrents I have found are fencing and netting. Deer can jump fences up to 6 feet, but they won't stick their heads down into a fenced area, and they won't jump into a small space. In my yard I use a couple of dog "exercise yard" panel-type fences to keep deer away from my pines over winter. I use green snow-fence netting over my juniper borders when the snow has other food sources covered.
Fence like this Excercise Pen is easy to move where you need it and works really well.

 

[Paradox]

A hunting license, hunting season and a BBQ grill, in that order

 

[penumbra]

Of course results vary depending on the deer but I have been using animal repellents for close to 40 years now. The best ones work on smell and need to be applied before they start to graze. Use heavily and alternate sprays. There are a few good ones out there. Ask questions at your local garden supply store and / or read reviews.
I know there is a bit of joking here but don't get yourself into trouble shooting a deer out of season. And remember, they were there first, respect them.
I can tell you that the absolute best deer repellent is a dog. Many commercial nurseries use dogs in this area.

 

[Shogun610]

I planted some cotoneasters and amur maples in a field on the edge of some woods near my place... to fatten them up for a few years. I see deer walking in this area daily. How can I keep them from munching on my trees?

Easy .. sprinkle cayenne pepper flakes around the tree on the ground. Deer like all mammals have capsaicin receptors , so the pepper acts as a natural repellent.

 

[penumbra]

Easy .. sprinkle cayenne pepper flakes around the tree on the ground. Deer like all mammals have capsaicin receptors , so the pepper acts as a natural repellent.

I have used hot pepper sprays and cayenne that I bought in a large bag on Amazon. It will work for me only when I alternate. I used it primarily for squirrels until I started using Coyote and fox urine granules. It never worked great for my deer except in the very beginning.
BTW, many birds love hot peppers.

 

[Shogun610]

I have used hot pepper sprays and cayenne that I bought in a large bag on Amazon. It will work for me only when I alternate. I used it primarily for squirrels until I started using Coyote and fox urine granules. It never worked great for my deer except in the very beginning.
BTW, many birds love hot peppers.

Well yes , birds can’t detect capsaicin. It’s an evolutionary process for seed propagation since birds travel farther thus allowing the peppers to increase their seed spread radius.

 

[penumbra]

Well yes , birds can’t detect capsaicin. It’s an evolutionary process for seed propagation since birds travel farther thus allowing the peppers to increase their seed spread radius.

True that.
BTW, take it for what its worth but my wife is a certified arborist who works on a very large estate and maintains the gardens and just about everything else. I remember years back she used the hot pepper wax and had luck for awhile. By midsummer she said that the deer ate the pepper waxed plants more than the un-sprayed plants.
I don't know but she doesn't bull s.

 

[sorce]

I'm in the "snack on them first" camp!

Sorce

 

[Shogun610]

I'm in the "snack on them first" camp!

Sorce

One of my buddies just made deer salami , and deer jerky. So good.
Edit , Oh I forgot , he then freaked us out about chronic wasting disease lol. Apparently there’s theories that it’s the next virus to cross to humans thus hello Zombie apocalypse.

 

[W3rk]

The deer in my town call this "salad dressing." The best deterrents I have found are fencing and netting. Deer can jump fences up to 6 feet, but they won't stick their heads down into a fenced area, and they won't jump into a small space. In my yard I use a couple of dog "exercise yard" panel-type fences to keep deer away from my pines over winter. I use green snow-fence netting over my juniper borders when the snow has other food sources covered.
Fence like this Excercise Pen is easy to move where you need it and works really well.

I'm with you. We have a few raised beds for my trees and our general gardening. Over the last few years I've been doing DIY fencing. I upgraded it last year using tall narrow wood posts that I sunk in the ground and then just bought a spool of fishing line and ran that across up to about 6 feet. Also had to add tighter meshed wire rabbit/rodent fence down below to keep them out too. But for cost and time this has been a good solution.

 

[Potawatomi13]

8 foot fence!

 

[Paradox]

8 foot fence!

Not tall enough, deer can jump that without even thinking about it

 

[ABCarve]

I’ve heard that a single strand of heavy monofilament waist high will freak them out because they can’t see it. Anyone with experience of that? I was going to give it a try.

 

[Tieball]

Deer are not comfortable with movements they do not understand and cannot smell. I stuck an old clothesline pole, the T at the top is what I needed, in the ground. From the T connection I hang old/unused CDs. I like the bulk CDs because the reflective surface is on both sides unobstructed by designs and labels. The slightest breeze rotates them and momentarily displays a glare from sunlight or even cloudlight with movement the deer don’t understand. They can detect the movement of a CD. They have poor vision. When they see or sense a movement foreign to them they simply move away. Foreign...a non foreign would be like a squirrel, birds...they recognize the movement of a squirrel and birds and are not concerned. The CD movement....they avoid closeness and keep a distance away as it initiates a fear response in them.

In some fields I also use Liquid Fence. It works for months after application....even through rain and snow.

 

[ABCarve]

Of course results vary depending on the deer but I have been using animal repellents for close to 40 years now. The best ones work on smell and need to be applied before they start to graze. Use heavily and alternate sprays. There are a few good ones out there. Ask questions at your local garden supply store and / or read reviews.
I know there is a bit of joking here but don't get yourself into trouble shooting a deer out of season. And remember, they were there first, respect them.
I can tell you that the absolute best deer repellent is a dog. Many commercial nurseries use dogs in this area.

What do think?

 

[Flowerhouse]

We might be talking about different kinds of deer. I'm not referring to Muley vs Whitetail. Rather, I'm referring to wild vs human-habituated. I've experienced wild deer, the kind you know are there because of swishing branches as they run away through the trees. Deterring those is probably a different proposition from deterring human-habituated deer. The town deer here are not concerned by movement or noise or strange smells. They expect cars to stop for them and people to feed them. They might run from a dog, or they might sniff noses with said dog, or they might stomp it if they have a fawn nearby.

I’ve heard that a single strand of heavy monofilament waist high will freak them out because they can’t see it. Anyone with experience of that? I was going to give it a try.

I switched from bird netting for my junipers to highly visible green snow fence after a deer dragged away a big section of netting.

 

[Grovic]

View attachment 369369What do think?

I'd worry that you might actually have more deer coming so they can pet this good boy.