Bright Color and Noise to Scare Deer Away
Deer are timid by nature and can be easily startled. A few strategically placed items can create an unpredictable environment that may scare off the deer. Shiny foil pie plates can be hung from trees or from poles, and the sound of them knocking around and the shiny surface can do the trick. Fabric streamers can be visually startling but they do lack the noisy element that the foil has.
Wind chimes can also do the trick though their sounds are less jarring, and they lack the distracting visual element that flapping pie plates have.
Scent-Based Tricks to Deter Deer
Adding heavily scented ingredients around your garden can help to turn away wandering deer, and there are many different ideas or recipes for this that you can try. Concoctions like 2 cups hot water, mixed with 2 raw eggs and a tablespoon of garlic powder is a popular one. Whisk it all together and spray on your plants.
You can also go with straight cayenne chili powder, sprinkled around your plants and shrubs to add some extra potent scents. Or just add your cayenne to the mix we just mentioned above.
Slivers of strongly scented soap, wrapped in pieces of pantyhose or cheese cloth is another way to go. Some people swear that human hair clippings can work just as well.
The main problem with these methods is that they wash away after a rain or two, and will need frequent reapplication to keep that smell fresh. And even if you don’t have a sense of smell like a deer, you have to put up with the aroma of these tricks yourself. A yard that smells like garlic and rotting eggs may not be that pleasant, even if it works well.
Sprinklers to Startle Deer Out of Your Yard
Another good DIY deer repellent is the garden sprinkler. You just need to hook it up to a motion sensor, and you have a good tool to scare away any oncoming deer. It’s not as cheap as the homemade ideas above, but it can be a pretty way to scare off the deer. As they walk by, the sprinkler is activated. Suddenly being sprayed with cold water would be enough to frighten off anything.
But keep in mind that these tricks aren’t always powerful enough to repel determined deer. Give them a try, and if deer are still getting into your yard and garden, don’t hesitate to go with a professional product like All Weather Deer Repellent Packs.
