Nothing is more picturesque than seeing a deer looping through the fields unless it is heading to your yard and chewing the plants there. This is when these beautiful beasts turn into destructive pests you wouldn’t want near your yard.
This happens increasingly as their populations increase and humans construct homes in rural deer habitats. Deer eat anything vegetative. Like humans, they are less picky when they get hungry. Not to mention, they can eat a lot.
Looking for ways to keep these beasts out of your yard or garden? According to experts, here is how to keep deer out of your yard:
1. Avoid Overstocking Your Yard with Tasty Vegetation
Think twice about planting a lot of lettuces, pansies, impatiens, hostas, peas, beans, and English ivy. Fruit trees are also prime targets. The flavor and sweetness of peaches and strawberries make them attractive to deer. Deerproofing your garden and yard is the way to go.
2. Consider Installing a Fence
Fencing the entire yard is one of the best options for keeping deer off your property. Experts say that deer fencing must be seven feet tall or beyond. But in some communities, this can be higher than allowed.
If that is the case in your community, you can opt for building two fences about five feet apart. Alternatively, install a fence so that it can angle out by exactly 45 degrees.
Before building a fence, look at your neighborhood covenant to know whether fences are allowed there, and if they are, what kind. Find out also whether building permits are required. If you decide to hire a fencing expert to help you install, get customer references and several estimates.
3. Use Row Cover for Your Garden Beds
If you own an edible garden bed that you want to protect and aren’t worried about the aesthetics, consider using a fabric row cover so you can keep deer away from your plants.
In colder months, use a heavier-weight row cover to provide temperature protection. But use a summer weight or lightweight fabric to protect against pest insects during summer.
4. Have Pets
Pets, particularly dogs, are important, especially if you want to keep deer away from your yard. Let your pets go out when dear is near. Your dog’s barking will make hungry deer go back where they came from.
Cats aren’t that deterrent, but with a bold one who likes hunting large animals, you can also keep deer away from your garden.
5. Add Levels to the Yard
Deer aren’t into climbing up and down sheer or sheer slopes. Yards, which seem too difficult to navigate, may immediately deter deer.
You can add stacked chopped wood, terraces, and sunken beds to the landscape so you can prevent deer from going too far into your yard. Seeing these, they will be afraid of climbing or jumping on them and look elsewhere to graze.
The Takeaway
Unfortunately, deer can be a nuisance and cause different issues when interested in your yard. They won’t just eat everything they see in sight. They can also spread diseases and parasites, putting your pets and family at risk. If these are some of the issues you have dealt with before, then use some of these strategies to see what can help keep the unwelcome guests off your yard.