Deer can be cute when you’re on a nature walk, but they can be a nuisance and ravage your garden if you live in the country. Here’s a cheap and easy homemade deer repellent recipe that will keep them away without hurting them!
We live in the country and the deer just have a grand time eating my garden. We don’t have the money to fence it all in right now and I sure won’t pay a huge amount for “organic” deer repellent.
There are many different recipes for this but many are just some form of these basic ingredients. Some have hot pepper in them. I don’t recommend using hot pepper for any kind of animal repellent because it can get in their eyes and not knowing any better can rub them and in some cases this will cause them to go blind.
Here is an easy you can use at home that is safe and most of all cheap!
Tawra
This makes 1 gallon of spray. Beat 1 egg in 1 cup of water and sieve to get out white strings or clumps. Add to a gallon jug, mark your bottle – deer repellent, so no one drinks it.
Add:
- 1 Tablespoon of regular dish soap
- 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil
- 1/2 cup milk
Fill jug partially with water, shake to mix, finish filling gallon jug with water.
Refrigerate, it can get smelly. Fill your spray bottle and spray your trees, lilacs, and plants. Don’t spray on anything you want to eat. Spray after every heavy rainfall.
After 3-4 times the deer get the hint and quit coming. In early spring spray in the morning so it doesn’t freeze on the plant.
Judy H says
June 28, 2010 at 11:23 pmYou can also see if a barber shop or beauty salon will give you hair clippings. Sprinkle them around the area you don’t want the deer in. Just think..hunters want to be “scent free” so just introduce human scent to where you don’t want deer to go.
Cheryl says
July 6, 2010 at 7:38 pmA friend of mine told me about a garlic snake barrier that Billy the Exterminator uses on his show that comes on A&E. I don’t have that channel, so I had to find him on the computer and he does mention the garlic snake barrier that you spray on the edges of your yard to keep the snakes back. I’ve written to A&E to find out where I can buy it, or how I can make it and so far they sent me a telephone number that stays busy all of the time. Have you ever hear of this mixture and if so what are the ingredients? My neighbor just killed one that snapped at him yesterday while he was bending down to pick up a tree limb. I went and got six boxes of moth balls and put them around the back fence to keep them back, but I know that the garlic would work on getting rid of the moles that are tearing up my yard as well.
Thanks,
Cheryl
Andrea B says
September 4, 2013 at 3:07 pmWe planted peppermint patties and sprayed the area with chilli pepper/water mix when I read that moles were allergic. Sure enough, he moved, and we did it again, and he’s gone. (Wonder if he’s in the neighbor’s yard?)
Tek says
March 29, 2018 at 11:22 pmIf you’re very desperate to get rid of moles, and don’t have a problem with their demise, buy Juicy Fruit strip gum. Break into pieces and place down into mole, or small rodent holes. I was told they are attracted to the smell and taste, but cannot digest, thus kills them in their home (no need to worry about smell – already buried). Not sure if the digestion fact is true, but it has worked several times, at different properties.
Paula says
July 7, 2010 at 10:28 amI don’t know about the snakes, but I’ve used the human hair around my shrubs for years…Also heard of deodorant soap (coast, irish spring etc) put into knee highs and tied into shrubs keeps deer at bay…..Forget the mothballs for moles…we dumped a box down the mole hole near our patio, only to have the mothballs thrown out of the hole by the little bugger!!….Heard of chewing gum used in mole holes works (mint)…..Good Luck!!
deb says
March 15, 2011 at 2:35 pmdoes anyone have a cat repellent? We live in a neighborhood which is overrun with cats & they are doing their duties under our bedroom & living room window in the wee hours of the morning. Not to mention the odors the cats leave behind from laying around the house & covering their little “tracks”. So if anyone has a good recipe for our furry little friends I would feel honored no blessed to have it. Thank you.
Jill says
March 15, 2011 at 2:55 pmDeb cats hate the smell of citrus, orange, lemon peels. Sometimes coffee grounds work and if they are digging in that area sprinkle egg shells there. They don’t like the feel of the egg shells on their feet.
Don’t use cayenne pepper. I know they don’t like it but if they step in it and rub their face it can really hurt their eyes. You could use moth balls but they are poisonous so you would need to put them in a plastic container and poke holes in it so the can smell it but not get to the moth balls.
There are some plants they don’t like like lavender, garlic, rosemary.
Cherie says
April 1, 2011 at 4:29 pmI make a similar concoction but add lots of crushed (and strained) garlic and hot pepper or tabasco & Pine Sol or tea tree oil, or I’ve even heard of using Murphy’s Oil Soap…the worse it smells the better. Most important seems to be the eggs and something a bit oily so this stuff will stick awhile to the leaves. It definitely works! I have a lot of hosta out front where the deer come and used to think it was their salad bar! they stopped after I started using this stuff!
Tracy says
April 23, 2012 at 9:32 amI really need a deer repellant I can spray on my garden and fruit trees. This recipe says not to spray on anyting you are going to eat. The deer have decimated my fruit trees and veggies the last two years. I’ve tried human hair, but to no avail. I’m desperate!!! Any ideas?
kristi says
April 23, 2012 at 11:07 amNo need to mix up a special elxier or worry about where/what to spray. Just send me your address and I will send you my husband, who is more than happy to take care of your deer problem. It will cost you nothing and I’m sure he’ll share the meat with you 🙂
Lynley says
April 4, 2013 at 9:52 pmVenison tastes great – Cheers
Jane Schauer says
April 29, 2017 at 6:36 pmBest solution yet! It’s a staple at my house!
joann says
April 23, 2012 at 1:24 pmHi..we live right on a creek in the country and are having some major problems with rats and racoons…are there any recipes for a repellant for them? Would the same one used for cats work?
Tawra says
April 23, 2012 at 2:07 pmI don’t know of any other than a fence sorry joann.
Jill says
April 23, 2012 at 2:42 pmThe cat stuff might work for the racoons but the rats are another whole story. I’m not an expert but other then poison (which if you have kids and animals that may not be an option) or traps. You might call your county extension and they would maybe have some better ideas which would work for your area.
Laney says
April 20, 2014 at 1:22 pmPepper mint flavoring and cotton balls
grandma says
April 23, 2012 at 3:27 pmI live in an area with bears, moose wolves foxes and yes deer.
fencing does not work because a deer can jump an 8′ fence.
Go to a hunting and gun shop and they may have some ideas for you.
But once a deer finds food they will return.
Some people say wolf urine spread around the property is a deterrent but I don’t know how they get it.
ROY says
June 28, 2018 at 1:42 amDEER DO NOT LIKE TO JUMP OVER A SHORT FENCE LIKE 3 FT…I HAVE SEEN THEM JUMP 8 FT FENCES…I DON’T KNOW ABOUT LAYING FENCE ON GROUND…LIKE 2X4 ETC…
Sharon Karr says
April 23, 2012 at 6:37 pmI have used dryer sheets and tied them on new planted trees and it kept white tail deer we have in Illinois away. Buy the ones that have the most perfumed, deer doesnt like scent. It really work for me. I would change them when it rain or wind blew real hard and they looked ragged.
Joyce says
September 12, 2012 at 4:32 pmI use a simple mix of 1 part ammonia to 3 parts water. Mist your plants once a month and allow to dry. As long as it has a chance to dry first, you won’t have to mist your plants again until the next month. I choose the first of the month, just because it’s easier for me to remember. I live in the Pacific NW and this works. You can spray it on things you want to eat, it’s cheap, easy, doesn’t stink, and you don’t have to refrigerate. And most importantly… it works!!! You can still have the deer hanging out grazing, but they won’t touch anything you sprayed. I use it on my vegetable garden, raspberries, apple trees, and whatever they seem interested in each spring. Each year, there seems to be a deer with a different “taste”, so as soon as I see them nibbling on something, I add it to my list of things to spray throughout the season.
Now… does anyone have an effective way to get rid of moles?
Bob Klein says
June 1, 2013 at 6:41 amI usea product called Milky Spore. It works really good and lasts 15 to 20 years. It kills the grubs that the moles are after. What it does is it is a fungus that grows under ground and spreads. it does not harm any thing else. safe for pets and kids. It takes a year or two to fully spread. It is a pricey item but not if you figure it lasts for 20 years.
On the trap side I use the loop style trap and it works really good.
set the trap down and cut the dirt where the loops go so as not to disturb the soil and then set the trap. Make sure you tie the trap down or a dog will get a free meal and you trap. You must find the main run and not the little fingers to set the traps.
jackie smith says
June 28, 2013 at 8:47 amjuicy fruit chewing gum works great on moles, just drop a partially
chewed piece in their hole.
dawny says
March 13, 2013 at 3:29 pmto keep deer and other wildlife from your garden, go to hair salon and ask for hair that they sweep from floor. cut feet off pantyhose or use knee highs and stuff some of the humanhair in them, tie them on or around you garden area,, they will smell humans present and will stay away! been working on my pecan trees for years!
Magdalen says
April 6, 2013 at 9:00 amThanks for the tip about human smells and unwelcome wildlife. My daughter’s plants have been savaged by a marauding gang of Lake District sheep. Any ideas please?
Jill says
April 6, 2013 at 10:50 amFences are usually the only way to keep them out. You could try first a scarecrow or things like you would hang in a tree to bang and make noise for keeping birds away. If you have a dog that might help too. But mainly a fence is the best thing. That is why people always panic when sheep or goats get out of their pens.
Pierce says
August 27, 2013 at 1:02 pmMy neighbor uses deodorant bath soap bars to keep deer out of his garden, It works! Don’t unwrap the bar soap drill a hole right through the wrapper with around a 1/4 inch bit and put a string through the bar wrapper and all. Hang a bar on a low tree branch like a Christmas ornament one every 100 feet or so does the trick around the garden. Lasts for months!
Grizzly Bear Mom says
April 22, 2014 at 8:10 amJust like most other animals, if given an exit, snakes will “run” away. They don’t want to waste their bite or venom on you that they need for catching their lunch. Because they eat bugs and mice they are good to have in the yard. If you leave them alone, they will leave you alone.
Animals hate smelly things. If you have access to cigarette butts, put them in a milk jug, add water and let set in the sun for a few days until it stinks. Pour around what you want protected.
At Agway my mom purchased COUGAR urine to protect our plants from the deer. the unopened package smelled so bad you could barely drive it home. The deer ate the plants anyway. She is going back for Tyranasaurus Rex urine.
Mary Jane says
April 26, 2014 at 4:07 pmI agree with the human hair trick. It seems to work to deter deer. I used clippings from my hair dresser, and just used them to border the edges of my garden. The Irish Spring soap was another matter. For a couple of years it appeared to work as I hung several bars up and down the rows in my garden. Then the last year, the deer came in and ate all the peas off, even around the soap bars as they clipped off the tops of my plants evenly. (I should mention that I hung fresh bars regularly in bits of panty hose). Don’t know if they grew accustomed to the smell, or they just thought the peas were worth holding their noses over.
Marilyn Gios says
June 19, 2014 at 8:52 pmHi
I am in the uk. We have urban foxes
We have a family of foxes living under one of the neighbours sheds. They have been seen in the garden playing late in the evening . They disturb our garden at night by digging .. Is there anything we can use as a repellent?
Many thanks
Mg
Jill says
June 19, 2014 at 8:56 pmSome of the same repellants that are used to keep dogs away will work for foxes. Here is a link for some more ideas – Foxes
Susan Bishop says
June 12, 2018 at 5:02 pmI need a deer repellant for my garden, but I didn’t know that ammonia was safe to ingest. The deer are eating my parsley and possibly Brussel sprouts. They also have eaten all the leaves off one of my hosta plants.
Jill says
June 12, 2018 at 6:18 pmSusan this recipe doesn’t have ammonia in it.
Susan Bishop says
June 13, 2018 at 3:06 pmI’m talking about the recipe with one part ammonia and three water listed up above. It says it’s safe to ingest, but I have my doubts. I’m thinking I may not have good luck with human hair, like the woman above.
Jill says
June 13, 2018 at 6:37 pmThe thing is they won’t ingest it, they run from it. The same way if something smells like rotten eggs or poop to us we would not dream of eating it so it won’t harm us. They have in years past even used urine to deter them but I would think ingesting it would hurt them but they don’t ingest is any more than we would. They stay away from it. That is why it is called a repellent.