Deer munching on my apple trees

[B-Logger]

Human urine around here has no apparent effect on deer.

The big problem with so many theories is that deer will eat at that apple tree year around. If you can just fence the tree in for perhaps 5 years then the deer will only reach the lower branches and you can probably then remove the fence.

We have one apple tree close to the house. It is about 12 feet tall and the deer come to it pretty regular all year around. Yes, they will even stand just on their hind legs in order to reach higher. Once the tree is well established though, the deer's pruning won't kill the tree.

[Kelley]

Human urine around here has no apparent effect on deer.

I beg you pardon 'B', it will absolutly will. I know from first hand experence. I could not raise sweet corn for the deer and coons. As soon as the ears started to fill out the deer and coons would eat them. Tried using human urine 6 years ago and have not lost an ear of corn to deer or 'coons since. Still plenty of 'coons and deer in area. I harvested 4 deer within 1/4 mile of garden and my neighbor harvested 137 'coons within a 1/2 mile radius last year. I deposited the urine about 6 to 8 foot from the corn rows on both sides and the ends.
Kelley

[B-Logger]

Kelly, I'm glad it works for you but we've done many experiments and it just doesn't have much effect on the deer here. We have even peed in scrapes and the bucks will keep on scraping.

I've even set trail cams overlooking the pee spots and most pay no attention to it at all. Some stop to smell but never act afraid of the scent.

I wonder if it has something to do with population numbers. Maybe I pee outdoors too much and they are used to it. lol

[sumner4991]

I wonder if it has something to do with population numbers.

Probably has something to do with how the urine is produced. What meds are you on? What brand of beer do you drink? It could be a lot of factors. Maybe we should conduct a study with government funding.

How much do you put out? Not sure if I'd want to eat corn from the end of the rows.

[Limbs and Sticks]

New a guy once that could close his eyes taste beer and tell you what kind it was, someone gave him a can with pee in it he spit it out cussing that was pee, his Friend smiled and asked who was it made by



Wes

[jay73]

Will try the soap and pissing ideas and see what happens. I take leaks not 20 feet from there regularly and they don't mind it.

Don't know if my wife will want apples from the trees that I pissed all over though.

I planted them originally with the idea of getting apples for my bait piles - the damn deer are getting to them prematurely. I'm sure they know my master plan.

By the way, I like groundpounder's idea best of all. Would like to see them try that in October.


Jay

[warningshot]

off the web ....

1. When using Ropel for deer control it can be made much more effective with the addition of an antitranspirant such as Cloudcover, Wiltproof, Forevergreen etc. The actions of the antitranspirants along with the Ropel make the effectiveness of the treatment last all season long.

2. Plant time-released garlic capsules at the bases of trees or shrubs.

3. Wrap bars of "gold Dial deodorant soap" in cheesecloth. Hang bars at intervals of 4 feet apart and 4 feet above the ground.

4. To stop bark chewing: Mix bone tar oil at a ratio of 1 part bone tar oil to 50 parts water to. Paint on tree trunks. Nah, it won't hurt your trees. Bone tar oil is available as Magic Circle Deer Repellant.

5. Egg spray: mix 5-6 raw eggs in 1 gallon of water and spray. This will cover approximately 17,00 sq. feet. The smell of decomposing eggs keep the deer away while being too faint a dilution for humans to detect. The U.S. Forest service has used this for years. Also including some antitranspirant in this mix will extend the benefits. An alternative is to use wettable sulfur which gives off that rotten egg smell. Mix according to directions and spray as a barrier.

More Homemade Deer Repellent Sprays:

2 raw eggs 1 cup skim milk 1 cup water 3 garlic cloves 1 Tbs. sticker/spreader (available at nursery) or dish soap. Application: Blend together, add to a gallon sprayer and fill to line with water. Spray oo plants as needed.

Homemade Deer Repellent with Eggs In a blender, mix two eggs to one cup of water. Blend well then add one cup of skim milk and any type of sticker such as soap. Put this mixture into a sprayer and spray a light mist over the plant. There will be very little odor but deer will not find it appetizing. This recipe is over one hundred years old and is suppose to be very effective.

6. Hot sauce spray: Mix 1-2 tsp. of Tabasco sauce and 2 tsp. of antitranspirant in 1 gallon of water. Spray. Must be reapplied after rain.

7. Plant some specific plants at the outermost perimeter of your yard for the deer to graze on. These plants can generally take the "natural pruning" done by the deer and flourish. Deer will eat just about anything when feeding conditions are poor.

Choices: Gambel Oak, Fourwing Saltbush, Rocky Mountain Smooth Sumac,
Saskatoon Serviceberry, Wood's Rose.

8. Inside the feeding ground barrier a buffer of possibly deer resistant plants is wise. The following table has a selection of plants that are considered more deer-proof. When hungry deer will eat just about anything so nothing is infallible. For a great listing of deer resistant plants visit Rutgers University Deer Plant Page.

Trees Blue Spruce Bristlecone Pine Hawthorn Holly Tree Norway Maple Oaks
Trees Oregon Myrtle Redwood Smoke Tree Sweet Gum Tanbark Oak Walnut
Shrubs Boxwood Butterfly Bush Curl Leaf Mountain Mahogany Japanese Barberry Junipers Natal Plum
Shrubs Potentilla Redtwig Dogwood Rhododendron Scotch Broom Star Jasmine Wild Lilac
Groundcover Aarons Beard Ajuga Irish Moss Lily of Valley Manzanita Myrtle
Groundcover Dianthus Peppermint Scotch Moss Siberian Catmint Spearmint St. Johns Wort
Vines Algerian Ivy American Bittersweet CA Fuschia Clematis English Ivy Virginia Creeper
Perennial Anemone Artemisias Asclepias Babys Breath Bee Balm Chrysanthemum
Perennial Daffodil Daylily Dianthus Coreopsis Echinacea Dusty Miller
Perennial Foxglove Hellebore Iris Lady Fern Lambs Ear Oregano
Perennial Oriental Poppy Pampas Grass Sword Fern Wood Fern Yarrow
Succulent Hen & Chick Sedums Spiny Cacti Yuccas

9. Try putting pallets flat on the ground around your garden. Deer usually will not walk on or jump over these. Usually your local newspaper is a good source for free pallets.

10. Hang fabric softener sheets in and around areas to be protected. Replace after several rains.

11. Mix a gallon bucket of clay soil and water with cayenne or any hot pepper and garlic. Paint this on trunks of trees and stems of shrubs. This will not harm the plants.

12.Hang deodorant type soap every 4 feet or so from your trees' branches. Keep them at a height of 30". One warning: ground hogs like the soap.

13. Coyote urine which is available commercially has been reported to be effective as a deer repellant. We have had quite a few people write in to the contrary that predators urine scents don't seem to work at all.

14. From the Bartlett Tree Experts' Research Laboratory in North Carolina is this interesting deer control technique. They have installed a post and rail fence strung with solar powered electric wires. Sure the deer might figure out how to get past it without getting jolted so Bartlett has come up with this behavior modifier. They put blobs of peanut butter on the fence which deer find irresistible. They come to get the goodies and the shock is such an unpleasant surprise that they remember the experience and don't bother coming back to try and jump the fence!

15. We have been told that deer will avoid Russian Sage like the plague. Russian sage is certainly a beautiful perennial and worth a try! Bees love it.

16. To keep deer from bulb plants- soak them in Alum water before planting.

[FredBear]

Kelly, I'm glad it works for you but we've done many experiments and it just doesn't have much effect on the deer here. We have even peed in scrapes and the bucks will keep on scraping.

I've even set trail cams overlooking the pee spots and most pay no attention to it at all. Some stop to smell but never act afraid of the scent.

I wonder if it has something to do with population numbers. Maybe I pee outdoors too much and they are used to it. lol

Your correct, after 15 minutes all mammals urine is supposedly the same. I've talked to many PRO hunters, and many of them use there own urine to freshen scrapes. Greg Miller is one of the best whitetail hunters in the world and he uses this trick.