I have found out that dear love to eat rose hips. In fact dear have eaten every last hip on every rose bush in my yard this winter. They have now started to eat the stems also. They have also nibbled on my lilac bushes. Since I don’t have a dog any more, they have become very brazin, coming within 5 feet of the house.
I know there have been more than one post here about keeping deer and other pests away, but has anyone tried using solar powered flood lights with motion detectors in their garden. I figure that the if deer gets close to the light, the motion detector will detect them, turn the light on and hopefully scare the deer away.
This will only work if they come at night, which I figure they mostly do, but they do come in my yard during the day also. I’m sure what to do about that.
Paul,
In my experience, Deer are NOT that timid. I had to fence in every square inch that required protection.
I’ve had a problem all winter.
Each morning I see more tracks as the deer nibble on all the rose bushes that are exposed.
What is interesting is that the snow around my neighbor’s apple tree is trampled too. There aren’t any apples and the branches are too high for them to reach, so I wonder what brings them to this tree.
After dancing around this tree they then proceed to my roses.
As far as a light is concerned…I have a motion detector on my porch and this turns on when they approach. Guess it helps them find the bushes they are looking for and don’t have to stumble around in the dark. The light switching on hasn’t kept them at bay at all and they seem to be more brazen with each passing day.
What is distressing is that I keep my minis under long sheets of styrofoam and they try to climb over this to get to the plants beyond them and end up breaking through the styrofoam.
I have been thinking about putting out some strands of plastic fishing line. The tauntness emits a high frequency sound when the wind blows and this is supposed to discourage them as it makes an unfamiliar sound.
Also we’ve thought about laying chicken wire on top of the snow. Supposedly deer won’t walk on the wire for fear of getting their feet caught in the wire. Guess we’ll have to see if that works or not.
Right now, the only thing around here that keeps deer away is the ostrich…
Meg said: “I have been thinking about putting out some strands of plastic fishing line. The tauntness emits a high frequency sound when the wind blows and this is supposed to discourage them as it makes an unfamiliar sound.”
The key word here is unfamiliar. Whenever Deer become familiar with something new in their environment, they no longer view it as something to be avoided. Unless, of course, its something like an Ostrich. 
Where can I get an ostrich? Maybe a lama would do the trick?
Well short of getting an ostrich, this report by University of Minnesota saya the best solution is fencing as repellents (including motion sensors) loose there effectivness over time. So The fishing line and chicken wire may work at first, but when they get used to it they’ll ignore it. You’ll have to keep switching repellents as they get used to them.
Link: www.extension.umn.edu/info-u/environment/BD590.html
I have a good recipe for hard salami. It begins with 50 lbs. of venison…
I am actually in the process of fencing the entire outline of our back property, which is quite a task for our 2 acre lot. But worth the effort since we back directly into the woods and the deer love to come on to our property (the roses, mulberry trees, a pear tree, etc.) Last summer before we started with the fence, I was using a product called Deer Scram around the rose beds. It was very effective but has to be put down about every 30 days…and that was when there was no snow. So, not sure how it would do with snow on top of it.
Believe me the thought of venison has crossed my mind. I think it is only one or two individual deer that are doing it.
I don’t hunt but I know people that do and if it was deer season there would be one or two dead deer.
I have a short fence around the roses that the deer are just stepping over now, but I don’t think I would like having a 4’ or 6’ fence around them. Putting a fence around the perimeter of my 1.5 to 2 acre yard would be more aesthetically pleasing, but cost prohibitive. So I have to do some thinking about this.
Paul,
A 4 to 6 foot fence is not going to suffice; it has to be a minimum of 8 feet to guarantee exclusion of Deer. Honest!
Paul
Speaking of fences…
Some years ago I read a story about a rosarian who decided that he would fence in his garden to prevent deer from eating his roses.
The fence was very high, most likely 10-12 ft.
But when he went out to check on his roses, he found that the deer were still getting into the fenced in area and he was completely at a loss to explain how they were getting in.
Then one morning, he met the newspaper delivery boy in the driveway and they struck up a conversation regarding the new fence and how the deer were still getting in.
The boy looked surprised and then told him that each morning when he stopped by to deliver the newspaper, he found several deer standing in the driveway near the gate and assumed that they were waiting for someone to open the gate, so that’s what he had been doing…mystery solved.
Dogs work for me. I haven’t had any deer damage since I got them. They also keep away the coyotes and other critters.
It is said that two parallel fences 4-5 feet tall and 4-5 feet apart will keep deer out. The idea is that deer won’t jump the fences because they can’t clear both. That might be less of an eyesore than an 8 foot fence, but you’d have to dig twice as many post holes. Here’s a blog about this kind of fence:
Link: robertkouriksgardenroots.blogspot.com/2008/04/i-learned-of-special-fence-that-had-20.html
I forgot to mention… do you remember the Billy Bass singing fish on a plaque that was popular a few years ago? One of our rose society members put one of those out in her garden and says that it keeps the deer out. She moves it around periodically. She continues to use it over her husband’s objections. He doesn’t like being awakened at 2 am by a fish singing “Take Me To The River”.
You can probably get a used Billy Bass or one of the knockoffs on eBay.
Link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mouth_Billy_Bass
This seems more appropriate.
Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=m515mwujPPA
I’m speechless, Robert. One would almost conclude that someone has too much time on their hands.
Paul
Don’t tell me rosaholics aren’t hep or is it hip! ROFLOL
Jim P.
Hey, if you can’t have fun what’s the point? Besides, it beats “Take me to the River”. Jim started it! lol
Thanks for all the great suggestions. I’ll have to ponder my options. Whether to get a dog or an ostrich, put up a 8’ high fence or two 4’ high fences or get a singing fish or shark.
I’m sure my wife would think I had lost it if I put a singing fish in the yard.LOL
Hey Guys,
Maybe this one…a singing deer head that also barks would do it.
Link: Deer Impersonating Dog - YouTube
