They will eat some of your shrubs and certain trees branches.

Check with your local Master Gardeners to see what is usually deer resistant in your area. Some easy care flowers that deer do not eat are Daffodils and Bearded Iris. They will eat roses, but not as much if they are shrub roses and are grown a bit on the dry side.

Lee AKA Fireraven9
Las cosas claras y el chocolate espeso. (Ideas should be clear and chocolate thick.)
--Spanish proverb

I'd watch and check for a while; I could write volumes about those tree-eating basta***s. We own old farm land, and after building, planted thousands of pine seedlings to reforest it. Of course, deer LOVE pine seedlings (and any other kinds of seedlings), and there are LOTS of deer around here (because there are still lots of active farms)....so....foraging deer can kill literally hundreds of trees in a single night. We tried a lot of things before settling on chemical repellants. However, your potential problem may not even be one...it all depends on what's planted and where. I've built several houses that had deer trails, and generally, once people move into the houses, their noises, smells, and so on move the deer onto "greener pastures". Take a wait and see approach, but check those plants carefully at least once a week.

Yes, they eat plants, trees and shrubs. They also rub up against trees which strips off the bark, and they spread lyme ticks all over the place. But there's not much you can do about it becuase they come and go wherever they please.

We have tons of oak, maple, and birch trees, but not really any pine. I have planted bushes but not flowers yet, because I was afraid the deer would think I opened an Old Country Buffet for them to feast on. I also noticed that the low branches on some of our trees near the trail are devoid of leaves. Besides deer, we have a good supply of the infernal chipmunks, grey, and black squirrels. If there is a repellent that will work on the whole kit and kaboodle , I'm all ears. Sharper Image sells this thing that supposedly sends out a signal that irritates rodents and such....but I don't know how well it works or if it would drive my Persian to an early grave. Thanks for the input!

wow....noone has hit on the obvious.....meat to fill the freezer. A lot of hunters would love to have your problem. If you are not one, I bet you know one who would love to solve the problem for you.

What a great idea! Deer meat makes me gag...BUT I guess good old hunting season is rolling around soon so to anyone out there who's....dare I say it....GAME in the Ravenna Ohio area, I have a tip on where they're at for you! Two of them are big daddies with more points than a man usually has! Oh, I kill myself sometimes....

Well, the oaks will be an appetizer to them....and ground squirrels (did I tell you about my ground squirrel problem? seems to be another thread...)...but anyhow, they'll strip the bark off the birches, girdling them.

Anyhow, the product I use is Tree Guard by Nortech Forestry Technologies. It's made with a chemical called "Bitrex". Bitrex was an "accidental chemical". Word I heard (read, rumored), was that bitrex was actually being developed as a substitue for people sensitive to novacaine and other -caine products...but instead, the company ended up producing the most bitter substance ever found. One nip and most deer, squirrels, raccoons, etc, never do more than that. Bitrex is also used in some common household (dangerous) products to immediately discourage children/pets from ingesting those items. I belive that the Tree Guard has a latex binder (as in paints), to "stick" to trees and shrubs. So you really don't need that much. To do 3000 or so pine seedlings only cost something like $300 for me...so your mileage will probably greatly vary.

In any event, I think it's a great product; it's humane, fairly inexpensive, and does not damage things that ingest it or the environment.

The link is below....I used to order it directly from the company...not sure if you can anymore.

In any event, once my little plantation was replanted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nortech's Tree Guard

Just watch for the idiots that think it's ok to set up shop on your land to shoot deer. We were outside cooking yesterday, I happened to look to the trees and noticed someone climbing one of our trees. He was getting his rigs ready to put up his shelter and hunt (with bows). I am not against hunting, just have a problem with it being so close to my home and other animals. We could easily have been walking our dog and cats out there. It was rather scarry.

Oh, I know all about it. We are the proud owners of a lovely tree stand that appeared on our property while our home was still under construction. It's sitting in one of the garages collecting dust. I'm sure the person it belongs to is hopping mad, but not as mad as I would be digging buck shot out of my loved ones! Hunting is ok in my book, just not, as you said, on my property. Our land backs up to hundreds of acres of undeveloped land so it isn't like the hunters don't have options. If I get my hands on some Deer Be Gone as Jason has used and recommends, hopefully a can of Hunter Be Gone will not be needed.

Oh, for that, you need my other secret weapon...a next door neighbor who owns more land than you, is a staunch, very right-wing gun rights advocate, a HUGE hunter, and a very good neighbor. I simply let him have exclusive hunting rights access to my land to do as he pleases, and "voila!". The fence line is always kept up, no trespassing signs are put up, and I swear my backwoods are patrolled more heavily than an US airport peremiter in Afghanistan!

You can get some sort of a "pest" permit to shoot deer year round if they are damaging your property. At least in Illinois I think you can. You might want to check into it if the deer are really a nuisance.

If you like dogs and want a dog, just having one around seems to discourage deer from coming into the area where the dog "hangs out." We live in the middle of the woods, and I see deer all the time on the road to our house, but they never come into the house/yard area where my dog Penny spends much of her time. Please, though, don't just get a dog solely for this purpose. Do keep in mind that dogs need lots of love and attention, and sometimes you have to spend lots of $$$ on their upkeep. But Penny enriches my life, and repelling the deer is a nice side benefit!
P.S. I highly recommend adopting a "pound puppy."

A VERY good friend of mine used to be a Bambi hugger when he was younger, couldn't understand how I could hunt, etc.

He changed his tune when he became a forestry major in college (now has his Doctorate and teaches it at Southern Illinois University).

His common name for them?

Mountain maggots.

This is why dogs were domesticated from the wild in the 1st place, to keep human habitations clear of pesky wild animals. A good set of dogs will keep your yard free of deer and out in the woods where a nice hungry mountain lion can keep the population in check, sans hunters, who around here can't seem to hit the broadside of a barn with a howitzer. A group of hounds is also discouraging to the lions, so they will leave you alone also.

CA will likely ban guns and hunting anything anyhow before long, so dogs seem like the only solution left, short of chemicals.

Really, bringing up a 12 yr old post???

Why not? Have deer changed their habits in the last 12 yrs.?