No deer here! - the most effective (by far) repellent that I've used is Plantskydd
Numerous brands of deer repellent sprays crowd the shelves at nurseries and garden stores. Here in our small Montana town bordered by wildlands we have a significant urban deer population and the most effective (by far) repellent that I've used is Plantskydd. OK, granted, it doesn't smell as sweet as those prissy mint sprays and you need to be aware of which way the wind blows when you apply it as a little of the organically-based, potent smell goes a long way on skin and clothes as well as plants. In short, it smells really bad (to my human nose) for about a day after an application, but it works really well at repelling deer for weeks. My nurseryman says the smell makes him wretch. I think he is a whimp, but his response is a good indicator of how effective it will be on other mammals. The effective ingredient is pigs' blood in a vegetable oil binder that keeps the product from being quickly washed away by regular watering. The pigs' blood works by emitting an odor that animals associate with predator activity and stimulates a fear-based response which will have deer (elk, moose, opossum, and rabbits, too) looking for somewhere else to dine. I typically spray the product on the mulch or soil at the base of my plants to keep it from discoloring leaves. The product was originally developed in Sweden for use in tree plantations that were being decimated by mammals.
Waterwitch, Helena, MT
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