Keeping deer from damaging your orchard does not have to be difficult or expensive. If you have any fruit trees, and especially if you live where the winters are long and cold, you may have seen the damage even a few hungry deer can do to the tender tree buds and even small. ranches. While deer love apples they can be a problem year round and I think winter is probably when I have to be the most vigilant. Young trees or low lying branches are at the perfect height for munching on. Deer also like to rub their antlers on trees so what could be better than a sweet juicy tree to supply both food and the opportunity to rub? You need a management strategy to avoid constantly having to replace trees. So, how do I protect my fruit trees from deer?

The most reliable deterrent is a very tall fence. The recommended height is ten feet and that’s with twelve-foot posts. I don’t know about you but the thought of erecting that kind of barrier around my small orchard is OUT OF THE QUESTION! Besides, I don’t see commercial orchards putting up ten-foot high fences.

The web is full of buying opportunities for products that claim to resell deer. One is an ultrasonic solar powered repellant. It claims to use “improved electromagnetic technology to protect you from unwanted animals and pests.” The ad goes on to say that the device emits “powerful, deep-penetrating sounds’ to scare away unwanted animals. The coverage area is pretty vague and listed as between 30 and over 2,000 square feet. I’m not sure why there is so much variance or how anyone can know how many of these $100 devices it will take to work. I’m also skeptical about the benefits of this deep-penetrating sound in humans, nor am I looking to frighten away every last creature.

For less than $16 Lowes has an odor-based deer repellant that comes in a package of 6. I’ve never tried it and it looks like you would need to also purchase separate repellant stations. The packaging instructs us to place one unit every 4 to 8 feet. As I kept reading it became clear that this was not going to be effective for my dozen or so trees either.

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Predator urine: I have to say this one does intrigue me. wolf urine can be purchased and brushed on fences or trees. The products claim to be extremely effective at keeping deer away. There may be some animal welfare issues involved and you should check your sources. I have never tried it and if you have please leave a comment about your experience.

Well, two things really. First of all I keep a dog or two around. A good livestock guardian dog earns its keep. Even though my dogs sleep inn the house they alert me to dangers. I suppose their presence also has a similar effect to using the wolf urine because, while we do get a deer or two we never have a herd of them in the yard.

The other method I employ is easily purchased at your local Family Dollar Store or other source of inexpensive soap. Yes, I said soap. My father put me onto this idea years ago and I haven’t found anything better or cheaper. Dad raised apples, peaches and pears in Penobscot County, Maine for years. He also liked to feed the deer but didn’t want them destroying his trees. I suppose my first recommendation for keeping deer out should have been to avoid attracting them in the first place. Since Dad managed both quite well I would not want to discourage what may be an important winter pastime for you.

You will need some inexpensive bars of soap. Dad always used Ivory from the Family dollar Store. Anything on sale will do. They do need to have a scent though so avoid the free and clear types. It’s the smell that keeps the deer away. If they do get close enough for a nibble they soon decide the tree is not worth eating.

You will also need something to poke a hole in the soap. I use a Phillips screw driver. A stick will work. Alternatively, you could put the soap in a mesh bag like the ones onions or tangerines are sometimes sold in.

And last, you need a way to hang the “ornaments” in the tree. I use whatever I might have around including old shoe laces, scraps of thin rope and even strips of cloth. Avoid using string or twine that might cut into tender branches.

Just poke a hole in the soap ant tie it onto the tree. It’s simple and fast. Dad always unwrapped the soap. I usually do except in especially rainy summers. Then I leave the paper wrapper on to help the soap last longer. Take any plastic wrapping off and dispose of it where animals will not be able to eat it. I tie about 4 bars onto a full sized tree and I really don’t have any problem with the deer trying to do my pruning for me. 🙂

I’ve also used the same method on my red raspberries with equally good success.

You can even put the soap in old socks! I have not personally done this but it sounds like a fantastic use for those lonely unmatched socks.

Looking for more detailed instructions? Check out this YouTube link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R-Dg8BuaX8 Larry gives some great examples and his pet skunk is very entertaining.

I welcome your comments. Please let me know if you have a tried and true method for keeping deer at bay.