Development also adds to garden and landscape plantings that provide more nutritious food sources than were available to deer in the past. While science works on an effective contraceptive, gardeners struggle with a growing problem. Over the long term, effective planning could minimize future problems. On the community level, replacing widely spaced suburban lots with clustered homes and large undeveloped-land areas would preserve blocks of natural habitat large enough for hunters and animal predators like coyotes to reduce deer populations. Also, managers of public parks, highways, wooded watershed lands, private preserves, and corporate parks could reduce deer damage in residential areas by replacing ornamental plantings in nonresidential areas with species that provide habitat for wildlife.
Many solutions are available, but nothing is absolutely foolproof, or deer-proof.
In northern areas, a solid snowdrift would provide a convenient launchpad over such a fence for deer. Some gardeners opt for electrified fences baited with peanut butter. Fences of any type must be maintained, and the tall or electrified varieties can be dangerous for children and pets. In commercial or industrial areas, high walls and fences make sense, but for gardeners, an effective barrier against deer can be expensive and unsightly. This product consists of 100-foot rolls of a black vinyl mesh that can be stapled to trees or posts.