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Whitetail deer, mule deer and black tail deer are smart and adaptable and they quickly figure out that most repellents will not harm them. Although deer are startled by some types of deterrent devices, they also may be momentarily startled by many things, such as a branch falling in the woods or a truck backfiring, and these events become not extraordinary to a deer.
Natural and chemical repellents are commercially available which can be odor repellents to treat the area, or contact repellents to make the plants taste bad. Many chemicals have been tried, such as thiram, as well as mixtures of chemicals with hot sauce, eggs, and glue. Also touted as deer repellents are coyote urine, lion feces, fermented blood, shredded deodorant soap, garlic, feather meal, cat feces, moth balls, creosote and bags of human hair. Although they may work to varying degrees, these repellents are a problem because they require constant re-application, they smell bad and some of them don't work at all. Meanwhile, the deer have quickly figured out that these repellents are not very scary and they continue to contentedly graze and trample nearby, on the rest of your garden.
Ultrasonic repellents and other "scare" devices don't work because the deer quickly learn that these devices are no threat to them.
Water spraying devices activated by a motion sensor will work in many situations, but they cover only a limited area and they require a connection to a high pressure water supply to operate. This type of device is not useful in sub-freezing temperatures and it might result in an unplanned shower for the forgetful gardener. While this type of device startles the deer and they may retreat a short distance, it is not a sufficiently negative stimulus to drive the deer from the area and to teach them not to return.
This does not work because deer will try new things and their tastes change. Many gardeners have been surprised when the deer have gobbled up their "deer resistant plants."
Devices such as propane exploders, fireworks and sirens have been tried to deter deer. These devices are not practical because flashing lights and noise making devices are very annoying to nearby humans, especially at night which is when the deer are most likely to be active. Deer will approach this type of device slowly, but they soon figure out that there is no danger and eventually they learn to ignore these devices.
This does not work because this line is very inconvenient and dangerous and may cause injury or death to deer and other accidental victims when they become entangled in the line. Because of these dangers, stretching monofilament fishing line should never be used to control deer.
Dogs can be quite effective against deer but keeping dogs is a problem because this solution requires an expensive fence and trained dogs. And who's going to protect the garden from the dogs? And, someone has to train them, and clean up after them, and feed them, etc, etc.
Tall fences are perhaps the ultimate barrier against deer, but tall fences can't be used in many applications because they are permanent, very expensive, unsightly, inconvenient and violate some zoning ordinances and restrictive covenants. Disastrous results have been seen when deer became entrapped or entangled in fences and meshes.
Electric fences are problematic because they are somewhat permanent, expensive, unsightly and very inconvenient. Also, because they produce repeated, whole-body shocks with very high voltage and amperage, they are dangerous for an accidental victim. Even with recent safety requirements, as late as 1991, a human fatality has been caused by an electric fence. Very powerful electric fences can deliver 25 joules of energy every second. Electric fences work well for cows and horses, but deer will usually jump an electric fence without ever coming into contact with it, so unless it is very tall, it is hardly more effective against deer than a regular fence. Some electric fences are powerful enough to burn off weeds that come into contact with the wire. As a result, these fences can be fire hazards.
These types of deer fencing are much more effective against a deer problem than ordinary electric fences. Deer are curious animals with an excellent sense of smell. They use their noses to investigate and when they encounter a baited electric fence they touch it and they are shocked. Deer have an excessive reaction when they have been shocked. They are very frightened by the shock, they leave the entire area and are reluctant to return. Fear is a more powerful motivator than hunger or curiosity and deer immediately learn to avoid an area where they have been harmed. So, just by adding bait to an electric fence, it is transformed from a barrier that could be easily jumped and ignored, into a highly effective deer repellent device that keeps deer away from the entire area. However, baited electric fences have the same problems as un-baited electric fences.
The surprising thing about baited electric fences is that the unsightly, inconvenient wires are not at all necessary for effective deer control in an area. The deer do not become afraid of the wires, they are afraid of the entire area where they have been shocked.
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