Critter Confrontations

By Keith Funk

Both wild and domestic animals can wreak havoc in the yard and garden. Rabbits and deer chew away at valuable shrubs, trees and vines. Voles tunnel through the lawn, eating the grass roots and crowns, creating a maze of ruts. Squirrels and raccoons, well, I don’t think I can say anything about those vandals that hasn’t been said, printed or thought before. Then there’s the neighborhood population of dogs and cats that view your flower and vegetable gardens as their own playground and/or toilet.

Instead of going to the next gun show for a solution, consider some of the following suggestions. There are some effective animal repellants out on the market these days, all you need to do is find the one that works for your own, unique situation.

How repellants work

Typically, products repel animals with an odor, a taste, or a combination of both. What I like are products that use both taste and smell and are long lasting, even through rain and snow. Also, keep in mind that not all products work on all animals so be sure to know which animal you’re going after. Also, the pest may get accustom to a single product so you may need to rotate from one product to another for best control.

Plant sprays for deer and rabbits

To protect plants from nibblers and grazers like deer and rabbits, consider using a spray directly on the plants that are being damaged. The products Ropel and Repel work by making treated surfaces smell and taste bad to animals and they remain effective despite rain, snow and watering. Both products come in a spray and granular form and can be used on trees, plants, bulbs, siding, fences, posts and much more.

Deer Away Big Game Repellent

Deer Away Big Game Repellent was developed for use in reforestation to protect fir seedlings from deer browse damage. It has been tested across the country and proven effective repelling deer, rabbits and even elk. The active ingredient is putrescent egg solids which is a smell repellant so the animals never even take a sample bite. Deer Away is not for use on edible crops since it is formulated to be long-lasting (up to three months), and will not wash off. However, it is labeled for use on dormant fruit trees. Fortunately, the odor is not offenisve to people.

Deer Off

Deer Off is another, fairly new product that provides the double protection of both a taste and odor barrier. Deer Off is completely organic and can be used on everything in the yard and garden, all year round – even fruits and vegetables. Deer Off is available as a Ready-to-Use or concentrate, and works on deer, rabbits, squirrels and voles, remaining effective for up to three months per application.

Scare tactics

A different strategy in the animal repellant business is to scare them away. I’ve used the foil strips, inflatable snakes and owls and other static scare products with limited success. Usually the pest gets accustomed to the item and it no longer scares them. There are products, however, that have overcome this problem.

Scarecrow motion-sprinkler

A company called Scarecrow has one of those products. This incredibly ingenious device is nothing more than an impulse sprinkler with a motion detector attached to it. As soon as the motion detector “sees” the intruder it releases full garden hose water pressure at the trespasser. The effect is both startling and immediate. Animals and birds of all kinds get out of the area and avoid it in the future. It is particularly effective around vegetable gardens or garden ponds where pests like raccoons, deer and even fish eating herons can be a real problem.

LegUp predator urine

Another company called LegUp has a novel approach to scaring animals away. Their theory is that all animals are born with an instinctive fear of their predators. Their keen sense of smell is their early wrning device to alert them to the danger of a predator in the area. LegUp uses predator urine to create the illusion that certain animals are present. This company bottles several flavors of predator urine including wolf, bobcat, fox and coyote. By using the handy dispensers provided by LegUp, you can create a perimeter around your “territory” to warn away intruders. Unlike other repellants, animals never get used to the fear that a predator may be lurking close by. I have used the coyote in my own yard and found it to be very effective in keeping raccoons out of my pond and squirrels away from my bird feeders. Unfortunately, none of the flavors will repel domestic pets.

Burrowing pests: voles, gophers, moles

Finally, burrowing animals like voles, gophers and moles may not respond to any of the above treatments. These little buggers are best dealt with at the soil level. Spraying the soil with a castor oil product will inflict them with an uncomfortable digestive problem, encouraging a change of scenery. There are several products on the market now with names like Mole-Med, Gopher-Go, Mole-Go or Mole and Gopher Repellent. These will all contain castor oil and are perfectly safe to use around children and pets.