Have you tried hanging 'Dial' soap around, just opening one end of the package but leaving it on the soap, this way it will catch some rain and the scent stays stronger. The best time to start this regime is before the rut season starts in the fall or so I was told and, use 'Dial' not 'Irish Spring' or any other deodorant soap. Apparently this worked really well for a commercial rose grower, I haven't had a need to try this I don't have a deer problem touch wood, just passing this tidbit along :).

Annette

They got half a bed of cowpeas last night. My own fault. I failed to set up the Scarecrow sprinkler early enough. The Scarecrow works. I have had four of them for two years now and when they are on, the deer stay away.

Interesting thought about the trellis, but I can say that one year, the deer ate my pole beans on a trellis. They neatly cropped them from about a foot off the ground up to about four or five feet high. Grrr.

I include a link. I do not work for any company connected.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scarecrow

Same here, one year deer ate the beans from the trellis, now I cover most everything with bird netting, including kale, karrots,
kohlrabi bush beans etc. Never had a deer stand on top, they would eat under the ends sometimes where the netting doesn't cover all.

Have you tried letting a hunter spend the night in the garden?

Lay chicken wire flat on the ground around the trellis; the deer don't appear to like walking on it. Even better if you can suspend it on bricks above the ground.

Cut the bottom off of 20 oz drink bottles, drill a hole in the top, run string or wire thru the hole, tie to an old sock, soak with cheap, loud smelling perfume, hang several around the perimeter, pull the bottle down to cover the sock so the rain won't wash the perfume off. Lived at a deer hunting camp one year, had a garden, peas, beans, tomatoes etc., did this, had deer tracks all around the garden plot but no damage and no tracks in the garden. Try it !!!

Deer love to eat ears of corn. Occasionally, they will eat the top of the stalk also. Add squirrels, fox, raccoon, black bear, and woodpeckers(birds) to your list of corn predators. I suggest you plan a line of defense for your corn also. Tomatoes need protection too.

There's a pecking order for the food grown in your garden...the animals and bugs feed first and then you get the leftovers if there's anything left :-(

This post was edited by dustdevil_wi on Sun, Dec 29, 13 at 17:30