Owning a garden is rewarding and fulfilling because you get fresh vegetables and fruits. You get to eat foods grown without chemicals and solvents. Unfortunately, other eaters are waiting for your harvest to be ready. Deer and various animals are a threat to your vegetation. Deer can cause massive damage to your farm, and each deer can consume 7 pounds of vegetation daily, which means if they invade your place, they can feed on all your small trees, shrubs, and perennials.
There are different types of deer repellents, such as odor, taste, mechanical, and electrical. You have put much effort into your garden and can’t wait for deer and other animals to destroy it. If you don’t want your hard work to go into deer’s stomach, read on to find out the best deer repellent. Continuous feeding can eradicate your lawn all year and especially during winter when it’s challenging to find food.
5 Deer Repellent Reviews
Best Overall
Key Features
Rating: 4.6/5
This is the longest-lasting and most effective repellent spray in the market. Bobbex Deer repellent is made using recycled and all-natural ingredients with a variety of taste and scent deterrents. This ingredient includes cat food, sodium benzoate, magnesium silica, magnesium sulfate, urea, fish oil, fish meal, wintergreen oil, cloves, garlic, and whole putrescent egg solids. It can be used on vegetables, forest trees, flowers, and shrubs.
Our Verdict
We recommend the deer repellent because it’s safe and harmless to wildlife. It is perfect for people living in densely populated areas. It is useful for both new plants and those with rapid growth. The repellent outperforms on mule deer, elk, whitetail deer, and blacktail deer.
Best Premium
Key Features
Rating: 4.4/5
This is a humanely way to scare away deer and other animals. It eliminates the risks of hitting animals to drive them off. It is perfect for people living in densely populated areas by deer. The whistle will help you have a deer-free and guilt-free car grill.
Our Verdict
This deer repellent is the smallest whistle in the market but keeps off deer and other animals without risks of hit and run. It houses both units in the same frame, which is impressive. Also, it doesn’t disturb humans, and it’s ideal for both short and long drives.
Best Price
Key Features
Rating: 4/5
Deer Out 40oz repellent is perfect for large backyards or gardens. The sprays should be applied frequently but can be used during all seasons of the year. With the minty smell, the garden feels refreshing. This deer out repellent doesn’t kill the animals, but it creates unappetizing flavor on your plants to prevent the deer from feeding on them.
Our Verdict
We recommend Deer Out, for it is rain-resistant and has a pleasant refreshing smell. It is safe for your vegetables and fruits. Besides, the deer repellent doesn’t kill the deer but repels through taste.
Key Features
Rating: 4/5
Liquid Fence repellent is ideal for people living in suburban areas. The places are highly invaded by deer, but to avoid regular applications, this works best. It not only keeps away deer but also other animals. It works effectively to prevent deer from attacking your trees, vines, garden areas, flowers, shrubs, and plants.
Our Verdict
This deer repellent comes in a reasonable quantity, and it also gets your work done. It is perfect for all seasons. Additionally, the Liquid Fence repellent doesn’t require frequent application. The sticking power ensures the repellent isn’t washed by rain or through irrigation. We recommend it for commercial growers, gardeners, professional landscapers, and homeowners.
Key Features
Rating: 4.1/5
The 40oz Concentrate Nature’s Mace repellent is more potent than most repellents in the market. It is created using both taste and scent method to effectively repel rabbits and deer better than most methods.
Our Verdict
This product outperforms other brands by repelling rabbits and deer effectively from vines, trees, shrubs, gardens, landscapes, and yawns. It is long-lasting and odorless. The repellent can be applied at any time of the year.
Buying Guide
With so many products in the market, you need to know the aspects to consider when buying a deer repellent. But before that, let’s discuss the types of deer repellent.
Types of Deer Repellent
Conventional deer repellents come in granulated powder or liquids which can be applied to the ground or directly on plants to deter the deer from the area. The liquid repellents can come in a concentrated form that should be diluted with water to become useful or in ready to use kind of spray. Granular repellents work best if applied to the soil, grass, or mulch around the new trees, garden, or flower bed. The liquid repellents are mostly used for more acute or small areas where deer browses while the granular repellent protects the whole area.
- 1Taste based deer repellents - This type of deer repellent is sprayed directly to plants. It contains adhesive, rotten eggs, garlic, and hot sauce to make the plants smelly, taste terrible, and burn the animals’ nose. The taste-based repellent is applied regularly and after every rain. These types of repellents are not suitable for edibles. The taste repellents need the deer to take a bite on the treated plant, and when they do, unappetizing flavors of pepper oil and capsaicin greets them. Deer will find that the taste-treated plants aren’t right for them, and they will try to look elsewhere.
- 2Odor -based repellents - Odor-based deer repellent fills an entire place with a strong scent. This repellent can be either chemical or biological. Deer can detect the smell from a distance, unlike the taste-based options. Some of the deer repellents have a pleasant scent like a clove of shredded garlic and deodorant soap. However, most biological deer repellents smell horrible and are gross.
On the other hand, chemical repellents are dangerous and harmful to humans. Chemicals commonly used are ammonia, nicotine, creosote, Thiram, lime sulfur, and mothballs. The odor-based repellents are sprayed directly on the area to be protected or the plants. However, cold weather can reduce repellents’ effectiveness. - 3Electronic deer repellents - This helps to shock deer on their nose and scare them to stay away. A standard electric fence will perform well, but it should be tall to prevent deer from jumping into your garden or lawn without getting in contact with the wires.
- 4Mechanical deer repellents - These are deer repellents created to scare away the deer. There are ultrasonic repellents that alert the animals through sound that can’t be detected by humans. Some of them are designed to change frequency so that deer can’t learn and become used to that sound. Other methods like sirens, lights, and exploders are not applied because they are offensive to humans.
Factors to Consider
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Deer Repellents
1. What smells Repel Deer?
Some of the deer repellents deter deer through scent. There are scent types commonly used. First, one of the deer repellents is created with a sense of smell of the deer while the second one increases the deers’ sense of danger. Some of the ingredients used to keep the deer away are human air, rotten eggs, and garlic.
Also, some perennial herbs repel plants. Such herbs include yarrow, tansy, and artemisia. Culinary herbs like chives, dill, oregano, tarragon, thyme, and mint keep away deer and other animals.
2. Does Deer Repellent really Work?
These deer repellents are not 100% effective, but they have a high success rate. Although deer may become immune to the strong smells from these repellents, they still perform well to put deer away. Also, most of these products are pretty affordable, so they’re worth investing in compared to expensive solutions like fences.
3. Do Coffee Grounds keep Deer Away?
Spreading coffee grounds around your lawn, yard or garden can help to repel unwanted pests and animals. It is environmentally friendly and safe. Coffee grounds have numerous benefits in your garden, including fertilizing the soil and keeping away deer.
Final Thoughts
Your lawn or garden requires the utmost effort and care from you. And you can’t risk allowing deer into your farm for it will eradicate everything. You need to get the best deer repellents to keep deer away from your garden. Also, consider the health effects of using different deer repellents before you purchase. Organic nature, timing, and range are essential aspects when making your choice.
Bobbex is our favorite. It is the longest lasting and most effective product in the market. It contains natural ingredients only and won’t wash away even under the rain. Bobbex deer repellent can be applied to a large area, and it’s safe for your family too. Unlike most deer repellents, this product repels both deer and other garden destroyers from your home. It is excellent for commercial farmers and homeowners.