Farmall Cub

I would really like to know what or how to keep deer from eating all the tops off my sunflower field, the pumpkins, watermellon and cantaloupe.
They are wiping out everything, a high fence is out of the question.
I would like to hear what tricks you may have.

We use an electric fence to keep them out of the vegetable garden.

They play havoc on the flower beds though (Suburban deer, one chased my Labrador Retriever last week). Earlier this week I saw the Mrs. with a bottle of something that said "Deer B Gone". I'll have to find out where she used it and if it works.

My garden is in 3 fields , about 2 acres, soon to be adding on

I seen this stuff online called la torres deer out,
Has as anyone ever heard of it or used it?
I would like to know the out come

In some states the Dept. of Wildlife will issue permits to shoot deer that are causing significant agricultural damage. May not be the most popular way to solve the problem, however, it is effective.

Bill

lead works well

Deer repellent is not practical for a two acre field. It has to be re-applied after each rainfall. Bill and Tim have your solution.

Believe it or not, I mostly kept deer out of my garden one year with a single strand of nylon fish line. The next year it was totally ineffective. I changed the fish line out for a single strand of electric wire and it works fairly well. You need to run it low enough that they hit it with their chest. If their heads go under the wire, they will jump forward when they hit it.

some say human hair, I bought a pail of some granules, very costly and not so effective. others say a wire with lots of surveyors tape on it, truth is deer come close here n do not seem flustered by much

Indy4570 wrote:some say human hair, I bought a pail of some granules, very costly and not so effective. others say a wire with lots of surveyors tape on it, truth is deer come close here n do not seem flustered by much

Human hair can be a scarce commodity in our advanced age

Jim Becker wrote:Believe it or not, I mostly kept deer out of my garden one year with a single strand of nylon fish line. The next year it was totally ineffective. I changed the fish line out for a single strand of electric wire and it works fairly well. You need to run it low enough that they hit it with their chest. If their heads go under the wire, they will jump forward when they hit it.

Did you run one strand, or did you run two strands?
They completley wiped the sunflower out last night, ate them all the way down to the ground, then started on the honeydew and a few pumpkins. I didn't look at the watermellon or cantaloupes yet.

And people think there so cute... Why

Thank you for all the responses

I have a single strand of electric fence wire. I originally had it at about 30" from the ground. It worked pretty well for quite a while, then not as well. The next year I moved it down to 24" and it seems to be working pretty well. Once in a while a deer crashes into it and tears things up. When that happens, they appear to get away as fast as they can. I end up with bent up posts and downed wire. I use the light weight steel posts. Possibly, stronger posts and heavier wires wouldn't get damaged. But maybe I would just end up with a deer fenced in.

The fish line had been at 30". Maybe if I had known to move it down to 24", it would have worked better.

Now I'm getting a bunch of damage from rabbits or something of the sort. I may try to ignore it and take the hit.

Human hair, Ivory soap tied up in panty hose, moth balls, raw eggs mixed in water and sprayed, electric fence, pie plates on a piece of string tied to a stick, etc. etc. etc. all work for a few nights until the deer get used to them. The most effective way to control them, as an old timer used to say here, is to "drain the blood out of them."

Al

Thanks guys for all the replies

I finally had to put up a tall woven wire fence to keep deer and coyotes out, ya coyotes are just as destructive as deer and rabbits, coons, etc. 2 years and so far they have stayed out.
I would rather shoot the things, but not able to sit out there all night to do the job. --the nite you pick, they wont come, or wait til you go back in!