Welcome to the country.  Rabbit, turkey, squirrel, deer and even mountain lion country, that is. For most of us trying to garden in El Dorado County, deer are probably the worst of these that cause the most damage to plants. Turkeys scratch a lot, digging up seedlings and such, but deer seem to eat everything in sight!  But they are so cute, you say.  Yes, they may be, but from a distance. 

Refrain from feeding them whether or not you are trying to encourage them to come close or keep them out of the rose garden.  Technically, it is illegal in California to feed deer.  In 1996, the state legislature enacted a law specifically for cases in which feeding causes perceived harm to "wild" animals via promoting disease, attracting predators or hunters or by over-taming them to a point where they must rely on "illegal" food to survive.  Not only can deer carry ticks that cause disease to you (think Lyme disease) or your pets, deer also attract mountain lions that may roam in your area.

Deer are very much creatures of habit.  If they have an established feeding trail, they are going to stick to it unless you physically prevent them from access.  If your garden is on this trail, that is where they will be.  Feeding deer encourages them to return and they will quickly come to expect the food.  Don't get a dog expecting it to keep deer out – this may work at first, but if the
deer are persistent and get used to the dog, one of two things are likely to happen:  The dog will show the deer to the best grazing sites or the deer will chase the dog.

There are three major ways to deter deer from approaching your garden.  One is the so-called repellants that are supposed to smell or taste nasty.  These have limited effectiveness which can depend upon time of year, weather, how hungry the deer are and/or any previous encounters the animals have had with repellants.  They also must be re-applied frequently.  If you do want to try one of these, many are available in our local nurseries. 

Another method is using motion sensors that are attached to a hose sprinkler.  These are purported to work pretty well, but only if you have enough of them to cover all areas of the garden that need protection.  They are not cheap and run on batteries which you will need to remember to change.  These are also available at local nurseries and hardware stores.

Deer fencing is probably the most sure-fire method.  It should be 6' high and encompass the entire area you need to protect; if you have a large garden, this may be the best option if you can afford it.  The material sold as "Deer Fence" is a tough, black, plastic material which is almost invisible in the landscape.  It is available at most fencing supply stores or through catalogs.

Bird netting is one other exclusion method that can be used overtop individual plants or garden beds.  The nets let new plant growth through, but they must be lifted and reset every few days to maintain protection as the plant grows.  Netting can also be used as an extension above a fence that is too low.

If it fits into your landscape needs, attention can be paid to using plants that deer don't like, which is a relative term.  Unfortunately, most lists of deer-resistant plants come from anecdotal evidence because nothing is deer proof.  The two most widely used deer proof plants are probably rosemary and lavender.  Most culinary herbs seem to be unappealing to them as well. The next best are some of the "poisonous" plants such as the euphorbias, hellebores and oleanders.  Deer tastes seem to vary by season, location and herd habits in that they may have left something untouched for years and then one year, whether due to low food sources or just new deer testing, suddenly these same plants are naked.  It is generally a good idea to protect new plantings of anything as deer will "test."  If they don't like it, they will just pull it up and spit it out; deer have been known to go through entire rows of new plants and simply uproot and toss them aside.