Urine doesn't work. I used to be a deer hunter. I have heard that Cherokee rose and Lady Banks roses taste awful to deer. I wouldn't bet on that as deer often eat briar shoots for winter food. A deer will even nip on a dead animal corpse.

Max hit the nail on the head - it is all about smell. I buy the cheap solid air "fresheners". Deer have a very strong sense of smell and do not like new smells. They last for several weeks and then I just replace them with a different scent.

Kathy

Wonder if Harison's Yellow would work? It's got a funny kind of smell, though I really like it. Not sure how deer would feel about it. Extremely thorny, large plant, early blooming and bloom cycle lasts a fairly long time. Looks nice with alliums.

When I lived around deer in z5NY, the only rose that appeared deer-proof to me was multiflora. Figures.

Its not fool proof, but I use a single wire electric fence, about 3 feet high, baited with peanut butter on a piece of aluminum foil. Obviously they can jump it, but they won't if there is not a good landing place on the other side (i.e. your rose bushes). I have not had any plants eaten inside the fenced area. Also, on the periphery, I put out a few randomly placed live wire loops on a pole about 3 feet high, again with the peanut butter bait. You need to re-bait every so often. I got that idea from a commercial product that uses baited live wires (battery powered) on a pole. If its in a high traffic area, or if you are concerned about others getting shocked during the day, you can put it on a timer to go on only at night. Its also useful to make it easy to turn off the power, so you don't get zapped if you go in to care for your roses. The deer learn real quick that your yard isn't the easy buffet it used to be.

Silk roses might be deer proof.

A friend had pretty good success making a fence out of rebar and clear fishing line strung at 1.5' intervals, up to ~5' tall. The theory is that the deer don't see the line, and are startled when then run into it.

We also have a deer problem-----
I love the ramblers that grow up into the tress but it is necessary to fence the young plants until they get too high for the deer to reach.
Here is Paul's Himalayan Musk ----Out of reach of Bambi---
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Florence

deer proof usually means silk or plastic

I actually have some (native species roses?) that have grown up to about 6-8 feet tall. They are once bloomers all the same with very small white flowers and smell a little like honey. They are popping up in one area of my yard and the deer seem to stay clear of these or perhaps they are off the beaten path. So the deer aren't that ferocious but they have munched continuously on another rose I did plant and seem to have a preference. This species rose must be native and I find it interesting that the deer have avoided it. What it does have that the one I planted doesn't have are small leaves, one time very thorny bloomer, prolific,bushy grower. It has tried climbing up a white pine but I have kept it manicured.I had hoped I might find something with color that also isn't a magnet to deer. Any more thoughts about this issue? Anyone in my area with a very thorny robust rose that I might try??? I thank you all for your wise thoughts.

This wild species are most probably Multiflora. As you see in the Leslies message above, deer somehow are less interested in multiflora. They will eat them too, if there is no choice, but you give them choice, so they will stare from your roses.
I agree that it is impossible to find roses that deer will completely ignore.
Olga

You actually don't want wild multiflora. They can harbor serious disease that can ruin your other roses. Removing them is the wisest course.

Some people report that deer will pass by rugosa roses. Myself, I suspect they just outgrow them! This is not something I have tried myself, so I am passing along hearsay. I did see it mentioned in an early issue of the magazine This Old House, but I don't believe everything I read. You would still need to protect them when small, with perhaps a chicken wire cage. You could do the same thing with a rambler to protect it until it grows up higher than the deer can reach.

don't know about deer proof roses, but I have a plethora of nicely invasive honeysuckle on the other side of the back fence; I heard somewhere deer don't like honeysuckle, so we'll see how it works.

Didn't have any problem last year, but then about all I had were rugosas.

No, deer will eat rugosas, too. Really, they will test nibble anything they can reach and the stuff that suits their fancy they will make into a meal. OTOH, I was once visited by a deer that went around eating my newly planted hollyhocks, passing over 50 roses. It ate each and every one of the HH's right down to the soil and never nipped a single rose. *That* night, anyway. ;-)

I guess I better do some homework because I don't know anything about them, and I'm not sure what sort of disease they may harbor. They are disease free from what I see and have never had one spec of blackspot, rust or anything else. Does this mean they still carry a disease? Is there such a rose plant that might be fuzzy? Deer hate fuzz!!

Multiflora can host mites that spread RRD (Rose Rosette Disease). RRD is wide spread in MD. I see multiflora infected with RRD everywhere here. I personally lost roses to this disease in the past. As well as Lori and other MD gardeners. Ann from TN who posts here, is the world recognized expert on this disease. she put together the best reference site for RRD.
You can check the link below for more information on RRD.

Here is a link that might be useful: RRD

Thank you Olga, I really hate the idea of removing these bushes in fact I enjoyed them but I suppose if I want all my others to do well I must! Thank you all your a great help...

Yes, deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough. If they are that hungry, put out a tub of water, a bale of alfalfa, and a salt lick on their path. Deer tend to move along the same path(s), so avoid planting near their paths (follow the droppings). I also companion plant with herbs, aliums, etc, and I alternate spraying Liquid Fence, Deer Off, etc. And I will try hanging air freshners. I grow all sorts of roses all over the place--one bed can have 8 different kinds. Here's what I've observed: I too have found deer leave Rugosas alone. Also most species roses, once bloomers, and Meilland "landscape" roses. The roses the deer seem to like best are Hybrid Teas, Teas, Bourbons. I have a Buck's Golden Unicorn that they munch that down regularly. So far, they haven't shown much interest in the Hy Perps, Gallicas, or Moss. Chinas, Hyb Musks, Polys and Noisettes get lightly pruned occassionally--usually just tips of new growth. Rule of thumb, the newer classes and newer roses of newer classes get eaten first; the exceptions are the bourbons (older class but do get eaten) and landscape (new class but don't get eaten). I have an out of control Scarlet Meilland right on the deer path and I wish they would prune it, but they have never touched it, where they will go out of their way to eat Zepherine Drouhin.

My deer are not so picky. Gallicas, mosses, Chinas , polys, everything will work.
Olga

My dad gets regular visits from deer in his back yard. In wintertime when everything was snow-covered he put out alfalfa and they didn't touch it. I was thinking of providing a diversion snack such as that but it doesn't seem to work. The roses are not on their usual path but once in bloom the scent may say 'come hither' to them. Come to think of it, "About Face" IS on their path. better watch that one.
We were using my parents' back yard to get married. Mom borrowed planters that were full of geraniums from a friend . The deer came over for a visit a weeek to 10 days before and munched them real good. HOWEVER, by the time the wedding day came, the deadheading compliments of Bambi resulted in a fresh flush of flowers. They looked GREAT!

Spraying regularly with Liquid Fence has worker wonders with my deer problems (which were significant). I'm told that deer are creatures of habit and establish grazing 'circuits'. It's necessary to break them of the habit of visiting your property. Liquid Fence seems to have done that in my case. I now re-apply the spray only every 5 or 6 weeks, which seems to be enough to keep the deer moving on and away from my roses. The odor of the spray is offensive, but it lingers only for a few hours (much longer for the deer, apparently).

Liquid Fence is also used to discourage rabbits. I've not been as impressed with the product where those pests are concerned. I could probably keep them out of my perennials and annnuals if I sprayed at least every 7 to 10 days (I don't).