I have lived on five acres in Lillian Alabama since 1990, surrounded by woods on all four sides and never had a problem with deer until this summer. They have always been here but stayed in the woods until we had the drought this summer, now there are at least four that show up day and night. They are eating the daylilies and have destroyed the winter garden. I have put deer fencing around the hybridizing area but the seedling area is to large and would be to much of a problem and expense to fence since I use a tractor with a tiller to rework the six sixty foot beds. My question is has anyone used the ultrasonic things that suppose to repel deer. They work like a dog whistle and cost about $60. Or any other suggestions that may help.

Sorry to hear about the deer problem, they are all around me and frequently come into the garden area, but so far have done very little damage to the daylilies. So far they have preferred other plants in the garden. What a shame to have to fence in your plants, but it looks like you did a neat job of it. I had to use what looked like that same nylon material to fence in my vegetable garden at times(I did not do nearly as neat of a job). I have not used the ultra sound deterrents, but I just feel if they worked lots of people around here would be using them, and I have heard of nobody near me using anything with success on a large scale except fencing.

Fred, again sorry to hear about the deer. As for those sonic repellants, have nothing valuable to add. However, wanted to mention that I bought one of the sonic solar powered units for moles and they laugh at it... Hasn't done anything to keep those burrowing varmits away.

Quoting from University of Vermont Extension:

"Ultrasonic devices are often sold to repel wildlife, including deer. The principle of them is that they emit sounds at wavelengths animals can hear (above 20 kilohertz), but people can't. The only problem with deer is that they hear in a different range, from two to six kilohertz, so studies have shown them not to be effective against deer. (Yes, scientists even have done hearing tests on deer."

http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/article...

What about one of those motion-sensing water sprayers? There are some YouTube videos showing them working, although I think the dog might have helped in this one!:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=...

I found the motion-sensing water sprayers to be erratic. Perhaps it's mainly the sound of their coming on that temporarily deters deer. I find it hard to believe they would be effective for a large area, though one person I know has reported success for a smaller area.

I have had great luck so far (knock on wood) with the Wireless Deer Fence. There is a few different types of styles. Mine has a rubber bait that you fix to the top-don't like doing it-it is hard to get on. There is a type that has a drop in bait, will try those in the future. They just run on reg batteries and you stake them in the ground around the area. They are inexpensive. I move them around regularly. Got them on Amazon I think?

Fred we have deer and bunnies. If I'm consistent with the Milorganite it helps and I have put that Liquid Fence Deer and Rabbit spray stuff on but you have to replace it every time it rains . We also have a big dog that barks at anything that intrudes in our yard and that helps during the day, the deer just like to munch at night now. I too have a large area, and it is really hard to keep up. Let me know if you find something that works!!!!!

Fred,
Don't know if it will help for you, but I use a cup or so of Gain Fabric Softener to a gallon of water in my sprayer
and use it on everything! Until I started doing that, deer completely destroyed my apple trees every single year,
as well as everything in my garden, especially sweet potatoes. I will spray every three weeks or so, or after a
really hard rain. With the daylilies, they will occasionally nip off a bud if it is up and inviting, but you will usually
find it on the ground next to the plant. Normally they just move on.

Before trying fabric softener, I got some very expensive deer away stuff, and nearly killed everything with it-
and it was really nasty stuff. At least the fabric softener is cheap, and if you get overspray on you while you
are spraying, your wife won't mind at all. If you try it, please let us know if it works for you.

Nothing we have tried, including the water blaster gadgets, works reliably... except for fencing.

Sorry to say, but now that they have discovered your place (and the daylily buffet), if the deer are hungry, they will come.

I've trained the deer and rabbits not to come to my yard. My land is bordered by a 700 acre county park, with farm and woodland on all other sides. It used to be that my yard was full of rabbits and deer. Running, jumping, enjoying themselves, and eating all they wanted from my gardens.

I learned how to use liquid fence to force them to change their habits. Now I never have either of these pests on my property. They don't even come close to my yard.

You must spray it right. Don't use it to protect single plants. Use it around the perimeter of your property, to teach them new habits. That way, if one day, you don't have time to spray, it won't matter, because they will have learned to avoid your place. They are very smart, and this is how they survive.

At first, spray once a week. It smells awful, and will make you gag, but after awhile, given all it does for you, you'll cease to notice. Trust me.

Is it expensive - you betcha! Is it worth it - you betcha! I bought the 1 quart spray bottle, and refill it from the 1 gallon jug. If I wasn't so lazy, I'd buy the concentrate and mix my own.

Spray every time it rains at first. Even after they stop coming, spray at least once a month, just to remind them, and in case of newcomers looking for a territory of their own.

Now, how to spray. Make a wide swath. Sweep your arm as you go so that they won't be thinking it would be easy to jump that stink and get to the feast. Don't just spray a line.

Hope this helps.

Just wanted to mention, will you run out half way through, have clogs, and cuss a lot? Oh, yeah.

Mary thanks for the info!!!!! I have been spraying on individual plants but I love this idea. I'll give it a try this summer!!! And yes, I'm well aware of the cussing a lot when it runs out or clogs

How thick (deep) around the area do you spray? I have about 3 acres to border with it.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, looks like the liquid fence may be what I try.

Ginny, if at all possible, get started on this now. Do not wait. Unless you have knee-deep snow, start training those animals right away.

Unless you're too busy right now, and too exhausted. Don't you just hate it when you've worked your tail off all day, but you're still out there, sweltering, your legs covered with ten million mosquitoes, deer and horseflies bouncing off your head, and you run out of product!?! No, you're not headed for air conditioning and the tv clicker, you gotta go refill and get right back out there!


Oh, before I forget, depending on where you live, you might have to be concerned about the quality of the liquid fence. The last couple of years, there's been a problem with whether or not the stores protect it from freezing. Because, if it freezes, it can become ineffective. And you'll have to take it right back and exchange it. If this happens, before you take a new one home, make sure to have the store open the jug so that you can look to see that it's the right color and smell(!). It should look white like milk and instantly fill the entire store with the smell of rotten eggs and rotten garlic. If it's dark brownish-red and smells like nail polish remover - well, someone at the liquid fence company told me it would still work, but I think that is debatable.


Also, make sure to store it good yourself, bringing it into the house with you, right next to the recliner!

Just kidding!

I knew I was forgetting something! Ginny, the most important thing is to not be stingy. As time goes by, you'll be using less and it won't be as expensive. My acre of land is surrounded on 3 and 1/2 sides by the park and farmers fencing. Some of my gardens are quite close to the fence, perhaps within 4 or 5 feet. Enough room that the riding mower can maintain a nice distance from the poison ivy, and blood sucking hookers.

I borrowed this bit of advice to give you a visual of what you need to accomplish:
http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/article...
"If you have a standard fence about four or five feet feet high, you can add a similar and additional one about four feet away. While not high, with this width deer usually wont like to try and clear both and perhaps get caught between or on them."

So, you see what I mean about not spraying a line. Sometimes a deer is running, and maybe the fence will slow him down for the second that he'd need to notice that god-awful smell, and it will turn him away. This is my theory! Regardless if there is a fence or not, you're gonna need to make a spray fence, hence the wide, sweeping swath, right in front of that fence. Even spraying a bit on the fence posts themselves. It really works. They will make their deer path somewhere else, teaching their kids as well. At first, use as much as you can, as often as you think best. Do not let them steal your dreams, and negate all your hard work!

This goes for those cute little rabbits, and those perky chipmunks, too! I used to be INVADED by chipmunks, but now I never even see a rabbit, and maybe have one chipmunk here per year. I think it might be helping with the voles, too. I'm seeing dramatically less of them. But I'm not sure if that could be the result of all the poison I keep putting down their tunnels!

Somebody, what can I do with all those tree squirrels!?!

Anything that eats road kill, this stuff will not bother them. Obviously. I don't understand why it doesn't bother the gentle woodchucks, but if you have trouble with them, and things that are digging your plants up, anything that will stop them until the soil settles and becomes more hard will help. Unfortunately, I ordered so many daylilies last summer that I ran out of heavy bricks, buckets, lawn chairs, etc... Not to mention the time and patience needed to cover and uncover. The accidental discovery that a bug spray on the leaves will repel the woodchuck led me to spray it all around each new daylily, on top of the mulch or soil. This seemed to defeat those raccoons or skunks, or whatever, and they stopped coming.

I'm gonna quit now. It feels like I'm writing a book!

So sorry to hear about the deer damage.
Another thing to try is putting hair around your yard or perimeters it also seems to help.

Great article Mary, thanks for posting.

Fred, knocking on wood, but I haven't any deer problems. I'll bring the truck over and load up some of those seedlings to grow for you. Free of charge

You're welcome, Fred. Hope it helps.