Dad’s trick: how to keep deer out of your garden or yard (with video!)

Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Aaron von Frank

Trying to figure out how to keep deer out of your garden or yard? Thankfully, my clever dad figured out a simple trick that only costs a few dollars and has been 100% effective at keeping deer out. No matter your circumstances or budget, the information in this guide will help you figure out the best ways to deter deer for your unique circumstances!

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Before diving into the humorous story of how our family (thanks to my dad) finally figured out how to keep deer from destroying our plants, let’s take a look at the big picture… That’s because there isn’t one SINGLE way to keep deer out of your yard, garden, or property. Silver bullets may work on werewolves, but not on deer. 

Rather, there are a number of effective methods, strategies, and products that can repel deer. How YOU get the best results deterring deer is going to be unique to your specific circumstances. So you’ll need to choose what makes sense in your situation AND know a bit about how deer “work.” 

7 questions to ask yourself BEFORE you try to deter deer 

Again, there is no one-size-fits-all way to keep deer out of your garden or yard. So before formulating plans, ask and answer these seven questions: 

1. How large is the space you’re trying to protect from deer?

For instance, protecting a rural 2 acre property is going to require a different approach than protecting a 4′ x 10′ raised bed in a residential area. 

2. Are you only trying to keep deer from eating a few specific plants?

Maybe you just want to protect the heirloom rose plant your grandmother gave you, but you don’t care if deer eat the other plants in your yard… Protecting single stand-alone plants can be done with different methods than protecting a larger area.   

3. Are the plants you’re protecting edible or ornamental plants? 

The methods you use to protect your edible leafy greens that YOU want to eat may be different than the methods you use to protect a hedge of inedible hydrangeas. 

4. How important are aesthetics to your deer-deterrent choices? 

You might not give a darn how ugly your deer-deterrent methods are so long as they work. Or you might want to win your neighborhood’s “yard or the month” contest, in which case certain deterrent methods are a no-go. 

5. How important are local regulations or HOA restrictions? 

Before going all-in on a big or expensive effort to deter deer, make sure your plans don’t violate local regulations/ordinances or your HOA guidelines. (This consideration mostly applies to methods like fences or other physical barriers.)

6. Do you have established plants/spaces you’re trying to protect or are you starting from scratch?  

If you’re starting from scratch, it could be easier and more affordable to take steps like only planting deer-resistant plants or installing a new fence without having to tear down old infrastructure. However, you can still deter deer from established garden areas and yards using various other methods.     

7. What’s your budget? 

If you only have a budget of $50 to fight deer, someone telling you to put up a new $10,000 wood fence isn’t very helpful. Don’t worry: there are plenty of methods to keep deer out of your garden and yard that are very affordable!   

How deer work (so you know how to deter them)

Now that you’ve answered the seven questions above, it’s important you know a little about how deer work. Otherwise, it will be hard for you to figure out how to effectively deter them from a meal on your property.

When are deer most active? 

Deer are most active at dusk and dawn. They tend to bed down and sleep more at night and during the day.

However, they’re slightly more active throughout the night than they are during daytime, with some variance by season and whether they’re rutting (mating). For a deeper dive, the National Deer Association has a helpful visualization that shows deer activity by season and mating cycle. 

How much do deer eat and why do they cause so much damage? 

A deer has to eat 6-8% of its bodyweight in plant material each day. That means an adult deer can eat over a dozen pounds of plant foliage per day. (Think about how many leaves from your fruit trees and vegetable garden plants it takes to add up to 12 pounds!)

Also, deer are social animals that form small herds. Thus, a small herd of deer that needs to collectively consume many dozens of pounds of plant material each day can cause enormous damage to home gardens and landscapes — especially with repeat visits. 

Making matters worse, in many areas of the US, the number of deer per square mile is far higher than a healthy ecosystem can support, thus making the deer desperate to eat anything. By wildlife biologists’ modest estimate, 5-15 deer per square mile is “healthy.” However, some suburban areas have been found to have up to 39 deer per square mile! (Source) 

How do deer sense the world? 

Deer hear and smell the world far more keenly than they see it. They also significantly rely a lot on touch as they move through their environment.        

No, deer are not blind. In fact, deer have better night vision than people do, but their eyes don’t operate quite the same as a human eye. You have “predator eyes” on the front of your head. Your eyes give you a 120-degree view of what’s in front of you. Human eyes then zoom in on a specific point and everything else around that point blurs.

However, deer have “prey eyes” on the side of their heads that give them a 300-degree view. But they can’t clearly see the 60-degree view that overlaps between the input from both eyes.

This means deer are really good at spotting movement from relatively far away and from a very wide field of vision. (Helpful for detecting a wolf trying to sneak closer from a distance.) However, when it comes to having clear, focused vision on something right in front of them, their eyes don’t work very well. 

Dad’s trick: how my dad finally defeated his local deer

My dad lives next to a golf course. There are dense forests that give way to open grassy areas, and a neighborhood chock full of ornamental flower beds, shrubs, and edible gardens. Ecologically speaking, this ecosystem is considered “edge habitat.”  

White-tailed deer (our common native species) are considered “edge animals.” They’re ideally suited to occupy the edges of forests and grasslands/meadows. At dusk and dawn, they’ll forage in the open, plant-rich boundary zones, then settle back into the forest or thickets to rest and hide.

My dad’s yard is full of gorgeous rose bushes and lilies, aka deer candy. Much to his dismay, these plants were frequently ravaged by deer. Determined not to yield to defeat, he went shopping at lawn & garden stores to find a fix.

The salespeople were quite happy to sell him products that claimed to be the cure-all for deer… Scented sprays, motion-triggered ultrasonic noise and light devices, etc.

He also tried putting fur from his dog on his most prized plants, hoping the smell of a ferocious predator (a frequently-groomed 20 pound King Charles spaniel) would scare away the deer.

All these remedies had one thing in common: none of them worked.

Fishing line? 

Lesser men would have given in to despair, but dad invoked his inner-Winston Churchill and soldiered on.

He used the magic of the internet, he consulted farmers, golf course maintenance professionals, and anyone else who could possibly offer solutions to defeat the enemy.

It’s unclear who ultimately provided the idea for the secret weapon that would lead to victory (there was a lot of incoming intel to sort through), but whoever you are, you deserve a medal.

Dad’s trick that ultimately led to victory? Fishing line.

Yes, fishing line. 15-30 pound test, invisible fishing line to be exact (which you may already have or you can buy now via Amazon).  

How do you install fishing line to deter deer?

You simply string the fishing line about 3 feet above the ground attached to stakes. Important note: the lines should be hung a few feet OUTSIDE of the bed(s) you want to protect, not right up against the plants. 

You can use metal or plastic stakes that blend into your garden, making the whole setup virtually invisible to the human eye. Start by inserting 48″ tall stakes about 8-12″ deep into the ground around the area you want to protect. Then tie your fishing line between the stakes about 3′ high. 

(Here are the 48″ garden stakes we use — they’re long-lasting and equally useful for other garden tasks as well.)

Watch video! Fishing line trick to keep deer out:

How does the fishing line trick keep deer out of your garden?

If you read the “how deer work” section earlier in this article, the fishing line trick makes sense. Basically, deer can not see the fishing line that’s right in front of them. They can smell your delicious garden/landscape plants and see a blurry version of that lush, green goodness.

They start to approach the sumptuous meal you grew for them. There’s no sound, smell, or sight of danger anywhere around. They move in for the feast…

Then suddenly, something right in front of them that they hadn’t detected (the fishing line) brushes against their fur. What the heck – run Bambi, run!

And that’s it.

Your garden plants have been saved and the memory of the frightening encounter is etched into the deer’s memory. You emerge from your house in the morning to a clear and glorious view of victory – no deer damage! (If this happens to you, please thank my dad!)

Is the fishing line trick 100% effective against deer? 

The fishing line trick is simple, easy, cheap, and can be used to protect anything from an individual plant to a whole garden. It’s also the most effective method we’ve used to protect our own edible landscape, and we know lots of people who’ve had similar success. Thus, the fishing line trick is a great place to start for most people who are trying to figure out how to keep deer out of their garden or yard.

However, the fishing line trick might not always be 100% effective depending on:

• how dense your deer population is (hungry deer competing for scarce resources can become very brazen),
• how frequently deer come back to feed (after brushing against fishing line without harm a few times, a deer may learn not to go elsewhere), and
• what species of deer you have. 

So, if the fishing line trick does not work for you or you’re looking for other methods better suited to your specific circumstances, check out the six other methods detailed below! 

6 other effective ways to deter deer  

Below are additional ways to deter deer from eating your plants that can be effective depending on the type of plants you want to protect, the size of your space, budget, and other factors. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, the method(s) you use to deter deer are going to be unique to your specific situation! 

1. Bobbex all-natural deer repellent spray (and other safe repellent sprays) 

Low cost. Great option for protecting ornamental plants.

We can thank our neighbor for this one… His grandkids kept tearing down his fishing line (which was otherwise working), so deer started ravaging his roses and other plants. 

He then tried Bobbex, an all-natural deer deterrent spray. Bobbex contains strong smell and taste deterrents that keep deer away – and it’s very long-lasting even in wet climates like ours.

According to our neighbor, he’s been able to save his plants from deer with Bobbex. Since our neighbor is only one person’s opinion, we looked Bobbex up on Amazon, and it has a nearly 5-star rating across thousands of reviews.  

Should you spray deer deterrents directly on your edible plants? No. But you could spray it around them as depicted in the image above.  

In addition to Bobbex, there are other effective deer repellents. Just make sure:

• whatever product you choose has strong customer reviews;
• you use it as per the instructions, and
• reapply regularly since sprays eventually wash off or degrade (maybe set a recurring calendar reminder so you don’t forget to reapply!). 

2. Row covers

Medium cost. Good idea for protecting edible garden plants grown in raised beds and rows. 

If you have edible garden beds you’re trying to protect and you’re not worried about aesthetics, you can use fabric row cover to protect your plants from deer.

In cool months, you can use heavier weight row cover, which also provides temperature protection. In the summer, you can use lightweight or “summer weight” fabric which also provides protection from pest insects.  

What about other physical barriers like plastic netting? We’d advise against it unless you want to untangle snakes and other animals from your protective netting. 

3. DIY tomato cages

Low cost. Best for protecting small-sized individual plants. 

We protect certain deer favorites like hostas, Solomon’s seal, and asparagus shoots that are stand-alone plants in our yard using our DIY tomato/plant cages made from concrete reinforcing wire. (*That link goes to a “how to make sturdy tomato cages” article on our sister site, GrowJourney.)  

The cages are rusty brown in color so they blend right in, meaning they’re not an eyesore. They also last virtually forever. Most of our cages are over a decade old and still in perfect shape. 

4. Electric fencing

High cost. Best for protecting large areas, up to multiple acres. 

The only 100% effective method we know of for keeping deer completely out of a large area is electric fencing. Small farmers we know invariably utilize an electric fence to protect their cash crops from pest animals. (Plug-in systems tend to be more reliable than solar-powered.) 

If you live in a more rural area, this is a solution you should seriously consider for keeping deer permanently off your property.  

5. Other fencing

High cost but permanently effective if you choose the right fence design.

An electric fence isn’t feasible in a residential neighborhood, but other deer fencing options are. If you never want to worry about deer again, you can fence off your entire garden.

Options:

A. Solid fence, 6′ tall 

A solid fence (like stockade fences) are the best designs for deterring deer because deer can’t see through them to the other side. Therefore, they won’t be comfortable attempting to jump over the fence since they don’t know what they’ll be jumping on to. 

How tall? A solid fence can be shorter than a see-through wire fence and still deter deer. The solid wood fence protecting our back yard gardens is 6′ tall. We’re surrounded by foraging deer and have never had one jump our fence since the decade+ we’ve been living here.

B. Chainlink or other see-through metal fence, 7′ tall 

Even a see-through fence can effectively deter deer so long as it’s 7′ or higher. According to USDA researchers, a mature panicked deer running for its life from a predator can jump over a 6′ fence.

However, a calm deer in search of food isn’t going to jump a 7′ fence, it will simply forage elsewhere. Obviously, deer are not avid climbers, so a tall fence (solid or wire) may be the long-term investment you need to permanently keep deer out of your yard or garden. 

6. Plant deer-resistant plants

Cost may vary depending on plant quantity and varieties selected. Reduce long-term costs by selecting perennials. This option is best for new garden installations.

You don’t have to worry about deer eating your plants if you install deer-proof plants in the first place. But how do you choose the right plants — the ones that deer won’t have any interest in eating for dinner?

Check out our guide to over 100+ deer-resistant plants, which includes edible, ornamental, and native plants you can grow to help deer-proof your garden, landscape, or farm!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about how to keep deer out of your garden or yard 

Does Irish Spring soap keep deer out of your garden? 

Another common claim we’ve heard is that Irish Spring (and/or other soap bars) will keep deer out of a garden or yard. Supposedly, deer don’t like the strong scent of the soap so it keeps them away. Is this true or not? 

Last year, our good friends who live down the street from us put Irish Spring soap to the test in their summer garden after having deer problems. When we say “put to the test” we mean they probably put out at least one bar of soap for every 3 square feet. It was certainly smelly enough to keep us out of their garden! 

The results? Deer ate every plant to the ground, repeatedly – even plants sitting inches from bars of soap. Apparently, the deers’ sense of hunger was stronger than their sense of smell in this case. 

So it would appear that Irish Spring soap was not effective at keeping deer out of their garden. However, they now have quite a bit of soap in their soil, and who knows what’s in it! 

Other similar home remedies that produce strong aromas are also unlikely to provide good, sustained deer protection: fabric softener strips, ammonia-soaked rags, essential oils, etc. Some people also put out rotten eggs, but there are more effective deer-prevention methods that don’t stink up your yard for people while also causing pollution. 

Does Milorganite work for repelling deer? 

Some people use Milorganite to deter deer. In case you’ve never heard of it, Milorganite is a fertilizer made from heat-treated, pelletized sewage from Milwaukee. Yes, seriously. 

While the high heat used in treating it kills pathogens, Milorganite, like other products made from human sewage, most certainly contains countless other unsavory contaminants such as heavy metals, microplastics, pharmaceutical drugs, dioxins, etc. Personally, we don’t want these substances anywhere near our yard or garden where we and our toddler live and eat.  

Will the smell of Milorganite repel deer? Perhaps so, but we’d rather have deer in our yard than Milorganite, especially since we eat most of the plants in our yard. 

What about various scare tactics and products?

There is a long-list of “scare tactic” products intended to deter deer:

• motion-activated sprinklers,
• wind chimes,
• motion sensor lights (or just leaving bright lights on all night),
• garden ornaments, etc. 

In isolation or in combination, some of these may temporarily deter deer. However, deer will eventually acclimate to the scare tactics.

As an anecdotal example, a neighbor in my dad’s neighborhood installed a motion sensor contraption that starts blaring music and sprinkling water when anything comes near a large bed of pansies. (Pansies are a common cool weather flower that deer love and that’s also a good edible plant for people.) 

We happened to walk by the house a few weeks after the system was installed. Most of the pansies were recently chewed to nubs by deer, but the music and water effects did effectively startle me! How sprinklers are supposed to continue working when the weather is freezing cold is also a mystery. 

Can dogs deter deer? 

Yes, but with caveats… If you have dogs that can patrol your property from dusk until dawn, they may be able to keep deer away. There are actually breeds of farm dogs bred and trained for this specific purpose.

However, your dog is likely not one of these dogs, and will probably prefer to sleep soundly on the foot of your bed while deer are planning their nightly assaults on your garden (especially when it’s cold outside). 

Does human hair or human urine repel deer? 

No, or at least not for any duration. Not to get too graphic, but I regularly “mark my territory” when out in our gardens and will still see deer foraging nearby hours later. They’ve likely acclimated to the scent of my pee and no longer consider it a sign of danger. 

The same is probably true of dog urine or commercial products containing predator urine such as “coyote urine.” E.g. they’re likely NOT to be effective long term. Side note: Collecting coyote urine would be an interesting job!

As for dog hair, our neighbors (the same ones who had the Irish Spring soap fiasco) also coated their garden with dog hair. The deer still ate their garden. 

Do hot peppers or hot pepper sprays deter deer? 

It’s not their favorite forage, but hungry deer will eat the foliage on a hot pepper plant, which can easily kill young plants. However, deer won’t eat HOT pepper fruits. (They will eat sweet peppers.) 

Hot pepper fruits contain capsaicin, the compound that gives them their hot spicy flavor. Capsaicin is a deterrent to deer when it’s applied as a foliar spray. However, hot peppers growing on a plant will not keep deer out of your garden.

Unfortunately, capsaicin sprays may also be toxic to bees and other pollinators, according to some extension agencies and Connecticut University School of Agriculture. Since there are effective, pollinator-friendly spray deer repellents like Bobbex, we don’t think capsaicin sprays should be used as a garden safe method to deter deer. 

Are deer worse during certain times of year? 

For us and our neighbors, deer seem to be more difficult to deal with in late winter-early spring as plants start to break dormancy. At this point in the year, deer are recovering from winter’s scarcity of high quality food.

Also, the bucks need all the food they can eat to rebuild muscle and form antlers. Likewise, the does are about to fawn and have to eat all they can as they enter the third trimester and prepare for nursing. 

We don’t experience much deer pressure from late spring through mid-summer since there is so much food around at that point. We also notice an uptick in deer activity in late summer through fall as deer try to put on fat for the cold months ahead. 

Will a perimeter border of thorny plants keep deer out? 

In the back portion of our property, we have a thick border of thorny native black raspberries. We intentionally planted them in the spot because it was a deer path, and we wanted to block it without using an actual deer fence. 

The result? The deer love eating the raspberry leaves and even the tips of the thorny stems. And they plowed a path right through the thorny canes. Our verdict? No, thorny plants do not keep deer out of your yard or garden, especially when those thorny plants are also edible to deer! 

Are there more deer today than there used to be? 

Over the past 100 years, populations of white-tailed deer have exploded in the U.S., which is one reason why more people are having trouble with deer eating their plants. However, it’s also important to put white-tailed deer populations into historical perspective.  

One recent study tried to do just that, estimating that white-tailed deer populations are currently at about the same level as they were prior to European colonization. 

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We hope the information in this article helps you figure out the most effective ways to keep your plants protected from deer!

KIGI,

Similar articles you’ll find helpful:

• 100+ deer-resistant plants, including edibles, ornamentals, and natives
• How to control Japanese beetles organically
• How to prevent or stop voles from eating your plants
• How to safely kill mosquitos in your yard

You might also want to check out our deer-deterring Google web story!