matt1214

I am going to be planting come the 2nd week of september. what is a good deterrent to use so the deer wont eat up my food plot before it has a chance to mature?

psandhu

I'm not sure that is possible. Last year I planted a 50 lb bag of RR beans to try and keep the deer out of my dove sunflower plot. Half the beans were done with a 2 row planter, the other half of the beans I just broadcast and disked.

The beans got up to about the size of my hand before the deer ate them down. They grew up again, but the deer ate them back down. They also ate every single sunflower head before September 1.

What you are trying to do is probably not feasible or economically practical.

BarnesX.308

We limed the plots and it kept the deer off it until the rain eventually washed the lime into the ground.

BuckAlley

It is possible I've done it. The Plot saver kits work. However can be expensive depending on acres. But basically its the plastic like banding ribbon for boxes, stabled to posts surrounding the plot area. Then a chemical deer deterent spray is applied to the ribbon. I've also seen people use cheap tin/alum pie tins, and hung them from posts to keep deer out, and the rattling noise scares them off.

matt068

Im a bit leary trying to scare deer away from where I want them to eventually come later. Just my way of thinking

gfdfire

I have used irish springs soap. If you will get a bar and shave some off as you walk it will keep them out for alittle while. But they always come right back as soon as the scent is gone.

timbercruiser

I tried aluminum pans on metal electric fence post, didn't work.

Soilman

You can keep them out for awhile. I put a non-electric fence around my soybeans, then sprayed it with deer away. That kept the deer out until the beans were big enough to handle grazing, but they eventually ignore any 1 repellent after awhile. Switching products regularly may help.

Here is a warning though. This guy showed up 10 minutes after I sprayed deer repellent, and was eyeballing that fence. He ignored me pounding fence posts, the parked car, and us talking to each other. These things are more destructive than 20 deer.

KSBucksandDucks

This is a good time of year to get some cheap or discounted wire fence material from your local garden center. They usually have stuff on sale to get rid of things before the fall/winter.

Other than a fence I'm not sure what deterrant you can use without actually chasing away the deer with sents and scarecrows.

Good Luck!

halfbakedi420

1/2 acre?
i dunno bout this for that much land, but i have 6 of these.
i use 4X8 frames with chicken wire..it was free...to put over the tops of areas that i want to grow taller..
but its just good for 8 inches (i had free 2X8 boards that i built the 4X8 frames with)
but ya have ta keep an eye on them, cause once they grow through the chicken wire, your kinda shreddin everything pullin it off...but basically i just move em around to the areas that need to regrow, and there is a fat patch unveiled to the deer.
sometimes i just lean em on a tree, cause there arnt any bare spots.
it works great on the peas, we even took some home lol