Deterring Deer and Other Critters

Original Presentation by Bob Nixon

Presented by

Kent Phillips Howard County MG kent.a.phillips@gmail.com

2

College of

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Deterring Deer and Other Critters

• This presentation can be found on the Howard County Master Gardener website

– https://extension.umd.edu/mg

– Click on MG Contacts tab

– Click on Howard County Master Gardeners

– Click on Grow It! Eat It!

– Click on GIEI Howard County Presentations

How to Garden Successfully in Deer Country

Suggestions to help you grow vegetables, flowers, & other plants where deer eat just about everything

What we’re going to discuss

• Facts about deer

• Publications about deer & gardening

• Deer, vegetables & small fruits

• Recipes for venison

• Deer & flowers (perennials)

• Deer & shrubs & trees

• 7-point summary

• Other Critters

Deer, love'em or …

Maryland deer history

• 1634: Fr. Andrew White, priest & journalist, wrote that deer were so plentiful “that they are rather an annoyance than an advantage.” Native Americans and colonists used deer for food & clothing, with increasing exports of venison & hides to Europe. • 1729: Legislature prohibited deer hunting between January 15 and July 31. Fine: 400 lbs. of tobacco for each infraction. • 17th through 19th Centuries: Forests of eastern and central counties cleared for agriculture. Natural predators—wolves, mountain lions, bears—exterminated. No limits on deer killed.

Deer in the 20th Century

• 1902: So few deer remained in Maryland that hunting was prohibited • 1910 deer population (est.)

– U.S.A., 500,000 – Maryland, <2000, nearly all in 4 western counties (Garrett, Allegany,

Washington, & Frederick) – Howard County, zero to <100

• 1910s through 1930s: Deer imported from Michigan and Pennsylvania. Then the increasing local herds used to establish new herds around state. • 1927: Deer hunting resumes in Allegany County, with five bucks killed.

Deer now

• 2011 to 2012 Maryland hunting season – 98,029 killed statewide

– 2,999 killed in Howard County

– Ratio of 2.5 to 1 antlerless to antlered

• Current deer population (est.) – U.S.: >20 million

– Maryland: <230,000

– Howard County: >10,000 or <40/square mile

– Sustainable: 15 to 20/square mile

Howard County Parks & Recs Lands

• FLIR technology used for annual survey (2009)

• Low concentration: Schooley Mill, 17.2/square mile

– 5/0.29 square mile

• High concentration: Belmont, 450/square mile – 90/0.2 square mile

• Average of 16 areas: 46.1/square mile – 772/16.73 square miles

• Feeding pressure is very high because of overpopulation

Detailed information

• Maryland White-tailed Deer Plan 2009-2018, 83 pp:

http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/hunt_trap/pdfs/2009-2018marylandwtdeerplan.pdf

• Howard County Comprehensive Deer Management Plan

www.howardcountymd.gov

Search for “deer management plan”

Deer diet

• January to March: Coniferous browse, deciduous bark & dry leaves, acorns and other nuts, winter fruits such as rose hips, sumac, & poison ivy (4 to 5 lbs/day).

• April to June: Herbaceous plants & grasses followed by buds & shoots of shrubs & trees (7 to 10 lbs/day).

• July & August: Herbaceous vegetation, young leaves, new growth of shrubs and trees, gardens.

• September to December: Soft (fruits) & hard (nuts) mast. Acorns make up to 50% of diet. Bramble leaves, mushrooms, gardens.

Typical diet, but …

“Deer will attempt to eat almost anything if their population is high and they are running out of food. That happens most often in times of drought or near the end of a colder-than-normal winter.” Scott Aker, horticulturist, U.S. National Arboretum, in his “Digging In” column, Washington Post

Why do deer prefer tender grasses and herbaceous plants, buds, leaves, and new growth of shrubs and trees? They have incisors only on the bottom, so they pull/pinch rather than cut their forage. Their bottom incisors impact on upper pad of cartilage.

Bob’s favorite book

Chapter 1: Deer (56 pages)

Chapter 21: Research on Deer (5 pages)

Chapter 22: Deer-Resistant Plants (37 pp., with list of 1,000+ plants in categories)

Chapter 23: Profiles of Deer-Resistant Plants (65 pages)

935.0496S All 6 HoCo Libraries

Other books

Rhonda Hart, Deer Proofing Your Yard & Garden (1997) 635.0496H (5 HoCo Libraries) Bill Adler, Jr., Outwitting Deer (1999) 635.0496A (All 6 HoCo Libraries) Vincent Drzewucki, Jr., Gardening in Deer Country (1998) 635.0496D (4 HoCo Libraries)

Favorite Websites & Publications • https://extension.umd.edu/woodland/your-

woodland/publications-library-wildlife-and-insect-damage

• Fact sheet 635 & 635a – Resistance of Woody Ornamentals to Deer Damage – Fact Sheet 810 – Repellents

• http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/ – Landscape Plants rated by Deer Resistance – Searchable and color coded – Website contains information on trees, shrubs, vines,

annuals, perennials, & bulbs that are • Rarely damaged • Seldom severely damaged • Occasionally severely damaged & • Frequently severely damaged

Favorite Websites (cont.)

• https://extension.umd.edu/woodland/your-woodland/workshop-resources-library – Bulletin 354c – Managing Deer Damage in Maryland

– Extensive information on • Vegetation management – planting vegetation less preferred by

deer

• Deer repellents including costs – Most are for use on non-edible plants

• Fencing including costs – Electric

– Plastic

– Metal

• Management by population reduction

Vegetables & Small Fruits Deer Don’t eat

1. “Can’t think of one”

2. Onions and Garlic

3. Some herbs, such as rosemary, parsley, fennel, mints, sages

Keeping Deer Out of the Vegetable Garden

• Recommendation – fencing is best

• See Extension Bulletin 354c – Seven and a half to eight feet a must

• Plastic is cheapest

– Electric – works best if baited

– Contained dogs

– Repellent sprays

Lake Elkhorn Community Gardens

Electric Fence

Seven and a half foot plastic

Herding dog with “Invisible Fence” works well

Gromit Photos: Cindy M. Taunting Gromit

Repellent sprays

• Evaluate repellent sprays by their active ingredient not their name.

• Repellents may eventually fail, if so, rotate. • Best results obtained if used prior to spring feeding

patterns being established. • Repellent sprays for edibles must be labeled as such.

Always wash fresh fruits & vegetables before preparing & eating them.

• Read label carefully and follow manufacturer directions.

• Reapplication is necessary, especially after rains or when plants are putting out new growth.

Repellents HGIC Fact Sheet 810

• Repellents are generally more effective when the following conditions exist:

– Low to moderate deer pressure;

– Light to moderate feeding damage;

– Small acreage;

– Repellents are not being used on adjacent properties, and

– Alternative food sources are available.

• If any of the above conditions are not typical of your situation, then you should compare the cost of using repellents to fencing systems or other available deer management practices.

• Must be reapplied as new foliage appears

• Longer effectiveness on dormant plants

Deterring Deer From Eating The Landscape

What a wonderful cafeteria!

Recommendations for Protecting Flowers

1. Plant resistant varieties (27 suggestions)

2. Have a good fence—or a deer-chasing dog

3. Plant in container on deck

4. Use repellent sprays

5. Learn to live with them

N.B./Nota Bene/Please Note

• This is not a definitive list. It is based on the experience of 28 local gardeners.

• Deer diets differ from area to area.

• So please use these lists as a starting point for your personal experimentation.

• Study other lists cited previously.

• Ask other neighborhood gardeners about what works for them.

27 Deer-resistant Flowers

1. Daffodil 2. Bleeding Heart 3. Peony

4. Lily-of-the-Valley 5. Moss Phlox 6. Hardy Orchid

7. Garden Pinks 8. Stella d’Oro Daylily

9. Siberian Iris 10. Red Hot Poker 11. Lavender

12. Salvia 13. Beardtongue 14. Rose Campion

15. Daisy 16. Allium 17. Butterfly Weed

18. Blazingstar 19. Threadleaf Coreopsis

20. Blanket Flower 21. Lamb’s Ear 22. Yarrow

23. Russian Sage 24. Goldenrod 25. Spotted Mint

26. Sweet Autumn Clematis 27. Ornamental Grasses

“Deer-resistant Dozen,” by Michelle Leise Gardening How-To Magazine, Feb. 2010

• Bee balm (Monarda didyma)

• Boxwood (Buxus spp.)

• Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)

• Hellebore (Helleborus spp.)

• Lambs’ ears (Stachys byzantina)

• Lavender (Lavandula spp.)

• Ornamental grasses

• Peony (Paeonia spp.)

• Prostrate (or creeping) speedwell (Veronica prostrata)

• Sage (Salvia spp.)

• Siberian iris (Iris sibirica)

• Spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum)

“Plants Deer Don’t Eat", Joel Lerner’s Green Scene column, Post, April 20, 2010, E5

• Viburnums • Magnolias • Thorny hollies • Hellebores • Rohdeas • Foxgloves • Irises • Daffodils • Catmints

Recommendations for Protecting Shrubs and Trees

1. Plant resistant varieties

2. Protect shrubs and tree trunks against “rubbing”

3. Protect trees below “browse line”

Deer-resistant Shrubs & Trees

S1. Boxwood

S2. Lilac

S3. Heather

S4. Butterfly Bush

T1. Junipers

T2. Spruces

Protect Shrubs & Trunks of Young Trees from Fall “Rubbing”

Bucks remove dead “velvet” and polish their new antlers in October and November by using trunks of young trees and branches of shrubs

If the buck rubs through the bark all around a trunk, the tree may die

Howard County Recreation & Parks/Stream ReLeaf

program

More examples of rubbing

Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra)

Redosier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)

Gifts from Howard County Recreation & Parks/Stream ReLeaf program

Protect trees below “browse line,” about 5’ from ground to lower limbs

Black gum (Tupelo) with trunk protector and with cage to browse line

Use welded wire (2”x3”), not plastic mesh or chicken wire, plus two stakes, both preferably iron to protect to browse line. Hang wire high enough for your mower to clear.

Trunk protector can be hardware cloth, plastic, even plastic stake or rebar.

Howard County Recreation &

Parks/Stream ReLeaf program

Summary of suggestions for successful gardening in deer country

1. Install a fence 2. Plant resistant varieties 3. Buy a dog to chase deer out of your yard 4. Be a persistent sprayer 5. Protect shrubs & young trees up to the “browse line”

(about 5’+) 6. Remember that deer don’t read “don’t eat” lists and in

tough times will eat about anything 7. Plant enough so you won’t mind sharing some 8. Keep reading and comparing notes with other gardeners 9. Relax! Deer are part of the environment!”

Bob’s blog…

www.ancientgardenerblog.blogspot.com

“Deer Country” series includes small segments from this PowerPoint program. Find a posting in the series, click on “Label: DeerCountry” at the end of the posting, and you’ll get a list of all the “Deer Country” postings, including most of the photographs.

Other Nuisance Wildlife

• Woodchucks

• Squirrels

• Raccoons

• Skunks

• Voles

Information on Nuisance Wildlife

• Nuisance Wildlife Information Line (NWIL) – 1-877-463-6497 8 am to noon and 1 to 5 pm. – Maintains a list of Nuisance Wildlife Control

Cooperators.

• www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife • Home and Garden Information Center

– https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/information-library/home-and-garden-information-center-publications#wildlife

– HG 90 Dealing with Nuisance Wildlife – Wildlife Tips

Woodchucks Gardener’s Enemy No. 2

Woodchuck Control

• Fencing — woodchucks can climb – Metal wire fence 4 feet tall with strand of electrified fence on top – Same fence with top foot slanted outward at 45⁰ or leave top lose to fall

outward – Bury fence a foot under ground or – make an one foot L shape away from garden and bury several inches under

ground

• Trapping — no permit required – Live trap using Havahart style trap

• Bait with apple or cantaloupe • Relocation — need a permit to relocate

– Euthanize — use a body trap or take animal to animal control

• No repellents registered for control • Best removed in

– early spring when young are in the burrow or – late fall prior to hibernation

Squirrels

• Squirrels are protected – Must obtain a permit from NWIL if trapping and releasing.

Permission must be obtained from landowner to release on property

• Fencing — same as for woodchuck • Live trapping same as woodchuck, different bait • Some registered repellents but they have a limited

success rate • Squirrels love to take a bite out of tomatoes

– Cover tomatoes with paper bag to discourage

• Plant bulbs under wire that extends a foot beyond bulb bed

Raccoons

• Raccoons like corn and cantaloupe

• No repellents registered

• Fencing — must be electrified

• Trapping — NWIL raccoon must be euthanized

• Trash cans – Buy ones with latches

– Bunge cord lid down tight

• Remove all outside food sources like bird feed and dog food

Skunks

• Most homeowners hire a licensed nuisance wildlife control cooperator to remove skunks

• Remove outside food sources like bird food and dog food

Rabbits

• Most effective control is fencing

– S/B two feet tall and buried several inches in the ground

Voles

• Can be destructive to root crops and tree or shrub bark

• Use snap traps – baited with apple or peanut butter – baited with cotton balls — nesting material

• Modify habitat – Mulch s/b no more than an inch deep – Don’t use landscape fabrics – Mow weedy or overgrown areas – Increase plant spacing to reduce cover

Additional Wildlife Info

• NWIL 1-877-463-6497

• http://plantdiagnostics.bugwood.org/

• click on wildlife tab

• Publications from Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management

– http://icwdm.org/

The End

This program was brought to you by

Maryland Master Garden Program

Howard County

University of Maryland Extension