Some people snatch snipped-off hair from hair salon floors to hang in trees, others blast their prized plants with mountain lion urine concoctions and some invest in elaborate fencing systems. Well, it all depends. With deer, one man's cure can be another man's curse. David Smith, an associate wildlife biologist for the Department of Fish and Game in Redding, Calif., said a big factor in keeping deer out of the garden is how long they've been using your landscaping for grub. It's much easier to prevent deer from coming onto property initially than to get rid of ones who have been foraging there for years.
Deer have definite taste preferences and some plants are an invitation to trouble.
Shasta College horticulture instructor Leimone Waite said deer typically stay away from pungent plants or plants with prickly or fuzzy foliage. As natural vegetation dries out in late summer and fall, deer may decide that what was unappetizing a few months ago is actually pretty good. And some deer, it seems, just aren't all that particular to begin with. Even plants a deer finds truly disgusting may not be safe. Scare tactics for deer are plentiful.