Tactics to Deter Deer from Your Yard

By Bobbex, Inc.
Photographs courtesy of Bobbex, Inc.

Deer have plenty to eat during the summertime when plants are in bloom everywhere. However, that doesn't mean deer don't prefer your backyard to secluded wooded areas to find tasty food sources. We know deer are creatures of habit and if they've visited your yard and found sustenance before, your yard is still on their radar.

There are some tactics you can try to curtail deer that can work. If you employ them, your yard and garden can survive the consequences of deer damage.

Harvest your vegetables and fruit. If you have a vegetable garden or fruit plants or trees, harvest your produce as soon as it's ripe. Deer will be attracted by the smell and sight of your vegetables and fruit, and the produce is easy, tasty pickins' for deer to enjoy. It's a good idea to plan and plot your vegetable and fruit garden close to your house, within eyesight, as deer are reluctant to come too close to possible human contact.

Maintain your yard. Trim densely planted areas to make your yard less appealing as a safe place for deer to visit. Deer prefer areas that offer quick cover to protect them from predators; eliminating that cover will discourage them from staying in your yard too long.

Add levels to your yard. Deer don't enjoy climbing up or down steep slopes or a yard that seems difficult to navigate. Raised or sunken beds, terraces, steps, railroad ties or even stacked, chopped wood can be added to the landscape to deter deer from entering too far into your yard. Deer are skittish and can be afraid to jump or climb on uneven surfaces and will find somewhere else to graze. Keep potted plants safe on your deck; it's very unlikely deer will climb up steps to reach them.

Use hedges to create barricades. Boxwoods and other thick hedges can be used as a border to keep deer from crossing though your yard. If deer can't see through the hedges, they may skip your yard and head elsewhere because it may be risky for them to proceed. Keep hedges well maintained so they stay fluffy, full and continue to block the view into your yard.

Apply proven effective deer repellents continuously. Deer rely heavily on their sense of smell and taste. Deer, like humans, develop preferences for foods that smell and taste good. If something smells and tastes unappealing to them, they will avoid it. That's why homeowners plant pungent herbs like rosemary and prickly or textured plants like holly or lamb's ear that deer don't like. However, there are no deer-proof plants, only some deer-resistant plants that deer will eat anyway, if they're hungry enough.

We know deer rely heavily on their sense of taste for feeding and smell to alert them to predators. Using a scent aversion, fear-based repellent like Bobbex Deer, is often considered the most effective, practical, and easy way to keep deer out of your yard. Repellents make good sense.

There are quite a few repellents to choose from but Bobbex Deer works. It's third party verified through testing by the Connecticut Department of Forestry and Horticulture. Bobbex trumped nine other repellent products, being cited number one in comparison testing, and second in effectiveness only to a fence barrier.

Bobbex Deer Repellent combines scent and taste deterrents. The all-natural repellent blends six scents, including rotten eggs, garlic, and clove oil, to mimic predator scents, classifying it as an effective fear repellent. It also tastes terrible to deer, but is actually good for plants because it contains trace nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus. The product dries clear, is harmless to humans and pets, won't burn plants and its odor, after 24 hours, is undetectable to humans, but deer are still repelled by it. Because it contains effective sticking agents, the repellent won't wash off in the rain or by watering plants. Bobbex is safe for use on the most sensitive plants and can be used on shrubs, trees or as a bulb dip.

The experts at Bobbex recommend a steady course of repellent application in every season as deer shift their feeding patterns. Since we know deer learn from experience, maintaining repellent applications throughout the year will "school" them to continually bypass your yard in favor of less objectionable fare elsewhere.

For more information about Bobbex Deer and other animal repellents, please visit www.bobbex.com.

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