Wild animals are absolute perfection to watch when they are in their natural habitat. However, when they invade our space, this is a different matter, of course. Deer, those lovely Bambi-like creatures, often invade our gardens in the hope of getting an easy meal. For us, this means that all our hard work, and valuable plants, just went down the drain, so to speak. There are some deer repellent methods available for the avid gardener but they may also have to resort to deer repellent plants as well to try to persuade them to go elsewhere.
If any dead animals are spotted in the vicinity, and these are normally found on highways after being hit by cars or trucks, then it is obvious there is either a population explosion or food is in short supply. This means then that they start to come closer to a human populated area to forage which often starts the conflict.
Since most of us do not want to make our homes look like a fortress, high walls are usually out of the question. However, there are fences which can be put in which are virtually invisible once in situ. They are built to last for several years and this may be all that is needed to get the animals used to not coming to this area to feed.
Sprays are probably the next thing to try and these can be sprayed in the garden and onto the plants themselves. It is important to note though that these must be a little waterproof so that they stay on the plants even if they have been watered or rain is imminent.
The spray is unpleasant for the animal so they tend to stay away from this area. If the plants are valuable, or this is a food crop, this may be all it takes to keep them away. However, since a lot of these animals will come in search of food anyway, it may be a good idea to try several methods in tandem to keep them where they should be, in the wild.
Next come the electric fences, or even battery operated shock sticks, which can be put around the place. These both give off a sharp short shock so that the animal is frightened off. Note though that they do get used to where these are placed and will avoid them in future. The fence surrounding the garden then is probably the best solution since they will not be able to traverse it at any time. This does cost more in the way of power though so take this into account when budgeting.
Finally, these creatures do not like to get wet. One clever solution is to have a motion detector which sets off a sharp short jet of water for a few seconds every time the beam is triggered. This persuades the animal to go somewhere else and is most effective. People have tried this with radios and lights coming on instead of the water, but, as one can easily guess, they get used to it and just ignore it in the end.
