At first glance, deer in the garden are a nice change, but the animals can cause more damage than intended. Luckily, there are methods to gently repel deer.

In a nutshell

  • Roe deer are particularly common on the outskirts of towns, but can venture several hundred meters into urban areas in search of food
  • game can cause feeding damage to crops that is difficult to repair
  • loud noises, the presence of people and dogs make the animals flee
  • a fence or hedge of thorn plants at the appropriate height will prevent game from entering your property
  • Deterrents such as blood meal or sheep's wool

Keep deer away: 5 measures

If you discover deer in your garden, it usually happens in two different ways. On the one hand, you discover the animals while they are on your property and are feeding on your plants. In the other case, you notice the feeding damage caused by the animals. This is exactly the reason why game should be removed from your own green oasis. The damage to your crops is simply too great. The animals are particularly interested in deciduous trees, berry and rose bushes. Certain measures are often mentioned, but based on experience they are not completely satisfactory:

  • Hang CDs in groves and trees
  • Spread aluminum foil on the property
  • Floodlight including motion detector
  • well placed wind chimes

The disadvantage of these methods is the cleverness of the animals. Deer can remember the sounds and visual stimuli of the methods mentioned and ignore them if necessary, since there is never any real danger. They therefore offer only moderate success. Nevertheless, there are 5 suitable measures that you can use to drive deer out of your garden and keep them away permanently.

Tip: If you have enough time and several members of the family, you should work shifts to check if the animals are in your garden. If so, make a little noise so that the flight animals disappear again.

fence

With a fence or similar boundaries, your garden is particularly well protected from deer. The animals cannot climb a fence if the minimum height of 200 centimeters is not exceeded, as they cannot jump that high. In addition to the height, a firm anchoring in the ground is important, as their mass can effectively push fences away. The so-called wildlife protection fence has proven to be particularly effective, which can be used immediately due to its low acquisition costs. Fences are ideal when you are looking for a long-term method of securing the garden.

thorn hedge

If there is no fence for your property, put on a thorn hedge. There are three different genera that are particularly suitable for this purpose:

  • Barberries (Berberis)
  • Fire Thorns (Pyracantha)
  • Hawthorns (Crataegus)

With its dense growth and thorns, the hedge prevents deer from having easy access to your property. At the same time, they provide habitat for other animals such as birds or numerous insects. A height of at least 170 centimeters is important for the thorn hedge. If these cannot be reached immediately when the hedge is created, you should also install a fence. This can be removed again at the end.

blood meal

Blood meal has proven to be particularly effective against deer. The reason for this is the intense smell of blood, which triggers the animals' instinct to flee. Blood meal is a fertilizer made from animal blood. Dried and mixed with trace elements, it offers high amounts of nitrogen especially for plants. For deer, on the other hand, use blood meal to keep them as far away from your property as possible. Blood meal is used in the following way:

  • mix with water
  • fill in spray bottle
  • apply thinly to plants
  • Duration of effect summer: up to two months
  • Duration of effect in winter: up to six months

Tip: If you don't want to rely on the flour, you can use pure animal blood instead. This is applied diluted and also shows a good effect.

sheep wool

Sheep's wool, like blood meal, has a deterrent effect on deer because they can't stand the smell. Untreated sheep's wool has a penetrating, unique odor that is unpleasant to the nose, even for many people. Exactly this principle you make use of when you use the wool to deter. Since the animals have a much better sense of smell, a few bales of wool can be enough to keep them off your property. The condition of the sheep's wool is important. This must be as follows:

  • unwashed
  • natural

Spread a few scraps of wool between your plants inconspicuously. Depending on the stubbornness of the animals, you may have to distribute more, since they can only be kept away from a certain number. In most cases, you can obtain sheep's wool of the required quality directly from the farmer.

dogs

Man's best friend is ideal for scaring deer off your property. Dogs combine many of the characteristics that trigger the instinct to flee in deer. They are noisy, move quickly and directly, and in most cases chase game. Even a mere prompt to play is enough to startle the animals and drive them off the property. This makes the dog the best game repellent there is, even when it comes to small dog breeds like a Chihuahua or those with a low hunting instinct like a Golden Retriever. If you have a dog, you should let it out in the garden as often as possible. However, you must note a few points:

  • Property should be fenced
  • The dog must not be faster than the deer
  • aggressive dogs should remain on a leash

They are important so that nothing happens to the wild animals and your dog does not follow them into the forest. Some four-legged friends get so lost in their hunting instinct that they no longer listen to their owners.

frequently asked Questions

How do deer damage tree bark?

If the bark of trees is damaged, this is a classic behavior of roebucks, which usually takes place from June to September, less often in spring. The roebuck rub their antlers on woody growths to "sweep" the bast from their antlers. Sweeping leaves not only damage to the bark, but parts of the bast on the plant. This will tell you exactly that it was a deer.

Can the animals be kept in check by offering food?

If you don't have a way to scare the animals away, you can regularly provide them with food in a corner of your garden. With a bit of luck, the game stays away from the other plants and concentrates exclusively on the food provided. This method only works if the yard is large enough for the feeding station to be placed far enough away. Appropriate diet includes shoots of deciduous trees, grasses, berries, herbs and nuts.

Is it possible to use ultrasound devices?

In theory, using ultrasound as a way to keep the animals away sounds plausible. Still, you need to be careful with this method as the devices don't just frighten the game. Due to the frequency, a large number of other visitors stay away, including rodents, some birds, hedgehogs and many others, some of which are beneficial. Even small children and your pets can find the ultrasound disturbing.

What happens if a fawn is alone on the property?

If you spot a fawn, watch from a safe distance and look out for injuries. If none are to be seen, leave the young deer alone and wait. In most cases, the mother will pick up the fawn again. Human smells on the fawn ensure that the young animal is rejected. For this reason it must never be touched.

When should a ranger be contacted regarding the fawn?

Foresters take care of young animals that have lost their mothers, for example in an accident. If the fawn only squeaks occasionally, the mother will come back. On the other hand, if the beeping continues for hours, you have to assume the worst. In this case, you should report immediately to a ranger or fawn rescue service so that predators such as foxes or crows do not become aware of the fawns. In the case of injuries, proceed in the same way.

Category:

Animals in the garden