It isn't hard to tell if deer, rather than rabbits or woodchucks, have been making a meal of your garden. Look for a ragged, squared, torn appearance at the end of browsed twigs (since deer don't have upper incisors, they don't neatly clip-browse as do other species).
In fact, woodlands in areas heavily populated with deer may exhibit a "browse line" in which the vegetation will have a neatly trimmed appearance up to the height deer can reach, three to five feet from the ground. What's more,deer sometimes damage small elm trees by stripping their bark for food, but this phenomenon is relatively rare. More frequently, damage to small trees is caused by males rubbing their antlers along trunks, stripping them of bark. These "buck rubs" occur most frequently in the fall, just prior to the start of rut.
Some damage to gardens or crops is inevitable where deer and people share the same space. When damage is slight to moderate, a wider variety of plants can be grown, and a simpler and less-involved set of strategies employed. Under heavy browsing conditions, the options are more limited. For the damage that is unacceptable, try the following solutions.
Choice of Plants
Deer damage can be considerably lessened and, in some cases, possibly eliminated altogether by thoughtful landscape design that gives care to both the selection and placement of plants. The more natural the landscaping—and the greater the number of native plant species used—the better. Naturalized plantings are less likely to attract special attention from deer, and native species are more likely to have evolved mechanisms to deter browsing or tolerate its impact. Furthermore, some plants (hollies and barberries, for instance) will be eaten by deer only when succulent growth is appearing, if then. Others (such as impatiens) are almost irresistible to deer.
Contact your state cooperative extension service, local nursery, or landscaping company for information about plants that are tolerant of, or actually resistant to, deer browsing. Since deer feeding habits and preferences vary enormously within relatively small geographic areas, the more local the information on what is being eaten and when damage is occurring, the better. Sometimes the best source of information can be a next-door neighbor.
Habitat Management
One key to predicting deer problems is simply knowing the animals are present, and taking steps to deter them before they cause damage.
The tracks left by deer are easily recognized, and tell the homeowner that the yard or nearby areas are used in the search for food or for travel. Tracks seen in or around the garden can be a distinct warning that young plants set out in the spring are likely to be vulnerable.
Appropriate steps to protect plants should be taken when the plants are set out, not after damage begins. Plant covers and protective netting on fruit trees are good ways to provide protection. Deer may be especially attracted to gardens in early spring when the plants offer choicer and tastier morsels than the slower-growing native vegetation. Thus, damage may occur only until the native plant foods become available.
Fencing
Where deer are a serious problem, the most effective and permanent way to protect resources such as crops or landscape plants is to install deer-proof fencing. No other method, whether it involves lethal or nonlethal means, is as effective over the long term as this.
A variety of fence designs have been developed, ranging from high-tensile strand wiring (which may be angled for better effectiveness) to standard mesh-woven wire, chain-link designs or various types of electric wiring. The best type for any given area will depend on the situation, and local extension or wildlife specialists should be consulted before any expense is incurred. Where deer do have other available forage, quite simple fences can sometimes keep them out of yards and gardens. However, when they are stressed for food, they may jump fences up to 10 feet in height.
Protecting Trees
Buck rubs occur frequently where small trees (2 to 6 feet) are planted in yards that may be crossed or used frequently by deer. Wrapping or corrugated plastic sleeves can be used to prevent damage. Simpler protection (that would not, however, withstand damage from beavers or voles) can be achieved by using 2-inch wooden stakes, about 4 to 5 feet high, surrounding the tree to be protected. Many garden centers carry these types of stakes.
Repellents
A variety of products (including some homemade remedies) can be used to repel deer. Some work directly by making the plants unpalatable to deer (taste and contact repellents), and others work by broadcasting an offensive smell or a disturbing sight or sound (area repellents).
The key to any repellent is to begin using it immediately upon observing the first signs of damage. With good reason, deer are extremely wary animals who will avoid places in which they feel threatened or insecure. If the gardener immediately launches a concerted effort to repel these animals when the first signs of their presence are found (usually tracks), then success is likely to be had. Home remedies—such as soap, hair, and garlic—may be effective in repelling deer from gardens and small orchards.
Scare Devices
Scarecrows and effigies may repel deer under appropriate circumstances, especially if they are moving. Lights set to go on by motion sensors may help protect gardens, or at least alert the homeowner to the presence of something outside that should be checked. Scare tape or balloons may also be effective in frightening deer. The key to using scaring devices is to couple them with other strategies and to vary them, moving scarecrows around or changing the place from which the frightening stimulus comes (when this can be done).
Deer-Vehicle Accidents
Deer are involved in a substantial number of accidents with vehicles every year; some recent estimates range as high as a million deer deaths nationwide. Certainly, expanding human populations, congested roadways, driving habits and the abuse of alcohol by some are contributing factors to the mortality rate.
Many tools can be employed to address this issue, including public education. Public announcements and radio spots during fall months can be used to alert drivers to increased deer activity, common with the seasonal onset of rut. Deer warning signs at least alert the attentive driver to look for these animals on stretches of road where they might not be expected.
Where particularly troublesome stretches of road occur (usually roadways that permit travel at high speeds through parks or wooded areas), high deer mortality and, presumably, high risk to drivers can occur. Often, little effort is made by authorities to identify and monitor such "hot spots," but they usually acquire local reputations.
Both highway and wildlife administrations can work with such stretches of road to try to reduce accidents. Potential approaches include lowering speed limits, removing vegetation from road edges so that both driver and deer have better visibility, erecting woven wire fences to prevent or reroute deer crossings or using an "optical" fence as described below.
Highway Reflectors
The Strieter-Lite® highway reflector system consists of a specially manufactured plastic prism that is mounted along roadsides on steel fence posts and at prescribed distances that depend on road curvature and topography. The lights from oncoming vehicles reflect across the roadway into the area of woods or field where deer are. The light steers deer away from the road when vehicles are passing.
The system has been extensively tested and looks promising in applications where the reflectors have been maintained in good condition. Installation on public roads, of course, requires planning and approval through state and local Department of Transportation offices.
A Last Word
There are some knotty problems ahead of us in our relationship with deer, problems that sometimes have as much to do with the values and attitudes we hold about these animals as the demonstrable facts about their interactions with their environment. We must acknowledge that these animals will be a continuing part of our lives. Let's start by accepting and appreciating them for what they are before seeing them as a problem-causing crisis that has to be "solved."
Updated Jan. 23, 2007
