Just heard something the other day(may be true or not). I heard someone say that a good deterrent to deer is original scent Irish Spring bar soap. Get some and cut it up into slivers and scatter it around the plant(s) you want to protect. Might be worth a try. If it doesn't work, just gather up the scraps and put them into a bath mit and scrub yourself--

Will it work for iron deer, as in "Mars is Heaven!" ?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: philnic,

What I heard was mix hand soap and garlic in water. The soap should be in small pieces but need not be ground, as it will melt. Put it in a spray bottle and spray on the plants. It works for deer, rabbits, and squirrels.

No doubt deer can be pesky, but I would be delighted if one showed up on my lawn. Not too many deer in this city...

We have many deer in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The only thing seems to work is a fence. They know when the wife's rose buds are just about to open and they come in an eat them like candy.
Rural living.
We also have nightly visits from opossums, skunks, raccoons, and, just up the road a piece, coyotes and even an occasional mountain lion!

I once saw a fox. Daily sightings of blackbirds and magpies. A few pigeons. That's about all.

quote:

Originally posted by Braling II:
We have many deer in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The only thing seems to work is a fence. They know when the wife's rose buds are just about to open and they come in an eat them like candy.
Rural living.
We also have nightly visits from opossums, skunks, raccoons, and, just up the road a piece, coyotes and even an occasional mountain lion!

Living way south of you in Glendale our morning and evening dog walks include squirrels, possum, racoons, skunks, and the rare sightings of wolves that come down off the foothills. Every couple of years, during the droughts, we'll get a bear or two. They are soooo cute.

quote:

Originally posted by jkt:
Every couple of years, during the droughts, we'll get a bear or two. They are soooo cute.

That wasn't the word that came to mind when I ran into one after a 3am restroom break at Lake Casitas whilst heading back to my tent. Every time I would take a step, bear would growl. Eventually I made it back to the tent without incident.

I often pass a lovely little deer grazing on the edge of the mountain as I do my three miles around said mountain every day after work.

quote:

Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
...I often pass a lovely little deer grazing on the edge of the mountain...

Hey, this thread is for PESKY deer, not lovely little ones

Oh yes, squirrels. We have squirrels; both grey and red.
And as for the avian neighbours, these include black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees, acorn woodpeckers, hummingbirds (not sure of the species), scrub jays, Stellar's jays, titmice (titmouses?), swallows, hawks (mostly red-tail), and more...
Moles and gophers too, of course.
Suffice to say, if all of us humans left the area, it would go "back to Nature" in no time.

I like it, though.

Speaking of hawks, although I work in a city I see kestrels quote often. They nest on the upper window ledges of the 9-storey building I work in.

Still no deer, though.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
Speaking of hawks, although I work in a city I see kestrels quote often. They nest on the upper window ledges of the 9-storey building I work in.

Still no deer, though.

I saw kestrels last time I was in England, but they didn't quote anything. All seemed to be improvising.

They say "Nevermore!", quoting the raven...

(I'm quite proud of that typo actually!)

Today I saw more exotic wildlife. Let's see: bactrian camels, spider monkeys, peccaries, reindeer (rather than pesky deer), chimps, flamingos. I went to the zoo, you see.

quote:

Originally posted by philnic:
Speaking of hawks, although I work in a city I see kestrels quote often. They nest on the upper window ledges of the 9-storey building I work in.

But do you ever see thestrals?!