Deer Repellants

Judy Glattstein jgglatt@gmail.com
Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:01:09 PDT
Should I win the lottery (which presupposes first buying tickets, which 
is something I don't do) I would fund research for deer attracts. This 
could be sprayed on garlic mustard, multiflora rose, poison ivy, stilt 
grass . . . .

Deer eat different plants at different times of year, especially does 
when pregnant and lactating. Different herds have different tastes. My 
understanding is that deer digest their food not with stomach acids but 
with enzymes. Just as vegetarian humans can become ill from eating meat 
after a lengthy time away from animal protein, deer are better able to 
digest what they are habituated to eating. There's one herd here in New 
Jersey that eats pachysandra, something I never observed or had 
previously heard of.

Magic Circle repellant used to be made of bone tar oils. very effective. 
Formulation changed to a Thiram based product. No longer effective. Did 
find Reynardine, sold in Ireland. Weaker bone tar oil percentage, also 
effective. Stinky, but dissipates to human nose in a day or less.

Liquid repellants - try soaking some of those disposable foam paint 
brushes in the liquid repellant and push them in the ground here and there.

For lower growing plants take bamboo barbecue skewers and push them in 
the ground, sharper end uppermost and where Bambi's nose will reach the 
sharp point before chowing down on the plant. Caution! be careful when 
weeding / working around the plants.

My experience is that deer become habituated to a single repellant if 
used constantly. better to switch off every 6 weeks or so. Renew after 
rain, reapply as plants grow and new growth is unprotected.

Judy in western New Jersey where Bambi's mother practically looks in the 
kitchen window for coffee to go with the salad bar



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