Just last night as we were having dinner, I said to Vince . . Honey, I think the deer got the message. I haven’t seen them at all. Maybe they moved on to aggravate someone else. Vince said . . No! They’re out there. You’re just not seeing them.
Then I went out to water the garden and just as I got around the corner, there they were.
I couldn’t get them all in the picture but I counted 17 of them. This morning I found evidence that they’re still trying to figure out how to get into the fence:
See that track right up against the edge of the fence? So far though, the tracks are all on the outside of the fence so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the fence keeps them out. I wish they’d find somewhere else to live though. It’s so hard to plant anything in the yard with so many of them around.
Sue H says
Yup, they got the message, all right. “Coming Soon . . . Salad Bar at Judy’s House!”
Judy L. says
Thank you Sue for those encouraging words! 🙂
Gail says
Unless that fence is 8 to 10 feet high it won’t keep them out. I’ve seen deer jump 6 ft fences. It’s a shame they can be such pests since they are so pretty. So far, our deer have invaded our neighbours , not us….probably because we just moved here and have no lawn or garden. Look out when….lol
Helen in Switzerland says
Wow!17 deer – that’s quite amazing. I don’t think I’ve ever seen 17 deer all together at once. Here we see one or two in the fields or the woods sometimes in the early mornings, but I’ve never ever had one in the garden. Sounds like I should be pretty thankful. The biggest pest I have to deal with are slugs. I’ve seen 17 of them at one time – yuck, nasty slimy things….
Mary-Kay says
That’s a lot of deer! Do you have to worry about deer ticks getting on you or Speck? Or is that not an issue in your neck of the woods?
Angie says
Judy, Did you investigate the motion detector sprinkler I mentioned one time ? It’s like the Rainbird lawn sprinklers….we have a lot of deer here on our property, and it only took a few times of this going off for them to get the message. Not only did it work in the garden area, but we used it for the fish pond to keep the egrets and raccoon out. It not only will shoot out a long jet of water, the noise of it coming on is quite startling and very effective as it sends out the long stream of water, and it keeps doing it until the deer move completely out of range. It’s all adjustable as to how wide a circle it will make or you can angle it any direction. I have it on now to keep the deer away from the roses. We didn’t plant a veggie garden this year for just the two of us. First time in many years. We have three tomato plants in raised half oak barrels, and that’s it.
Cindy From California says
Deer can jump high or wide — but not both at the same time!!! That is why many “deer fences” have a part at the top that angles out. You can also make it “look” like it is “wide” by putting old CDs on sticks that stick out from the fence. The CDs will also keep away birds.
My grandmother used to lay chicken wire on the ground next to her rose bushes. The deer didn’t want to get their feet caught in the chicken wire and would leave her roses alone!!
Good Luck!
Cindy