Haven't tried mint, but have used everything else mentioned and more. The only thing for me is a fence tall enough to keep them out. I don't farm anymore, and I had enough cattle panels laying around to put up a 32' x 80' fence with the panels 2 high. That's a good 8' tall and that has kept them out for last 2 years. Will post pics when I learn how.

Welcome to NGA, @Olhippie !

I imagine the cattle panels would make a great deer fence - excellent idea for repurposing them.

If you have the photos on your computer, just click the "upload an image" box below the box where you type a reply, then select the photo you want to post. (If you use a phone or tablet I'm sure someone else will be able to help out!)

Thanks Weedwhacker, for both the welcome and photo tip. That sounds easy enough. Thought I was going to have to downsize them someway before posting.

Nope, the system will take care of that for you (if necessary)

olhippie

Always love to hear stories from gardeners near & far. Another take on an age-old problem. olhippie

I was wanting to fertlize a bunch of my Oak trees in the woods. So with that in mind I started watching You tubes to see what fertlizer and how it was applied.

That led to home made deer or mineral licks and what and how to make them.

I think I am going to make some up this coming spring and set them out and see it they draw the deer to them and not the garden stuff.

One of the recipes was $20.00 to make and lasted 4 months, they also helped thre expection mama's have healthy babies

Al

I dont know if mint ever repelled Deer - b/c where I am it could always be traffic or dogs-

but I did have some mint they grew along the border between the woods and my lawn and I loved it- I always mowed the lawn 10ft deeper into the boundary than I had to every spring just becasue running it over with the lawnmower was full on heady- I looked forward to mowing ... after a couple years I reclaimed a couple yards of lawn/woods barrier without even trying just becasue running it over was so pleasant.

Id NEVER put mint next to a deliberate planting, but its fabulous in the boundary between suburban and tick-fest woods.

Hopefully this works. First time posting picture. This is what I did with cow panels I had accumulated over the years to keep deer out. It works great for the deer, now have to put chicken wire around bottom for rabbits.

Chicken wire around the bottom should work great for the rabbits -- great job on the cattle panel fencing!

When does your gardening season start? and what are you going to plant?

Corn is the first thing. I always try to plant it in last two weeks of March. Then April-May,—- tomatoes, squash, peppers, cucumber, peas (southern), butterbeans. Usually will plant few hills of watermelons also. All but the corn and melons are in fence. Deer and raccoons eat most of it, and even coyotes will eat watermelons.

you wrote '''
A few wire spikes among the hostas to poke their eyes, a few crossbow bolts in the flanks...
---
nothing like moving into the woods and annoying the animals. huh ?

why not use some fencing so they can be safe from YOU ?

it is sad that so many people are plotting ways to hurt the deer.

spikes in their eyes, shooting them with most anything to scare them ...

why not a simple double fence around what you want to protect?

or better yet ... move away from them .

@ olhippie How did you put in the posts? How deep are they, and did you use concrete and such? I was thinking of using some 8 ft T posts and driving them 2 foot (can I do that?) and then putting 3 ft like chicken wire or similar along the bottom to keep my poodles in, and then stringing a few strands of 30 lb fishing line across the top every 6-8 inches. I am so desperate to be rid of my deer. They have already this year eaten EVERY ONE of my daylilies. I have probably 250? or so. EVERY ONE. They came out and I kid you not, they dug the plants up w their hooves and ate the roots. Why I have no idea, there is plenty of green around here to eat and we have had a mild winter, they are not after moisture, we live next to a creek and I also have a fish pond. I just can't grasp it. They have even designated an area of my garden as a toilet and leave me presents. The problem is I also have chickens -the neighbors will not keep in, and they destroy things too. FINALLY got the moles and voles under control, which were really bad here. But the neighbors cats who invite themselves over, and a fox, has been taking care of the rodents pretty good. The trouble is, once I put up the 3 ft fence, those will be pretty much be out? and then the rodents will return. My garden has absolutely been devastated by all these unwelcome critters. I don't want to hurt them, I just want them GONE! I would LOVE to put up privacy fence around the whole shebang, but I am also flat broke. So I need to come up w a solution that is pretty affordable, will last several years before needing major money spent again, and will not look too awful. Some of the area has shrubs that will cover it, but other areas are too many surface roots and shade from trees-so I have not found anything that will grow there and the fence will be real noticeable. I'm sorely tempted to plant some of that super invasive japanese honeysuckle, knowing my luck I'd be hard pressed to get that to even survive.

Frillylilly
The answer to your question - a female dog. If you pick a Labrador retriever, you'll fall head-over-heels in love. I did.
Females will be your shadow, and want to be near you, chase away invaders, no fences were ever needed for our girl (we're on 27 acres, just can't fence all that). No critters bothered the garden, partly, I think because of the dog's scent. Once our beloved lab died (at age 17), the critters were back in the garden.

I agree with the dog approach. We are on 15 acres, and the back 10 is all native woodlot with a creek and pond, so great habitat for deer. In the 38 years we've been here, I have only had a occasional deer approach my yard. We've always kept medium/large dogs, usually mutts of some type or the other, and they live mostly outside. When we were gone on a road trip recently, I came home to all my newly emerging daylillies munched to the ground - I assume by deer. Since our return, the daylillies are recovering nicely with no further evidence of deer. Our next door neighbor has no dog and regularly has deer in his yard. Sadly, our current dog is 13 and is plagued with fatty tumors, one that is quite huge, so her days are rather numbered. I think she's our last dog...so will likely be joining the 'dang those deer' crowd.

Last Spring I was working on the front gardens, and looked up to see and count 13 deer running down our small country road, in a straight line, and I'm not certain but I think ranking by height also, from tallest to smallest. Something had scared them. And the bug---s love to eat rose bushes even though they do not have upper teeth! I have a solution to stop the deer problem: Land Mines, Drones, Bazookas, LOL. I know, not that funny perhaps. Anyway, there is only one real solution other than full property fencing, which I pretty near have now, except for the open driveway, and that is to fence individual plots or cover same with chicken wire. It doesn't matter what else one uses, the deer will "get used to" any deterrent after a short period of time, other than a physical barrier of some type. I rise about 6:30 each morning, about the same time the deer start to wander around. I take a good look in every direction I can. If I see any near the property, out comes the pellet gun, and one of them will get a pellet in the rump, and they will scatter immediately! Have to be careful to listen for approaching cars, as the deer could run into same. Happens all the time here. Note: Deer have a very thick hide, and I can assure everyone that no way in the world would a pellet ever break through that. To the extreme tree huggers, mankind was here in Nova Scotia before the deer were. They were imported later from Europe. I put too much effort and money into maintaining my gardens, to just stand by and let any creature deprive me of same. We can co-exist but in relation to my gardens, I would like to decide the terms. PS. The deer population is totally out of control here in Nova Scotia - totally! If the product mentioned several times throughout this thread, "Deerskyyd" is of any value, and the ratings are not that good, and if it does primarily consist of animal blood, beside the stench mentioned by many, I would not want to put that product on my gardens anywhere. The same with blood meal which I haver never used. What happens if your vegetables suck up that product, or it drains off into your water supply or your neighbours? I keep thinking of "mad cow disease"! Cheers!

I cannot get a dog, because I am allergic to them. I have 2 tiny poodles, but they don't shed and don't bother my allergies. Plus my yard is not fenced at all and we live on a busy interstate/outer road. We have deer hit by cars here all the time, last fall had to call the sheriff to put one down. Should have just went out and shot it ourselves, but were afraid we'd get in trouble (?). Someone hit it w their car and it was still in the road, unable to get up but was still very much alive. It was really hurting. I bet we waited an HOUR before the highway patrol came and did it. Then the next morning it was still laying there, shame to have wasted it anyway. As much as I hate them, I do love them.

Frillylily said:we live on a busy interstate/outer road.
We have deer hit by cars here all the time, last fall had to call the sheriff to put one down.

Should have just went out and shot it ourselves, but were afraid we'd get in trouble (?).

Someone hit it w their car and it was still in the road, unable to get up but was still very much alive. It was really hurting. I bet we waited an HOUR before the highway patrol came and did it.

Then the next morning it was still laying there, shame to have wasted it anyway.

As much as I hate them, I do love them.

That's where I get most of my venison...
I think ida dragged it up into the yard before shooting it...

But... yeah, those cars hitting them tenderizes them (jk).

Last car-hit deer I got... couple weeks ago... neighbor gave me a call on the telephone, said there was a roadkill out her way... I jumped in the truck and drove out in the rain.

I got there and it was stiff as a board...
Grabbed it anyway.

Butchered in the rain with the cats help...

every day, the cats got steak... I had beans and rice... Sadly, that deer was just a bit too well aged for my palate.... But the cats were happy campers!

fwmosher said:To the extreme tree huggers, mankind was here in Nova Scotia before the deer were. They were imported later from Europe.

What?

Imported from Europe??

Got a link to go with that bit of (mis)information?