# How Do I Scare Deer Away From My Gardens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 27, 2001, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317 "2001-06-27T13:35:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/21 "2009-09-14T22:47:20Z")
With that much open land, I do not see how you could expect to repel deer without fences or dogs. Why do you chose not to entertain dogs as an option? They do an excellent job at keeping deer away and they work for kibble. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/22 "2009-09-14T23:17:52Z")
If urinating on the garden is inappropriate, you could try something else - apparently coyote find deer tasty and deer know this, so spreading coyote urine will scare off the deer. [Available from PredatorPee.](http://www.predatorpee.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=LE&Category_Code=CU) ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2009, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/23 "2009-09-14T23:57:26Z")
My family were subsistence farmers. They relied exclusively on dogs. Bow hunters in Nevada will swear on a case of Coors that cosmetics will spook deer. This might agree with the popular _Irish Spring_ remedy often recommended by gardeners. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/24 "2009-09-15T00:28:21Z")
do your best imitation of a hungry wolf. ideas of hair, stinky soap, pee (human and predator), noise/sprinkler/lights on sensors, electric fence all seem to work for people. the fence will work long term. the other things work for a while and the deer stop getting repelled, so you need to rotate those things. if you don’t want to shoot to kill you could shoot to annoy. a gas powered pellet gun might annoy them without injury. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/25 "2009-09-15T00:46:11Z")
I have heard of using lion pee. But on an area that large I think you are out of luck. when I was a kid on the ranch we ate a lot of deer meat, but could not thin them out. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/26 "2009-09-15T00:48:10Z")
> [@Sultan\_Kinkari](#): > > Not to sound glib but don’t you feel kind of silly now? You moved into a rural area and knew there were deer and still went ahead and planted a veritable free-all-you-can-eat buffet open 24 hours. You had two conflicting dreams; growing a wonderful and diverse garden, and living in the country on the edge of a forest. Now your garden has been obliterated and you have to spend even more money on guns, dogs, or chemical or electric repellants. > > The deer were there first. Put your guns away. Don’t Dream of having a garden. If you’ve lived there for a while you know your doing a pretty good job of controlling the deer population with your car. I’ve hit two deer in the same week where I live. > > Or, put up a sign that says “NO SNACKING.” Are you serious? 200 lbs of free meat walks into your yard and you let it get away? 😉 The garden needs watering anyway so get the $80 water sprinkler and video tape the results for personal entertainment. I’m not too keen on my back yard smelling like a New York Subway so I would try the water directly first rather than filtering it. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/27 "2009-09-15T01:20:07Z")
ZOMBIE deer. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/28 "2009-09-15T12:46:47Z")
My grandfather used to get dried blood from the butcher and sprinkle it around the property. It smelled terrible but it kept the deer away from his garden. The butcher gave it away for free. A few years ago I bought a bag of dried blood from a store (for a different reason), and it did not smell like the stuff from the butcher’s, so I am not sure if that would work or not. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/29 "2009-09-15T14:45:55Z")
> [@Savannah](#): > > ZOMBIE deer. They want G-R-A-A-I-I-I-N-S. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/30 "2009-09-15T15:31:50Z")
fencing and dogs work full time. the other deterrents can loose their effectiveness as the deer wise up, do rotate which one you are using. for predator pee, shit and hair deer are cautious of what is local to them, nonnative predator material may have no effect. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/31 "2009-09-15T17:00:19Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Helpful links: > [Ruger® Firearms](http://www.ruger-firearms.com/index.html) > [http://www.winchester-guns.com/](http://www.winchester-guns.com/) > [http://www.remington.com/](http://www.remington.com/) > [http://www.browning.com/](http://www.browning.com/) Some people live in suburban areas where it’s illegal to discharge firearms. So guns are not a cure-all solution. And I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to shoot a deer unless you have a tag for it and it’s the right season. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/32 "2009-09-15T18:46:37Z")
The motion-sensor sprinklers are called Scarecrows. Google or search eBay. The company has excellent support. You turn them off before you go into the garden yourself. Keeps the dogs from digging up the new plantings as well. If you’re looking to protect the entire 150 acres it might be a bit expensive, but we have 4 of them and they work great for the small areas we want to keep deer-and-dog free. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/33 "2009-09-15T19:01:47Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > Some people live in suburban areas where it’s illegal to discharge firearms. So guns are not a cure-all solution. And I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to shoot a deer unless you have a tag for it and it’s the right season. You might want to PM Crafter\_Man that you’ve responded to his post. I have a feeling he hasn’t been checking up on this thread very often… ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/34 "2009-09-15T19:08:00Z")
Get lion poop from your local zoo. But first principles work better: plant deer-proof plants in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2009, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317/35 "2009-09-15T20:34:27Z")
Mrs Gelding claims that used-up anti-static sheets from the cloths dryer repels deer. We live in the country with substantial row crop fields, second growth wood lots and brushy fence lines all around us. Bambi and all his relatives were raising hob with the garden and with the hostas and other landscape paintings. A judicious scattering of old Downy sheets on fences and the plants themselves seems to have discouraged the deer for the last few years. You do need to replace the sheets ever couple weeks and after a heavy rain. A dog is the best answer. A dog will keep the racoons, possums and groundhogs at bay, too. Big noisy dogs outdoor like Labradors and Collies and smaller active outdoor dogs like Border Collies are good. Some states do issue deer permits for damage control. You can shoot them but you have to call the game warden who collects the carcass and sends it off to be butchered for any number of state purposes-- maybe to feed to penitentiary inmates. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-scare-deer-away-from-my-gardens/70317.md?page=1)