This is war!

Geee Ticker------- I know a lot about human urine in the garden. I am a expert shot. I can hit a 1 inch bulls eye at 3 ft at least. I can about cut down on my watering if I drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. One of these days I will be able to do that in the bathroom as well if I practice I suppose.

It seems to work but I would not bet on it. I try to place it in covered areas where they have trouble seeing what is in there. I am trying to make them think I am hiding there. I use other things thought like dog hair when trim my dog. Then I have a on going war with squirrels so at times there is also animal blood(sorry susan the devil makes me do it) out there. But I will tell you the truth. I believe they will get past anything if they want to bad enough.

Oz, I agree, if they are hungry enough they will come in no matter what. But, deer are creatures that take the path of least resistance and so, if there is something there to deter them and they have ample food elsewhere, then they will take the path of least resistance and go elsewhere.

I have my most problems with deer early in the spring. I have some tulips that I've not seen bloom once and they've been in the ground for going on 3 years. Since I sent the horses off to live elsewhere, the deer have gotten a lot braver. The deer would come right up next to the house and chew on my Dwarf Korean Lilacs. Deer Fortress seems to have made a difference for me this year, and I actually did get to see some of those mystery tulips bloom. Not all, cause I didn't get the stuff out early enough.

But last year in April and May they were terrible. So, after having the hubby pee around the back pines for rest of the month in May and most of June, the deer took the hint and went else where to forage. Most likely to the farmers cornfield right behind the house. The freeze we had last May toasted my apple trees so we didn't have any fall apples to lure the deer into the yard, so my fall was pretty deer un-eventful. They were around, just not up in the yard or messing with the gardens.

Hopefully this fall will be deer UN-eventful, too.

Diann

Marie, how's your Deer Fortress working for you? Tonight, from my kitchen window I watch a big doe in my back yard eating crab apples from the ground and from out of the tree. I watched her for a good 45 minutes. When she was done she trotted off jumped the fence and was gone into the corn field behind my pines.

Now, I have lots of luscious lilies in bloom and the daylilies are starting, but she didn't go anywhere near them or any other flower bed. She even passed up the grape arbor. Of course, it's right next to a bed with Deer Fortress in it. All she came for was the apples and then she left. But as I watched her you could tell she was really skittish, never quite comfortable in her surroundings. I'm attributing that to the Deer Fortress. She can have all the fallen apples she wants, less for me to clean up that way.

So, I have my fingers crossed that when I go out tomorrow morning to work that I'll still have luscious lilies and daylilys...

Diann

Ticker I agree with what you say. I try to do it in places where they cannot be sure I am not hiding in wait for them. My little dog has to be groomed and I always do that outside where her hair helps scare them off. As long as they never see her that is fine. If they did they would know she is the last thing in the world to be scared of.

Wow - what a great thread! I don't know if it is deer or rabbits or squirrels but something is munching my hosta, too. Funny thing is when we moved here they were huge, needed division and in full sunlight but in the same bed where they are now. I divided and made a really nice path border with them that will lead to a seating area (someday) and they are selectively eating along the pathway. They are the same freaking hosta that were huge and untouched 10 feet away from where they are now! 2 are eaten to the ground like they were mowed, several others show nibbling and the rest are thriving - bloom stalks and all. They are all in a row, too. Who is doing this? Or is it just a big varmint party - all rodents in vited hooves or no??

Think that Deer Fortress works with smaller pests?

pegzhere.......sounds like deer. Doesn't that just break your heart? So far so good with using the Deer Fortress. I'm still not comfortable, but nothing has been eaten lately. My crab apples aren't ripe yet, but that is usually what draws them in. That will be the true test to how well the Deer Fortress is working. Diann.....I don't know how you could just watch them and resist the urge to run out and ask them nicely (LOL) to leave your property.

My neighbor's dog however, is attracted to the Deer Fortress and was sniffing and licking the other day. I assured my neighbor that the company claims that it will not harm pets.

Pegzhere, I think Deer Fortress only works on deer. :) There are other things you can do about destructive smaller critters. Me, I just shoot them and not with a pellet gun. Of course, I don't live in the city.

Marie, I really wanted to see if she would wander over to where my luscious lilies and daylilies were and she didn't. She walked right past them and right past the grape vine... This isn't the first time I've seen her back there and I've found no damage as of yet. The only thing I really worry about besides my flowers is that she'll drop a deer tick off in my yard and then the cats will bring it in and well, you get the idea. :)

Diann

I never see them munching, though - which is probably a good thing. Having never shot with more than a super soaker in my life, my neighbors might be in danger LOL.

I did see one deer one AM cruising through the backyard. My dog sort of looked at me like "Hey dude - did you see that???' Explains why he isn't much help.

This message was edited Jun 22, 2006 12:35 PM

Diann......my cats all get treated with Frontline Plus. They still manage to bring in an occassional tick, but at least they don't latch on. I wonder why there isn't a Frontline Plus for humans? All I need is to miss a tick on one of the cats and have them transfer it to me.

Marie, Oh good grief, don't I know it. All my cats get treated with Advantage something or other, and yes, they carry the ticks in and I get to find them. I seem to have tick radar... and no, that's not why I go by Ticker.. LOL

Peg, I know what you're saying, my cats aren't much help in taking down deer either. But they do keep the smaller mammal and rodent population under control. One just learns to check their little mouths at the door and not just open it and let them in... I almost learned the hard way with that. :)

Diann

Oh yeah.....one of my cats tried to walk in with a mouse yesterday. Sorry, my house rule is no rodents in the house! Not dead and not alive. I'm just funny about that. He couldn't understand why I wouldn't let him bring it in, and kept trying to get around me. And then.....it was still alive! Well, the two of them just had to go back out in the yard and play for awhile.

Marie, Sedric did the same thing to me ... and I had a house full of company. lol

Don't the little darlings just make life soooo much more interesting?

Bump! Thanks for this thread, Marie!

The deer are back! They've devoured one of my two hosta plantaginea fields...twice. They returned and managed to get a few more leaves from under the deer mesh we have on top of the hosta. Then they attacked all the Stained Glass and they're now removed but there isn't a single leaf left on one of them. They've eaten daylily buds galore and I just wish it made them sterile but it doesn't.

We have makeshift ugly green wire fencing with chairs holding them in place and the deer haven't tried to leap over them and onto the terrace to devour daylilies and more hostas but they did push down another piece of metal hardware cloth we rigged up but, clearly, we didn't have enough ties to prevent them from getting through. I have fixed that.

I just can't keep spraying. I'm weary from just keeping up with the gardens and need ideas on how people have thwarted the deer.

Right now it really looks like a redneck garden. I have considered using many trellises at each of the four exits/entrances to the terrace gardens but hate to spend a large amount of money if they'll knock them down. My thought was that I'd just remove a trellis if I wanted to work in any of the other gardens in the back and replace the trellis when I was done for the day. I am aware of how high they can jump but many of our deer are more the grazing, lazy type and just stroll and eat.

I've considered old wide screens set in wooden posts, with a routed out slot for the screen, but would like to hear what others have done to prevent deer attacks.

This was after night one and removal of 175 leaves. The next night they got 126 more. It's looking pathetic now!

Thanks for any and all help.

One entrance - isn't this just sad?

Wipe the hosta and daylily out of your mind. They're history.

Another entry point. The vegetable garden is protected to 12' high and they haven't (yet) conquered it.

The deer mesh is on top of the hosta to the left in the photo (taken around sundown - sorry it isn't better).

This was one hilarious thread! Are you guys still in funny moods or has old age got you? LOL

We have to maintain our sense of humor to deal with the wretched deer.