Sunday, May 07, 2017

Deer repellent?

The other day, these mysterious hanging pots appeared in one of the vineyard parcels out back. The little pots are small, just a few inches tall, and they hang from the guide wires in every other row. They only hang at the edge of the vineyard parcel closest to the woods. My theory is that they contain some kind of chemical substance that is intended to keep deer out of the vines.

The little pink pots have no effect on dogs, it appears.

The growers around us employ several strategies to keep deer from munching on new leaves and grape flowers. Some of them string up red and white tape where deer paths exit the woods. I guess that the tape acts as a sort of visual barrier, especially when it flaps in the breeze, that frightens the deer. Other growers electrify fences along certain sections of the woods to keep the deer from crossing. One grower out back has a speaker that emits wild animal sounds to scare the deer away from a recently planted parcel. Now we see these pots. I wonder how effective each of these methods is?

7 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good theory. What these vineyards need are guard dogs! BTW you need to update your "About" section for the new family member.

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  2. We used to spray our shrubs with a urine-smelling mist to keep the deer away. It worked, but we didn't like getting too close after we sprayed. I wonder what's in those pink pots. I love the idea of wild animal noises.

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  3. I think I read somewhere that the ideal deterrent is lion poo. But perhaps the zoo near you doesn't produce enough....

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  4. I've heard of people stringing disused CDs up by a string through a hole near the edge to use as bird deterrents. The flashing apparently scares them off. Wonder if it would work for deer, or are they too nocturnal to be deterred by daylight flashing?

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  5. animal hair, carnivore urine, and (my favorite) hot pepper are all used to shoo away the deer.
    I've not seen studies to support such.

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  6. I use Irish Spring soap to keep out the deer. I put a bar in a mesh bag & hang from the tomato cages. Works like a charm :).

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Tell me what you think!