3
Under normal conditions,
deer populations are kept
under control by predators and
by food supplies. When there is
less food, females produce
fewer offspring.
This is true of many other
species as well. Those deer
that are weak never get the
chance to reproduce because
wolves or coyotes kill them.
Nature works very effectively
when there is no human
interference. Today, however, we
have removed the natural
predators, and even when
native food and habitat are
scarce, we provide a wealth of
alternatives in the form of
landscaped trees and shrubs. It
is only natural that the deer
are going to take advantage of
what is available and easy to
find.
As individuals, we are
generally not in a position to do
what should be done:
reestablish vast tracts of
wilderness inhabited by both
prey and predators.
However, that doesn’t
necessarily mean that we can’t
enjoy landscaping our yards. To
protect valuable plantings, you
have to study the habits of the
deer that visit your property,
and know something about deer
behavior in general.
Deer follow regular pathways,
and will nibble anything that
grows along the way. Although
there are many lists of plants
that are “unattractive" to
deer, that doesn’t mean that
they are immune.
Deer will taste them, even if
they are toxic, and then forget
that they didn’t like them and
will chew on them again.
Sometimes they will pull the
entire newly-planted shrub out
of the ground, tossing it away
once they discover that they
don’t care for the taste.
In addition, taste preferences
seem to vary from region to
region, so that what is not
preferred by deer in one state
might be a favorite snack in
your
yard. Notice the location of
deer paths and avoid planting
anything vulnerable along their
route.
In general, deer don’t like
leaves that are fuzzy or plants
with strong scents. Some
people have had luck with
hanging bars of soap or bags of
unwashed human hair in plants,
or applying the fertilizer
Milorganite (which must be re-
applied after rain).
Other treatments which are
sometimes effective are sprays
combining water with raw eggs
or hot peppers, as well as some
commercial preparations.
However, fences seems to be
the most effective deterrent.
Deer can jump very high, but
they don’t jump wide, and they
don’t like to jump when they
can’t see the barrier.
NATIVE PLANTS RESISTANT TO DEER DAMAGE
Perennials
Yarrow (Achillea)
Milkweeds (Asclepias)
Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum)
Sneezeweed (Helenium)
Goldenrod (Solidago)
Ground covers like wild strawberries, May apples, wild ginger,
nodding onions
Culinary herbs such as sage, tarragon, mint
(including Bee Balm)
Shrubs
Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora)
Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Holly (Ilex)
Viburnum
Juniper (Juniperus)
Trees
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
Bitternut hickory (Carya cordiformis)
Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica)
American sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
Sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum)
Colorado spruce (Picea pungens)
