Living with deer: protecting gardens and young trees

Set realistic goals

Deer are part of the ecosystem you're joining, not a pest you can wish away. University of Minnesota Extension is honest about what protection achieves: with repellents, cutting browsing by 50% counts as very successful, and about 30% is more typical. Fences do better. The answer is usually a combination.

Fences that work

Height matters. University of Minnesota Extension says woven-wire fences need to be at least 8 feet tall to protect larger areas; check local rules on fence height first. Penn State Extension describes building one from two widths of 4-foot woven wire on 12-foot posts, kept tight to the ground. The Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management adds two smooth high-tensile wires on top for a 9 to 10 foot fence.

Electric and two-tiered fences

Cheaper fences can work by confusing deer rather than blocking them. Penn State notes deer learn to keep 3 to 4 feet away from electric wires, and recommends a mowed strip 6 to 8 feet wide alongside.

• Peanut butter fence: a single electric wire about 2.5 feet up, baited so deer touch it with their noses. The ICWDM rates it for gardens and orchards up to about 5 acres under moderate deer pressure.
• Polytape fence: two strands at about 1 and 3 feet, which ICWDM calls useful for gardens when there's no snow.
• Two-tiered fence: Clemson Extension describes an outer strand 18 to 24 inches high and an inner fence 4 to 5 feet inside it. Deer struggle to judge the double jump.

Protect each young tree

In a food forest, individual guards often make more sense than fencing everything. Penn State Extension notes that 4-foot tree shelters prevent most deer browsing, with 5-foot shelters where snow is deep or browsing severe; stake them securely. ICWDM adds that tree tubes need a screen on top so birds can't get trapped inside. University of Minnesota Extension advises wire cages tall enough to stay above the deer's reach even when snow raises the ground.

Buck rubs

Bucks rub their antlers on young trees in fall to strip the velvet, and they'll do it even where there's no browsing. Penn State Extension notes rubbing can break limbs and girdle the trunk. University of Minnesota Extension recommends having guards or fencing in place from August through December. ICWDM suggests woven-wire cylinders about 4 feet tall around trunks.

Repellents, and their limits

Repellents work by taste or smell. Penn State and University of Minnesota describe contact repellents, like putrescent egg solids or hot pepper, applied to the plant, and area repellents, like blood meal, that work by odor.

They need upkeep. University of Minnesota Extension advises applying them early, on dry days above freezing, reapplying often and after new growth, and rotating products so deer don't get used to one. ICWDM notes the best repellents reduce damage for about four to six weeks under moderate pressure, rain can wash them off, and hungry deer will often ignore them. Treat them as a short-term tool for small areas.

Plant smarter

Some plants are less appealing to deer. Rutgers University rates landscape plants on a four-step scale, from A, rarely damaged, to D, frequently severely damaged. Plants rated A include American holly, arrowwood viburnum, Allegheny spurge, and bleeding heart.

Rutgers is careful to say no plant is deer-proof, and results depend on local deer numbers and the weather. Put the tastiest plants inside the fence, and use resistant ones at the edges.