University of Wisconsin - Extension

Wisconsin is home to 1.5 million deer, a population that has exploded since the turn of the century.

These beautiful and graceful animals have been in the news frequently because of the discovery of Chronic Wasting Disease in some parts of the state, but deer can cause other kinds of problems too. Homeowners and farmers know that deer can do a lot of damage to crops, gardens and landscaping. Autumn is a time when this damage may become more frequent, according to Bob Tomesh, a University of Wisconsin-Extension horticultural specialist and member of the Extension Horticulture Team.

"Hungry deer will eat almost anything," Tomesh said, noting that they prefer new, tender and well fertilized plants. In addition to the browsing, however, autumn brings another deer problem.

"Male deer rub and scrape against trees during mating season to rub the velvet off their antlers and to mark territory," Tomesh explained. He said they prefer to rub on tress that are less than six inches in diameter and these smaller trees can be destroyed by the activity.

Tomesh has advice for homeowners who want to protect their landscaping from deer damage. He outlines several strategies for keep deer away from valuable plants:

• Plant stuff deer don't like. Some trees and bushes don't taste good to deer. For example, deer don't like ironwood, birch or lilacs. UW-Extension's publication "Plants not Favored by Deer" can guide your planting decisions.
• Build a good barricade. Deer are good jumpers so a fence that will keep most of them out has to be at least 8 feet tall. You might also consider an electrified fence. You can also use wire or nylon netting to protect individual plants.

A plant border of lilacs or some other shrub deer don't like may encourage deer to detour around your property.

• Scare them off. Motion detectors hooked up to lights, noises or water sprays will discourage deer from coming into the yard, but the effect wears off after the deer figure out that these tactics don't really hurt them.
• Use something stinky or nasty tasting. Deer will avoid repellents that smell like rotten eggs, but this solution will repel humans as well. Other repellents include fatty soaps and hot sauce sprays.