This thread may not be for everyone. Please try to keep it as humane as possible. This is an experiment.

I was thinking of something like a discussion of fencing and other ideas to keep deer out of the garden, not in terms of harming any, just keeping the plants out of their reach. Not that I am against hunting but that is just my personal view. But their are just too many deer in many areas of the country.

Anyway, I think this thread is a great idea for this forum.

We put up deer fencing, and that is the only thing that has worked.
They still chew holes in the fence, but we just patch it up again.
Here the deer will eat anything and everything. They even took a bite out of
several plastic window blind tags for plant id.

I've sprinkle cayenne pepper on plants that I don't want the wild rabbits munching on. Have to do it each time after it rains and after awhile of doing it, they stop.

I found that the deer will quit eating my plants if they're eating the birdseed and birdfood I put out. I usually put out whole corn so they don't eat the more expensive birdseed, but this year, with birdseed so high, I haven't gotten the whole corn. I usually get the birdseed and suet at the local Tractors Supply, since they have the best and cheapest prices, but they're high this year and last. I'm sure it's like that everywhere, of course.

I get corn in 50 lb bags at Agway. It is a feed store something like Tractor Supply. I buy cracked corn as this way I feed the birds and the squirrels with it and I use it all winter. Thankfully no deer here so I need not worry about that. I do have nice fat squirrels though from all the corn they eat all winter long. I just sprinkle it on ground. Morning Doves as well as other birds eat the corn also as well as squirrels.

I'll have to check out the price of the corn (50 pound bags) next time I'm at TS.

At Agway I know they have whole corn kernals in the 50 lb bags and then they also have the 50 pound bags of the cracked corn. I try to get medium cracked corn. I figgure if Agway has it then Tractor Supply probably has it also but our Tractor Supply here on Long Island is way, way out East. Much too far while Agway is fairly close by.

We tried feeding. I think the deer sent out postcards to the edge, not
only to their peers, but also to so many other critters.

It possibly depends on ones' own ecosystem as to what works
best without changing the balance of mother nature, who can
be rather cruel all by herself in returning to equilibrium.

Well, the problem with deer is that there are deer just about all over the country but in many areas there are no natural predators for them so there are just too many deer. I am sure that in places like Yellowstone the wolves keep the deer in balance. I know there are cayotes in many areas of New Jersey and lots of deer but I don't think the cayotes go after the deer. On Long Island, there are plenty of deer out east but no natural predators so there are just more and more deer all the time.

I Iive much more toward the city so the deer have not made it this far west. I hope they never do.

LOL. Ticks aren't exactly the wildlife we're talking about here but they come along for the ride on many of them ... and they are on the move so early this year. I've already found and killed my first one. Ugh. Of course, where there are deer, there are usually deer ticks. They say that due to the unusual warmth this year, insects will produce an extra generation.

Another reason to keep an eye on wildlife. I love deer ... I hate deer ticks.

SongofJoy said:LOL. Ticks aren't exactly the wildlife we're talking about here but they come along for the ride on many of them ... and they are on the move so early this year. I've already found and killed my first one. Ugh. Of course, where there are deer, there are usually deer ticks. They say that due to the unusual warmth this year, insects will produce an extra generation.

Another reason to keep an eye on wildlife. I love deer ... I hate deer ticks.

Yup. I'll say.

Unlike some places where deer actually want inside a fenced yard, around here they don't. I have had fawns inside the yard only twice. They didn't know any better, just wandered in an open gate. Then I had to get them to a gate the best I can without freaking them out. The Mom was waiting for the fawns outside the fence both times.I used to wonder why the native penstemons don't bloom out on the property...ever. Then I found out those penstemons were tasty to the deer...they couldn't bloom, since they were sheared back every time they tried. Same thing for Missouri Primrose. With the milkweeds, the deer eat the blooms of Texas Milkweed. With yucca, it becomes deer candy after it puts up a bloom spike.

Last night I was looking for a cat that wandered off and went back outside of my fence. Then I saw it! The pile of topsoil I keep back there had been scattered around and a bag of compost sitting by it had been torn open and spilled. That's when the scent reached me. Wild hogs had been there! They won't mess with my compost again! Funny how you forget when they haven't done any damage for a while! Can't leave things out like that.