Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

How do you keep deer away? (Without shooting more does, I've done that)

My problem is, I'm planting a small 1 acre orchard. (Apple, Persimmon, and Cherry Trees with some Blackberry bushes) All the trees are bought from the state and are about 24" tall when planted. I have read that deer can really damage and kill these young trees, especially the 1st year. How do I keep them away? Fence around the whole thing is a last resort, don't want to put the money in it, and I'm planting 130 of these trees, that is alot of individual cages, which is another last resort. I've thought of putting up a scarecrow with alot of old smelly laundry on it, but that will probably only work for a couple weeks, any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

What about that plot saver stuff. They say it works, I dont know if it really does cause I have never used it before.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Up in VT where they were doing some habitat rennovation they planted some fruit trees inside of PVC piping about 4 to 6 feet high (I imagine it depended upon the size of the sapling). Supposedly it encourages the trees to grow higher faster and protects them until they've been established.

Then I suppose you could surround them with small fences to protect the bark from rubs.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Well I used to work at an orchard and it is true that they can harm your trees pretty badly.What they did was put mesh wire about three or four feet high.Just a suggestion.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Thanks! great suggestions, keep them coming! I'll probably try a little of each.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

I've also heard that human hair from all your local salons will help as well....it takes some effort but hey, if it works....

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

I can only tell you how to keep them away during season and during legal shooting hours;). You can try everything else but you will inevitably come back to individual cages or fencing the entire area. Nothing else will work except my previous statement IMHO

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

That was the first thing I though of as well.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

I found that the black plastic corrigated drain pipes put around saplings will discourage bucks from rubbing their antlers but haven't found anything besides fencing to prevent browsing, except maybe, alternate food sources, but then you're attracting the deer to the area increasing your chance of browse. Chain a dog in the middle?

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Checked the Plot Saver out, looks to really work, don't see how, but the results and testimonials say it does! Has anyone tried it? Looks like a kit cost me $50 and that lasts 100 days, then I have to resfresh it with a $20 container every 100 days there after. Do you guys think the Deer will actually eat the apple trees down to the ground? We have tons of Corn and Soybean fields around, not to mention plenty of other vegetation.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

i have tried the plot saver and it really works for the best results respray on a lite coat everyday

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Check out a forestry supply company, they have special plastic covers similar to a pvc pipe which covers the entire sapling. It also acts like a small greenhouse to promote fast growth. Or build a 6 strand slant fence.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Forget the human hair myth. I have been there - done that & it does not work. Actually kind of grossed me out touching other people's hair! Even with the gloves that I was wearing. I have tried just about everything and the best options that I have found are deer fencing and deer spray. Unfortunately both are on the expensive side though. The deer fencing is a light, thin black mesh fencing that comes in 6' x 100' pieces (about $18 each). This fencing is great for wrapping around the trees to prevent them from rubbing the trunks, but unless you cover the entire plant, or what the deer can reach, it will not stop them from eating the plant; and yes, they will eat the sapplings to the ground! The other option is a deer spray. I have tried numerous companies / products and the best that I found is Deerbusters. It comes in a 5 gal concentrate and I forget the price and total gallons it makes, but if you are really interested, let me know & I will get it for you. The deerbusters actually lasts the 30 days as it advertises. All of the other brands that I have used do not last more than a week, with some of them not even lasting hours. No kidding. I have sprayed some plants and literally a few hours later, I witnessed deer eating the very plants that I sprayed! That is my 2 cents!:)

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

I live in a very big Apple producing city. (Biggest in Michigan) And the farmers around here by soap by the 1000's and pay kids to put them around the young apple trees. It keeps them deer and rabbits away.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

In the garden in my backyard I tied my dog out there and it solved the deer problem. Now with an acre this probably wouldn't work. You might want to try and get some old socks or something that you have sweated in and has alot of human scent.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

fencing works but you have a big area. so I would try toelectric fence the area. A lot of my neighbors have done their flower beds and it works very well.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

You can get deer repellant from any local hardware store, and in my observatin it seems to work well but for how long I dont know. It also come for rodants, comestic cats, vermin any critter you can think of they have a repellant for it

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

I've used a product called Plantskydd with good results. In northern MN we apply once in the spring and once in the fall unless we run out of time then just in the fall

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

The plastic covers, pvc or drainage pipe type thing. Those are the only way to go. The rest is a waste of time.

Tieing out a dog will only save them as far as the chain will allow the dog to go unless you go out there and shoot them when you hear the dog barking. It's an easy way to hunt if you can hear the dog bark from in the house, just watch TV in the easy chair until he calls you.

They will definately tear up your trees if you don't do something. They don't start hurting them until about September so you have all summer to get ready.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

One thing you can try is stretching 10-20# test fishing line at a height of 3 feet off the ground in various spots around the proposed orchard site sort of like an invisible fence . I would make concentric fence rings around the entire plot to confuse them . Deer are very reluctant to cross a barrier that they can't see .

Deer absolutely hate the smell of hydrogen sulphide . Mix a dozen egg whites in one gallon of water , add a couple of tablespoons of dishwashing liquid , then put it in a garden sprayer and apply to every plant . You may need to strain the mixuture first . As the egg whites break down they produce HS for a week or two , though the smell shouldn't be enough to bother humans .

Many people swear by hanging bars of Irish Spring soap in the garden , I don't know personally .

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

I really think the 100% way to do this is going to be to purchase black mesh fencing and put it up around the 1 acre orchard. I've checked the web and it looks like this is going to cost me about $200. 5' tall fencing.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

My Uncle lives in Northern Arkansas and has several acres of organic apples, pears, and cherries. He usesa mixture of sulfur and something eleseto treat them for insects and he swears that the sulfur keeps the deer and bear away. Not sure if it works, but just trying to help.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

My uncles also use nylon stockings filled with processed human waste (not malorganite...the other part) around his gardens. They definitely help in the immediate vicinity of the bag.

Imagine your 10 stinkiest dumps ever, then concentrate them all into a handfull sized lump. That's what you got. You can smell them outdoors from 30 yards which is about the distance they'll protect for 4 months or so.

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Quote from Rob/Pabower.I've also heard that human hair from all your local salons will help as well....it takes some effort but hey, if it works....

Isnt that from the movie the rookie?????

RE: Never thought I would ask this.....but
 

Now, I have decided to look into building my own Deer Deterrent fence. I need 460 feet of a mesh type fence you see on the internet. If I can get it 6' tall or so, I'll be able connect it with some posting and hopefully can build something with only about $150 in materials. Any ideas?