How to Keep Deer Away From Your Yard

Deer are a majestic sight at a distance, but can be a real pain when they come into your yard and eat their way through your plants and saplings. Fortunately there are lots of easy ways of keeping deer away from your yard and keeping plants safe.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wire Fencing
• Hammer
• Nails
• Plastic Tubing
• Bird Netting
• Predator Urine
• Deer repellent

1. Why are the Deers After Me?
   The first thing to do its to figure out why the deer are coming into your yard in the first place. Usually it is a result of them finding something that they like to eat nearby. Deer mainly feed on the shoots and saplings of young plants and trees, which are usually what they target in yards. They are also partial to seeds form bird feeders and will break them open and eat all of the seed at once.

2. Fencing and Netting
   Having established what the deer are after, the next step is to protect the vulnerable plants. Fencing around your entire yard is an option, but deer are known to be able to jump several feet into the air. Usually deer tend to come from the direction of the nearest wooded area, so fencing off the side of the yard facing any woodland is a good idea.
   
   Protecting plants and shrubs can be done either with netting stretched over the top of lower plants, to plastic tubing placed over the top of saplings and the like. These simply present a physical barrier to the deer, who will usually leave peaceably after finding that they cannot easily get at the food.

3. Predator Urine
   This can be found at hunting stores and comes in several varieties based on different carnivores. Coyote urine is said to be particularly good for deterring deer, and should be sprinkles at the edges of the yard and against any large trees, similar to how a real animal would mark its territory. The approaching deer will think a predator is in the area and will avoid your yard altogether.

4. Deer Repellents
   These kinds of product can usually be found at garden centers, and should be used in the middle of the yard where the deer are appearing. Most are odorless to humans, although some resemble the smell of rotten eggs, so make sure you have the right one before you go throwing too much of it around near your house.

5. Get a pet
   Although this is isn't something you might do just to be rid of deers, if you happen to get a dog or several cats then deers will generally stay away. Deer regard dogs as predators and are scared of them, while cats urine and feces repels deer. This is as much from the smell as the fact that cats will tend to defecate near the plants that deer like to eat, masking the scent of the plant.