Deer browsing presents a significant challenge to the successful establishment of young trees, or saplings, in many landscapes. White-tailed deer, in particular, frequently consume the tender terminal buds and shoots, which severely stunts growth or causes the death of the plant. Protection of these vulnerable plants is necessary to ensure they reach a height and diameter where they can survive browsing and other forms of wildlife damage. Mitigating this damage requires a strategic approach, often combining physical barriers with sensory deterrents to discourage the animals from feeding.
Protecting Single Saplings with Physical Guards
The most direct method of protecting a single sapling involves placing a physical barrier around the plant to prevent access. Tree tubes, also known as tree shelters, are cylindrical plastic sleeves designed to fully enclose the young tree. These tubes must be a minimum of five feet tall to ensure the growing tip remains above the deer’s reach, with six-foot tubes offering greater security, especially in areas with high snow cover. The shelters create a micro-greenhouse environment that promotes rapid vertical growth, allowing the sapling to reach a safe height sooner.
Taller tubes require ventilation holes to prevent excessive heat buildup. The tubes must be secured to a sturdy stake, such as rebar or a treated wooden post, to prevent them from being knocked over by deer or wind. Placing the bottom edge of the tube a few inches into the soil also helps exclude small rodents that can girdle the sapling’s bark, and leaving the tube on until the trunk nearly fills the diameter provides protection against antler rubbing.
An alternative physical method is the construction of wire cages or cylinders, typically made from heavy-gauge, welded wire fencing. A cage height of at least five feet is recommended to protect the sapling from browsing. Unlike plastic tubes, the open mesh of a wire cage allows for free air movement and promotes the development of a sturdier, more wind-firm trunk. The cage must be wide enough, usually 20 to 30 inches in diameter, to allow for future growth and should be firmly anchored to the ground to prevent deer from pushing it aside.
Utilizing Chemical and Sensory Deterrents
Chemical repellents work by making the saplings undesirable through taste or smell. Taste-based repellents, such as those containing capsaicin or ammonium soaps of higher fatty acids, are applied directly to the plant material. These compounds cause an unpleasant flavor or mild irritation, training the deer that the treated plant is not palatable.
Smell-based repellents often use ingredients that mimic fear-inducing odors, such as putrescent egg solids or dried bloodmeal. These sulfurous compounds suggest a predator presence to the deer, encouraging them to avoid the area. Repellents require consistent maintenance, with reapplication necessary every two to four weeks, particularly after heavy rainfall or during periods of rapid new growth. Rotating between different types of repellents is often necessary to prevent deer from becoming habituated to a single product.
Sensory deterrents rely on startling the animal rather than creating an unpleasant taste or smell. Motion-activated sprinklers use an infrared sensor to detect a deer’s presence, triggering a sudden, startling burst of water. This unexpected action is a humane and effective deterrent for small, localized areas, but its effectiveness relies on a functional water source and battery power. Reflective Mylar tape can also be used; the tape’s movement and flashing light reflections can temporarily discourage deer, but these animals are highly adaptable and may soon ignore the visual distraction.
Establishing Full Area Exclusion Fencing
For plantings of multiple saplings or high-pressure areas, excluding deer from the entire area with a perimeter fence is the most reliable long-term solution. Since a motivated deer can clear obstacles up to eight feet high, a single vertical fence must achieve this height to be reliably effective. Materials for this permanent barrier often include high-tensile woven wire or specialized high-strength plastic mesh. The fence posts must be securely set, especially at corners, and the fencing material needs to be properly tensioned to prevent sagging that a deer could exploit.
A common and highly effective alternative is a double-layer fence, which exploits the deer’s poor depth perception. This design uses two parallel fences, each four to five feet tall, separated by a distance of three to five feet. Deer are unwilling to attempt a jump when they cannot clearly perceive a safe landing zone between the two barriers. This two-fence strategy provides near-perfect exclusion while requiring less material height than a single eight-foot fence.
Electric fencing offers another option, with multi-strand systems being particularly effective. A design utilizing multiple energized wires at varying heights can deliver a non-harmful but memorable shock. The bottom edge must be flush with the ground or slightly buried to prevent deer from pushing under the barrier.