"The deer herd is increasing because we (Fish & Game) let it," Bontaites says. Lobbying by anti-hunting groups results in shortened seasons. That and fewer hunters in the woods positively affect deer populations. Increased development of former wild land habitat has brought man in close proximity to deer. Conflict of interests is bound to arise.
We have frantic gardeners coming in the garden center begging for help nearly every day. They want to know what plants are deer-proof. A really ravenous deer is like Charlie Chaplin in "The Gold Rush" eating his old boot. Any plant can be fair game and a particularly hard year they will eat anything.
As a general rule deer avoid any plant that smells spicy, one reason they usually leave the strong smelling herbs alone. They also have a hard time swallowing something with fuzzy leaves. Don't think thorns are a deterrent however, because they will eat raspberries and roses right down to the ground.
The only sure-fire way to keep deer out of your garden is a properly constructed fence; but this may not be an option in all applications. So what does the poor gardener do? Utilizing repellents(www.deer-off.com) is one alternative to expensive fencing. Not all deterrents(www.whatever.works) work all the time on all deer and most have a transient effect. Frequent reapplication or replacement is required for maximum effectiveness.
If you opt for a fence, you need to install it properly. A deer can jump anything lower that six to eight feet high. No matter what material you plan on using be sure the fence is at least seven feet high with the bottom flush to the ground. Deer would rather go under than over.
An electric fence can be lower, four feet is adequate. A three-wire fence will keep the deer from stepping through it and the bottom wire should be about 18 inches off the ground. The juice has to be on. This seems obvious, but Kris says she's had irate phone calls from orchardists complaining that the expensive fence she recommended doesn't work a darn, only to discover they never hooked it up to any current.
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