Deer problems

Ivan in Mich · Aug 14, 2012

I planted some purple potatos this year and the tops got waist high and the deer ate them off. Now I was out there today and they are starting to dig them out. I dug one hill up and they are just loaded. The tops havn't started to die yet so I think it is to early to dig them. Anyone know what I can do to keep the deer out or should I just digs some and have some potatoes and fresh deer stew?

Traditional Farmer · Aug 14, 2012

I usually go for the deer meat because beef is higher than potatos.

Richard G. · Aug 14, 2012

Hang some CD's around where a light will reflect off them at night. Stopped my deer and coon problems.
Richard

gbs · Aug 14, 2012

i sprayed some peanuts with a product called hot sauce seemed to work ok before i sprayed field looked like a herd of hogs had trampled it don't see but a track or two now must have been to hot for them

Russ from MN · Aug 14, 2012

We built a fence 8' high around our garden, seemed to be doing the job until a couple of weeks ago. One of the gates had a 7" gap and a fawn squeezed in. did very little damage but I closed up the gap. We did not build it coon proof as the wire we got was used and not in very good shape, garden is only 28X90'

Wheat Farmer · Aug 14, 2012

Hand out a shirt and pour Cologne on it.

pete black · Aug 14, 2012

deer are a problem in nw alabama also. been fighting them all season with various things, all with little success. green beans get 4 or 5 leaves and then eaten down. field peas get close to picking and deer get them. okra plants including the pods eaten down to a stick. they have even eaten hot pepper plants including the peppers. currently eating tomatoes both ripe and green. weather, bugs and various critters makes gardening nearly impossible.
this statement will be a target but i about ready to resort to feed corn soaked in antifreeze.

DannyE · Aug 14, 2012

I put up an eletric fence, used that flat ribbon wire for horses, got a large tub of wally-mart peanut-butter and but a gob in my hand and shmeered it along the wire, cleaned up, hooked up a 10-mile weed-chopper and plugged in. Dusk came and so did the deer, old doe came to check out new fence, seven more following, she came up to fence, liked peanut-butter, stuck out tongue out to taste, from about 50 yds I could hear the crack and see the blue spark, she ballered like a calf, backed up so fast her back feet couldn't keep up and sat down, got up made 2 circles and headed out, the rest ran 6 different ways, 2 into the fence and got their taste of tresspassing. End of deer in garden. !!!!
Dan

Kevin Tree · Aug 14, 2012

Richard,

Can you tell me more how that would work?

Do you mean you also have a flood light, or porch light, etc, near your garden, that the CDs reflect the light from?

I don't suppose the moon is bright enough to reflect off a CD?

Kevin

Royse · Aug 14, 2012

Shirt or just a rag. Cologne or Vick's vapor rub on it.
Put it close buy, maybe just a stake at each corner with a rag
depending on how big your garden is.
Us people stink as far as deer are concerned.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 14, 2012

moon is bright enough and the air currents move the cd causing the flashing.

Kevin Tree · Aug 14, 2012

Richard,

Can you tell me more how that would work?

Do you mean you also have a flood light, or porch light, etc, near your garden, that the CDs reflect the light from?

I don't suppose the moon is bright enough to reflect off a CD?

Kevin

2x4 · Aug 14, 2012

potatoes have done all they are going to do. Enjoy the deer stew with potatoes

Traditional Farmer · Aug 15, 2012

I live in a populated area and the deer frequent subdivisions and pay no attention to human scent,lights,noise etc.Of course there is an advantage I can ride right up to them on a garden tractor carrying a rifle.

Richard G. · Aug 15, 2012

I keep a small light on at my shop door which is about 200 feet away from the garden. I put a CD near each end of the garden hanging on a piece of thin construction tape. I can be sitting in my shop door and see the CD's reflecting light as they move the slightest bit in a breeze that is too small to feel. Hanging on the end of about 3 feet of tape, it does not take much breeze. Used to have to trap coons or would have no corn. Also grow a lot of Colossus peas which the deer love. Have not had a problem in about 3 years.
Richard in NW SC

jackinok · Aug 15, 2012

an old trick but it worked years ago,wear a pair of socks for a few days,hang those in your garden.

keh · Aug 15, 2012

Electric fence, chest high for deer, 2 strands about 4 and 10 inches off the ground for coons. No damage yet this year. Onec last year the fence got in bad shape and deer came in. I worked on it and wrapped a strip of aliminum foil with peanut butter on it to get the deer's attention. Must have worked, but I would have liked to see the deer and blue spark routine described above. I'm in W SC.

KEH

Jim in Ma. · Aug 15, 2012

Whenever deer get into my garden, I relocate them. = Into the freezer.

TomH in PA · Aug 15, 2012

I think smaller "new" potatoes taste better anyway. Dig them, don't worry about the tops.

rrlund · Aug 15, 2012

Hmmmmm.......maybe that's where this blue tongue in deer is coming from.
Blue tongue

coachr · Aug 15, 2012

Sorry to hear about the Deer"s timing on raiding your potatoes!

We use Shake-Away Deer Repellent Packs to keep deer away from our garden and flowers. It is the only granular product that uses genuine predator urine as it"s active ingredient.
A deer"s keen sense of smell and instinctive fear of predators is the strongest force in nature.
Deer Repellent Packs

Anonymous-0 · Aug 15, 2012

(quoted from post at 18:16:01 08/14/12) Hang some CD's around where a light will reflect off them at night. Stopped my deer and coon problems.
Richard

Exactly......... There was (is) a stretch of road that was constantly having deer and hogs ran over.... CD's on each side of the right of way spaced at random pretty much stopped it.....

Deer problems

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