Everyone loves to see deer around, especially at this time of the year.  Their summer coats are a lovely fawn colour, and we all secretly know that any deer that survived this past winter with its deep snows is one tough animal.  It is very pleasant sitting out on a summer evening and watching a deer roaming around, nibbling on the summer plants, and knowing that if the deer is a doe, she probably has a fawn or two stashed away somewhere that she will shortly return to feed.

  This general sense of well-being can completely disappear and turn into something quite nasty when the viewer of the above-mentioned deer ventures out to the garden a little while later to find that something like a lawnmower with little pointy hooves has visited and munched away all the fruits of your gardening labour! 

  What can be done to prevent deer from razing plants from a garden?  Over the years, quite a collection of tips have been provided by various persons who have had varying degrees of success with them.   Although there is no guarantee that any one will work, some do work some of the time and you just never know which may work for you.

· Fencing is probably the only sure fire way to prevent a deer from accessing a garden but there is one serious drawback.  Since deer can jump up to 2.5 metres or 8 feet, fencing an area can be formidable, both logistically and financially.  Slanted fencing has been recommended by experts from the U.S., who suggest that if the fencing should be slanted outwards at a 45 degree angle which discourages deer from jumping over and crawling under!  This type of fencing would certainly add a certain dramatic flair to your property.

· Electric fencing does not prevent deer from jumping over but banks on the odds that a deer will touch up against if before jumping.  It is recommended that the additional charged wires be located 60 cm (2 ft) outside the main fence and 75 cm (30 inches) above the ground

· Physical barriers can be installed as cages or something else imaginative that prevents deer access to some particularly yummy plants.  However, in my personal experience, deer are adept at kicking away the cages in order to get at what they really want.  Securing the cages could solve this problem.  Cages can be made of chicken wire or other similar product.

· Repellents can be effective and there are lists of repellents that people have tried to keep deer away.  Some people report success; others unqualified failures.  Repellents include cayenne pepper (sometimes mixed with bone meal), chili powder, moth balls and various commercial repellents available at hardware stores

· Two recipes for home made repellent include one with 2 cups water and 2 eggs combined in the blender, and another with a mixture of ginger, garlic and milk.  These can be sprayed directly on the plant or on the ground around the plant.  All repellents should be replenished after rain.

· Various nasty by-products from chicken processing plants have been suggested to work as a deer repellent.  These could be bagged up and suspended around the garden.  Perhaps they may repel the gardener too?

· Handfuls of human hair from the barber shop in a pantyhose or mesh bag and chunks of strongly smelling soap strung up around the garden may work.

Some landscape gardeners suggest that in areas where deer are very abundant or very persistent, it is wise to avoid planting things that deer just cannot resist.  In general, it is said that deer avoid plants with strongly scented leaves such as lavender, marigolds and various herbs.   Deciduous shrubs are delicious to deer and several conifers are clearly sought out as well, including cedar and hemlock.  Deer are not supposed to prefer white or red pine or spruce although there are stories circulating around about deer that go out of their way to eat pine. 

  I guess the moral of the story is that co-existing with wildlife is a give-take type of proposition.  As we live and play here Muskoka, it is probably wise to remember that wildlife live here too and they, like us, must eat.  So try some of the ideas listed above, or try some combination of them or try them all and see what works for you.  Maybe nothing will, in which case, give up, sit on your deck and enjoy a cool frosty one while contemplating the garden that might have been.

For more information, please contact the Muskoka Heritage Foundation at (705) 645-7393, log on to our website at www.muskokaheritage.org or visit our resource centre located at 9 Taylor Road in downtown Bracebridge. Office Hours are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Muskoka Heritage Foundation is committed to the protection and preservation of the natural and built heritage that is unique to Muskoka.