Outdoor Animal Control - Deer eating my shrub

Friends,

Help! I'm having trouble with deer invading my property overnight and eating the new shoots and leaves of what a day ago was my beautiful sand cherry tree.

I've posted pictures at:
http://www.filedropper.com/wildlifeevidence05,
http://www.filedropper.com/wildlifeevidence06, and
http://www.filedropper.com/wildlifeevidence07

Before the damage, the tree was about twice as full of leaves and branches as in the pictures. Another night or two and it'll all be gone. I put the chicken wire around it to prevent rabbits from eating the lower branches, but that doesn't stop the deer!

Would something like this product work?

Messina Wildlife's Deer Stopper
Deer Repellent - Cat, Dog, Squirrel Repellents - Stop Animal Damage with Messina Wildlife Management (http://www.messinawildlife.com/)

Any other suggestions?

I'd appreciate any help.

Frank D

Some repellents work, some don't. You could try them, and if they do work, success. If not, you will have to drop back and punt.
You can't effectively fence deer out, plants like marigolds don't repel them well (although it does rabbits). You may can place blobs of dog hair around the plant base. They smell dogs and leave.
They don't like human smells, either, if you can exercise your imagination.

Chandler,

There's no store in this area that sells Messina Wildlife's Deer Stopper, and I'm not going to experiment by paying $12.99 plus shipping for something that may not work and will arrive a week too late.

I realize that I'd need a 9-foot-tall fence around my property to keep deer out, and since I don't live out in the country, that's not an option. No hairy dogs in my possession or vicinity either.

So I exercised my imagination. I'll report back.

Thanks!

Frank

they have motion sensor sprinklers that come on when motion is sensed then shut off. you could try those.

they have motion sensor sprinklers that come on when motion is sensed then shut off. you could try those.

Thanks, flirty, I've looked at them on the web. Taking the cost, plus running hoses over the area to be covered into consideration doesn't make that option attractive to me. It probably would work on birds. Aside from pouring noxious liquids around the base of the shrubs (the count is now up to two, on opposite sides of the house) there don't seem to be really good options. The damage has already been done and the marauders won't be coming back until the shrubs regrow. Maybe next year they'll be gone from the area.

Frank :mad: