Living Among Mule Deer In Woodland Hills Utah Brings Challenges

If you live in Woodland Hills Utah, or similar communities, you may experience a love-hate relationship with the deer living in your backyard

Tucked away in the South East corner of Utah County, is the beautiful community of Woodland Hills, Utah. This charming community sits at the base of the majestic Loafer Mountain in Utah, which offers beautiful views of Utah Lake and the surrounding area. Because this community is in the foothills at the base of the mountain, many deer live here year round and frequent the yards in the area. For many people, it is exciting to see these beautiful mule deer stroll through their yards on an almost daily basis, however, this experience with nature comes with a challenge. Mule deer have had a voracious apatite and as they browse through these neighborhoods, they can severely damage or destroy the landscaping that was planted to beautify these yards. I will explore the three best ways that will allow homeowners who live with deer in their communities, to enjoy both the wildlife and their beautified yards.

Fencing is the only sure way to stop deer from eating your landscaping

If you want to be sure to keep deer out of your yard, fencing is the only sure way, but if the fence isn’t at least eight feet high or higher, tight to the ground and all gates kept closed at all times even this will not keep deer out. If a total fenced yard is not an option, then another option is to just put a fence around your garden, but this does not protect the other plants throughout your yard. Individual trees and shrubs can also be fenced to help protect them from damage. Most people don’t want the look of an eight-foot plus fence surrounding their property, or individually fenced trees throughout their yard, so fencing may not be the best option to choose, but there are other effective options.

Motion sensor-activated sprinkler scare devices can help keep deer away

An alternative to fencing is some type of a deterrent. A motion-activated sprinkler device is one that works well when it is operating properly. I have had several people say that they have had good success keeping deer away using this method, but they have also said that when they have forgotten to turn the device back on after working in the garden, that the deer came in and damaged much of their garden, sometimes in just one night. If you look closely at the above picture, you can see that the deer have still eaten many of the branches off of the tomato plants even with these devices in place. I have experienced mixed results using these devices. They worked well at times, but other times the sensor did not work properly allowing me or the deer to enter my garden untouched by the water. You may want to try a combination of this type deterrent along with a deer repellent spray, to make sure plants are protected.

Use deer repellent spray to help stop deer from browsing on plants, trees and shrubs

I have been successful stopping deer from completely eating my plants using deer repellent spray for the past sixteen-plus years. At first, I tried using the commercially made repellent purchased from my local Home Depot store, until I realized that there was less than 1.5% of the active ingredients in many of those popular products. Most of my experience using deer repellent has been using my own homemade deer repellent recipe that I have developed and improved on over the years. I share a homemade deer repellent recipe in another one of my blogs linked here. I spray my repellent at over 6% active ingredient and have been successful at stopping most deer browsing. Once in a while, I will get a deer, usually, a young fawn that hasn’t seemed to have developed it’s sense of smell or taste, that will nibble on a few leaves before it moves on. I like to spray every other week on most of my plants, but on fast-growing plants like grapes or roses, I will sometimes spray more often. It’s also best to respray after heavy rains.

Conclusion

There are several effective ways to stop deer from eating gardens, trees, and shrubs in your yard, and still enjoy those deer strolling through your neighborhood. You really can enjoy these deer and not dread having them around if you find what works best for you. You may also have a deer deterrent service company in your area that will provide this service for you just like any other yard care service.