There are about 30 million deer in the U.S. today. The deer population has tripled since 1980, and with very few predators, the population continues to skyrocket. An adult deer can eat 4 to 10 pounds of vegetation per day, and you rarely see only one deer at a time. A herd of deer usually ranges from 2 to 12.

As if eating your landscape isn’t bad enough, deer have been implicated in the distribution and transmission of Lyme Disease. Deer serve as potential hosts for ticks.

Damage to landscape plantings and ornamentals may occur at any time of year, but is usually most severe in the late winter and early spring when other food sources are limited. In drought years, deer will try to eat more shrubs and trees rather than dried up grass. In the spring, deer will concentrate on grass as their main food source.

Deer are creatures of habit, most use the same range year after year. Once they establish your yard as a good food source, they will return until there is nothing left to eat. Unfortunately, your landscape plantings and gardens are a free all-you-can-eat buffet with plenty of choices and convenient 24-hour access. When walking, a deers’ nose is about 28 inches off the ground. When they stand on their back legs, they can reach six feet off the ground!

There are several possible solutions to the hungry deer problem:

You can create a physical barrier. Fencing should be a minimum of 7 feet high. Fencing is expensive and may not be aesthetically pleasing. Boxing plants in burlap or netting or building snow fencing will also work.

You can plant “deer-resistant” ornamental trees, shrubs, and flowers. Contact your local extension service for a list of what works best in your area.

It is much easier to prevent damage than to stop it after it is underway. Repellents should be applied before damage is likely to occur and before deer become accustomed to feeding in your yard. Repellents discourage feeding deer either by having an offensive taste or odor, or both. Repellents are available in many forms: soap, garlic, Milorganite, Thiram, hot pepper, predator urine, rotten eggs, and many home-made formulations. There are also many commercial EPA approved products on the market.

Be sure to follow the manufacturers’ directions for application. Some products have to be mixed, and temperature and weather conditions are a factor. Most repellents need to be reapplied after watering, rain or snow. If leaves and branches are wet or snow covered, or it is below 40 degrees, you cannot reapply the repellent.

You may need to try different repellents if the deer get used to the odor or taste.

Your local garden center has ready-to-use quart bottles for around $10. These are mostly water with an offensive odor or taste added. Unfortunately, you need to reapply them constantly. If it rains for more than one day, or if you are not home to reapply the product, the hungry deer will surely visit.

There are other commercial products available that are marketed to professional landscapers, and arborists. These are usually concentrated formulations containing coatings and sticker agents, so they won’t wash off. Professionals pay more money for better quality as they need to protect trees and shrubs worth many thousands of dollars.

They don’t want to have to repeat the application and they don’t want to lose any plantings to deer. When a landscaper charges his customer to spray his property, he needs to stand behind his work.

Chew-Not Deer Repellent is one of those products, and can be found at better garden centers, and at many Agway stores. Chew-Not forms a protective coating on leaves and will prevent excessive moisture loss. It should be applied around the end of October and will not wear or wash off until there is new growth in the spring. It also repels rabbits and voles (meadow mice).

Remember, the effectiveness of repellents depends on the number of deer, feeding habits, and environmental conditions.

Nott Products has been manufacturing specialty items since 1933.

If you cannot find it locally, go to nottproducts.com or call 631 563 4455.

The deer will still be eating, but not at your house!