Question
I've gardened for 60 yrs,, but recently in the past 3 yrs. have moved into home in mt. area, (but city limits) where the deer have eaten ornamental Thuja type junipers. Sprayed with 'deer off' to no avail. Want to replace for the last time with Austrian Pine if,- if,- if-deer do not
eat this evergreen?

Please help me. Thanks!
Sandra Orton
Coilorado Springs, CO

Answer
i'm in southern NJ.
eating plants is not the only problem w/deer.  male deer will rut(rub off the hair on their antlers) on tree bark during the mating season.  this will kill or severly damage most trees(evergreen or deciduous).  and yes they can and will do this to pines also.  during winters where snowfall covers their normal food sources the deer will eat anything available, especially new soft evergreen growth(arbs, pines, etc.).  
the key is to protect the trees until they can get larger.  trunks can be protected from rutting by installing(plastic, metal, etc.) trunk guards.  they can be protected year long w/these guards.  they are easily installed and work well against rutting.  i like the open mesh kind that prevent bugs from nesting in them and allow light to reach the bark.  for the foliage many sprays are available.  most last only a week or so until they are washed off by rain or snow.  10-14 day resprays are necessary for even partial success.  
a new  promising approach to protect foliage is to surround the the foliage w/a plastic netting to prevent the deer from feeding on the foliage.  the netting is similar to xmas tree wrap used to compact and transport xmas trees.  it allows the foliage to photosynthesis. if applied properly(loose and fully covering the foliage) it works well. you need to install it before the winter when the deer feed on new tender foliage. remove it when new growth starts in the spring after the threat of snow is gone.
check w/a local garden center/nursery to see what they recommend and sell for your area.
good luck
rick
please rate my answer on the allexperts.com site.