Keeping unwanted animals out of the garden can be a challenge and I hear from people all the time who have this problem.
Those of us who Make Money Growing Small Plants often use sand in our plant propagation areas and all too often neighborhood cats think these propagation areas are great big litter boxes.
And of course others deal with feral cats, dogs, wild board, you name it they have a problem with it. So if you have solutions that work we’d all like to hear from you, post a comment below.
Using Predator Pee to Keep Unwanted Animals at Bay
I can’t promise you that this works because I’ve never really had an issue where I’ve needed to test it, but I have been aware of this website for years. There’s this guy in Maine that runs a website that sells all kinds of wild animal urine that’s used to keep all kinds of animals at bay.
He calls himself the “Pee Man”!
His website is interesting and he’s a funny guy. The guy sells Bobcat Urine, Mountain Lion Urine, Bear Urine, Wolf Urine and he sells “Pee Shots”.
Yes, “Pee Shots!” Of course, the first question that comes to mind is; “How do you collect urine from a Mountain Lion?” I won’t give you the answer, you’ll have to visit his site for that, but this is his prelude to the answer;
“If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been asked that question I’d have packed the bags, gotten into the limo and headed for the airport a long time ago.”
Like I said, his website is pretty entertaining. It’s called http://predatorpee.com.
Wolf Urine
According to his website wolf urine can be used to deter cats, feral cats, coyotes and foxes.
Coyote Urine
The Pee Man says that Coyote urine will deter rats, deer, raccoons, groundhogs, gophers and possum.
Bobcat Urine
Bobcat urine is good for mice, moles and voles.
Mountain Lion Urine
This is getting bizarre but I’m just tellin ya what it says! Mountain Lion urine is said to keep deer, wild deer, javelins and armadillo at bay.
Okay, I’m done. This is one of the most bizarre posts I’ve written to date. What do you think? Have you ever used Predator Urine to keep animals out of your gardens? Post your comments below!
Find out how to keep cats from using your garden as a litter box here.
does any of these predator pees work on cows and goats?
I have no idea.
Yes, human pee is great for garden four legged pests.
Collect pee in a couple milk jugs.
Take a mop bucket and pour in pee.
Take 6 inch wide strips of an old sheet and soak in pee.
Use a hoe handle and gloves to pick strips up
Lay around perimeter of garden.
Walla. Great for all those critters.!!!
It’s VOILA
Will any of these per prudocts would work on peackocks?
Hi i am a retail Store Manager in a Rising Populated Metropolitan Area and i now have become infested with Rats. Before now i have never once seen a rat unless it was a pet. It really has become a full-time job cleaning up after these rodents. In a corporate world it is kind of hard to get the appropriate escalated attention of the higher offices to stop the orders of products that is necessary to get rid of these rodents. Which has brought me here to ask for the best advise in driving away all these rats before my store gets shut down not only from the smell but from there presence all together. Is there any harmful effects if i choose to use any of these products that i need to know of beforehand and which would work best in my situation?? Thank you i appreciate any helpful advise you can offer in sending me in the right direction of ridding my store of these rodents.
I don’t think these solutions are going to be as effective as need be for rats. This might interest you https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-09/how-smart-cities-fight-rats
They are either using you for food or shelter. If food…take your trash further away, or lock it up better. If for shelter… Look for entry ways into your facility you can block off. Try using steel wool in any holes you find, as they can’t chew through it. Last, good old cats!
Anyone have advice for getting rid of a porcupine? We set a trap up with the recommended bait (salted apple chunks) but hasn’t worked so far
I also have a porcupine problem. It is eating my burning bushes. Does fox urine work? Or what would you recommend?
My outdoor cushions are being torn and the stuffing is being taken away by some sort of animal. Help!!!
Squirrels. That’s what (who?) tore up our outdoor cushions for nests.
Jane is correct. Squirrels. We live in the mountains of PA, in the middle of nowhere. We get all wild life. In the summer we bring in the good cushions. We put out an old one that we call the “sacrificial lamb”. The squirrels are happy and so are we.
😀
20 Turkey vultures roosting on our roof. Any ideas
Perfume and cologne on outdoor cushions keep them safe from squirrels. They hate it!
Bring your outdoor cushions INDOORS at night!
I was told that a couple of copper pennies will get ride of Blithe????? on the leaves. will the copper hurt the plants or do you know if if it works. I loose a lots of milk weed plant because of “blithe”. Please send me a PM for your response. Just want to make sure I get your answer.
Thanks
Dee
I’d say that probably would have back in the day but I’m doubtful there would even be enough copper in pennies nowadays for that to work, but who knows.
Great share! Good info. I think the wolf pee will do nicely.
Thanks for the share!
Urine works great.. I peed on all my floors and my wife hasn’t been seen since.
LOL, that will for sure keep any other woman with brains away too 🙂
Omg!! Lmbooooooo!!!’😂😂
Lmao !! That’s frigin hilarious
What is crystallized hormone or pee that Someone would pass off as meth?
???????
HOW DO I GET RID OF PIGEONS !
A BB gun and pigeon feed. Lol.
Turn them into Broiled Squabs
Hi Mike, not sure if anyone has had this problem before.
I have a deer problem in northern California, so after trying human hair and smelly soaps, I got Coyote Urine. I used this on the perimeter and bushes I didn’t want the deer to nibble or munch on.
I have cameras to track the wildlife that comes into my yard and area at night, and i love to see who my visitors were the night before as I sip my morning coffee. Unfortunately, the Coyote Urine seemed to be calling ALL the coyotes out there to come visit! This was now their territory, all marked and ready! I could hear the howls at night and watched the coyotes on camera as they moved through the area during the night. And i also found their scat all over.
I have cats, the favorite food of coyote so this was not acceptable. My cats have never been allowed out at night (though the coyotes have gotten several small dogs in my neighborhood during the daylight hours). I then spent several weeks dousing the perimeter markings with water and checking the cameras to make sure the coyotes were no longer visiting.
Seeing as how HUMANS are the predator and enemy of most animals, I then used my own urine to mark my garden territory. I dunno, I think it worked. I still have my cats and no coyotes on my camera film. And human urine is so much cheaper than store-bought, exotic animal urine!
I do still get deer and buck on film, just not in areas marked by me. 🙂
Kathy,
Interesting story and approach to solving the problem. I hope it keeps working for you.
Try cayenne pepper it keeps the cat’s out your garden and it’ll probably keep everything else out just sprinkling over the top
I think human urine is an excellent idea. I’ve camped and backpacked through Montana, Wyoming and Alaska plus other wilderness. I always create a urine ring around my tent a ne so far no problems
Great story! Wonder if it works on gophers, the scourge of my garden.
Humane hair and steel wool for gophers. And here in the hills of WV, humane urine, old enough to change to ammonia, has long been used around gardens to keep deer and coyote and bobcats away.
Wow This just makes sense to me! How do you actually apply it? just spray or pour it around/ how much/? I have Coyotes with a 32lb dog & inside (but sneaky little cat) no fence allowed by HOA on acreage!
We know someone that saves their urine to put around their garden and they say it keeps the critters away. So I agree, it’s the easiest urine to get and very inexpensive.
I wonder if human urine harms nearby plants in any way or might change the ph of your soil. I’m having a terrible time with squirrels and chipmunks digging at and destroying my newly planted woodland garden with all native plants, a not so cheap endeavor
Thank you so much for sharing this! I was just going to order some coyote urine for a racoon problem I have. I have coyote all over out here in the boonies and I also have cats. I never thought of this shouting out to the packs that run too close already!
Hi Northernlitez says.
Have you tried the coyote pee to repel the raccoons yet? Has it worked?
Human pee works, if done right peeing fresh urine around perimeters does little place paint cans 6 to 8 ft under your vines store per in bottles as they sit outside after hot days pee will stink and pour them on your paint buckets in morning have other bottles that fill up and become stinky and put them in buckets in layers afternoon keep going with this process
Kathy, can you tell me exactly the cameras you have. I’d like to get some as well but there are so many options, and i don’t have a clue! Thank you
Yes it’s true. Coyote hunters and trappers use coyote urine and gland secretions to attract other coyotes. They think ‘what’s that other yote doing on my territory?’ and come to investigate.
My mom collected her urine and poured around the bushes the deer were eating. Still has deer visits but they don’t eat her bushes.
I don’t have any animals but neighbor s cats is making a litter box a round my small tree I planted an put bricks around it an potting dirt an mulch . they are using the bathroom in it .i have scooped it all out an sprayed oil scent in it put moth balls in it an they still get in it please help me somebody
In my experience, human urine works especially 3 days old stuff. The problem is in rainy days it gets washed off. The solution is to soak it in rags like old cotton socks. Hanging smelly sweaty cloth is an alternative.
I had issues with deer and sprayed mountain lion urine around property. Didn’t see deer for at least a year. It supposed to work for coyotes too. I’m getting ready to order some for this purpose since they have killed my chickens . One site says to put the urine in plastic containers with a lid and holes around perimeter so smell can drift. Place a rock on top to keep in place. They said every ten feet but I didn’t do that last time. It was more like every thirty to fifty feet.
Want to import wolf pee to india please tell me if u can help me for this please give ur suggestions
WHERE CAN I BUY THOSE LITTLE COTTON BAGS OF DRY COYOTE URINE?
i HAVE USED THEM BEFORE AND KEPT SQUIRRELS OUT OF MY TOMATO PLANTS. DO NOT HAVE EMAIL ADDRESS I BOUGHT FROM BEFORE.
IS THERE AN EMAIL ADDRESS?
THANK YOU. AUG 5, 2016 (HAD 1 SQUIRREL EAT 1 TOMATO YESTERDAY) YIKES.
WANT THAT TO HAPPEN NO MORE!
(i DID READ ABOUT CAYENNE PEPPER SO I SPRINKLED SOME ON GROUND THIS AM AND ABOUT VINEGR IN LTITLE PLASTIC CONTAINERS..PUT ONE IN EACH TOMATO PLANTER THIS AM.. WILL THAT ALSO HELP? thank you!!!!
For urine works great to repel most wild animals including Canadian geese. For coons or grounds hogs you might want to try the coyote version. All made by Shake Away.
What can I do about the moles? Has anyone ever heard using rabbit tobacco for getting bugs to leave your home and cars? Please help me!!
Cory,
Take a look at this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2015/10/skunks-digging-moles-tunneling-why-are-they-digging-up-my-lawn/
I.dont use poison. I bought some organic.neotoads ( think that was what they were called) to kill grubs. I dont want to poison my environment. Or kill other outside animals that may eat the moles or grubs. Try googling organic grub control (;
I have had a terrible time with moles and have tried everything. They were destroying my landscape beds I spent a lot of time on. The only thing I have found that works are the spring traps that actually kill them. I love animals but these things were on a whole different level and I have not felt bad at all about getting rid of them. The only hard part is learning to set the spring loaded trap correctly and knowing which tunnels to set them
I have raised 3 generation of Raccoons and now I have to make them go away… there are too many females from last batch and I have 12 of them that come up every night for the cat food I feed them… YES, I KNOW… MY OWN FAULT! but the first batch had been raising a baby kitten with it, which is now my 3rd cat… and it just went from there.
I have a pond on lower level yard and a deck that they would come up to on upper level outside of house. I am trying to get them to go elsewhere by placeing the food.in other locations… but they just come up and stare at me and paw at the door all night long and my cats can’t get in now…. So i am up all night long trying to detour them and get the cats in. This starts at about 7 pm everynight and I cannot get my catsin prior to that time as they our outside hunters and sleep inside at night.
The are my priority, so now I need to try and get rid of theraccoons…
Will human urine work on Raccoons?
I’m guessing not. Racoons are probably not afraid enough of humans to be scared off by their scent.
I live in Maine and have found my carrots are being stolen by something. Whatever it is bites the carrot tops off and pulls the carrots out of the ground. The carrots are gone but they leave the tops behind. Any idea what animal would do this?
Kathi,
Maybe a groundhog, but sounds more like a racoon to me. ????
Those are voles! I had the exact same thing happen!
I have a skunk living under a shed in the backyard. My backyard is divided into two parts. One a grassy area fenced in by 2’high small wire fence to keep our Yorkie in. The shed is farther back on the other side of the fence. I bought some coyote urine and was going to put it all around the fence to deter the skunk. However, I started wondering would the coyote urine smell drive away the skunk, but would it possibly ATTRACT other coyotes?
Peter,
I don’t know but I do know that skunks are nocturnal and don’t like much light. Someone told me that you can drive a skunk away by shining bright lights at the entrance and exit points. for some reason I would think this would be effective, especially once out of the den with a bright light shining away from the den could keep him from re-entering. Think about how you feel walking into a bright light shining right in your eyes in the dead of night. You have no idea what’s behind that light.
I live in a suburb on an acre lot. We have a real bobcat problem. I have a five pound Yorkie and a knee high shelter dog. The backyard is fenced and the dogs love the backyard. What can I use to keep the bobcats and coyotes out of my backyard? The dogs sleep inside at night, but go out around midnight and five to six in the morning for potty breaks.
What about motion detector lights, or would this just make it easier for the bobcats and coyotes to hunt?
Katie,
I honestly don’t know but somebody else suggestion motion lights. Nocturnal animals don’t like light and I’ve heard of people running skunks out of their yard by shining a light on their den all night long. Does it really work? I don’t know. But properly positioned the lights could be blinding.
I don’t see anything about chipmunks! We have squirrels, rabbits, deer, raccoon, but none are as destructive and determined at getting into everything! Even the planters on the porch are not safe. Moles and chipmunks are our biggest problem! Any suggestions?
Patti & Steve,
Think about Chipmunks. What would be a natural predator to them? Just a thought, I really don’t have another answer.
Used Liquid Fence Deer/Rabbit repellent, both granular and spray on hostas. Apparently attracted some other animal that came in and destroyed the hostas. Ripped them right out of the ground. Didn’t eat them, just tore them up. Any ideas on what animals the urine formulas might attract? Would a dog react this way because of the smell?
Sharon,
If I had to guess I’d say a dog, but who knows, it might have been a deer.
I bought some Fox urine at a Lowe’s or Home Depot a few years ago to put it on my apple tree to keep the squirrels away from my apples. It didn’t work. It didn’t slow them down at all.
Every couple of years I get raccoons breaking out the foundation vents under my house, looking for a nice, safe and warm place to have their babies. They do a tremendous amount of damage under there, and it is a constant battle to try to keep them out of there. The little jerks drive me nuts!
I found the Predator Pee website a number of years ago-I was actually referred to it by a pest exterminator. The way I use the Predator Pee (I usually buy their sampler set,) is that I’ll put a squirt or two of it on a crumpled up newspaper, and toss it under the house. I’ll usually put a few drops around the broken foundation vent hole as well. At this point I usually do not know whether or not there are any raccoons actually under the house at this time, so I take a rumpled up newspaper sheet and loosely plug the hole with it. Then I wait overnight. When I come back, if the newspaper has been pushed in under the house, I know that something has entered, but what I don’t know, is whether it left again, as in say the mother going in to retrieve the baby, then leaving to relocate it. So when this is the case I replace the wadded up paper. What I’m eventually hoping to find is the wad of paper either laying on the ground outside the hole, or just undisturbed for a day or so. Once that’s happened then I know I can seal up the hole, with nothing trapped inside.
I’ve been doing this routine when needed, going back to the mid-nineties, and it has worked like a charm for me. I’m in no way affiliated with Predator Pee, and I’m sure there are other good predator urines out there, I’ve just had no incentive to search them out since Predator Pee has worked so well for me. I still can’t believe the pest guy turned me on to this method, cause its the procedure he uses, and charges his customers for it.
Years ago I read about a man who used to go to the zoo, where he obtained lion poop. I forget what predators he was trying to keep away–perhaps coyotes–but apparently it worked like a charm.
Our neighbor’s old dog died in August ’13, and for the first time ever we had a bunch of rabbits in our yard since the dog’s urine next door is not scaring anything away. I tried saving my own pee in a gallon milk jug for a week (of beer drinking during football season!), and then spritzed that around our wooden fence above the snow line … worked reasonably well, but requires regular applications every few days. However, in recent weeks they’ve been back more persistently, so I got some fox pee online and since using THAT stuff no signs of rabbits have been seen whatsoever (= zero footprints and zero ‘raisin piles’ in the snow) …predator pee is working for us.
Hi. I’m thinking about getting some predator pee for my veggie garden, probably coyote for squirrels, rabbits and gophers. I live in an area where there are coyotes ( as well as bobcats) Will the predator pee attract the predators? I don’t have any bear. Maybe they have bear pee and it would be better?
blood meal used as a furtalizer works use in small amounts so you don,t over do it.about once a week in differant spots.works for me
blood meal works for me and it good firtilizer
I send my husband outside to pee around the veggie garden at night. It keeps the deer and bunnies away. Human hair works too! I clean out my hair brush and hang the stuff on my tomato cages. Works like a charm! I’ve also read that human hair makes a good slow release fertilizer, but thankfully my hair isn’t falling out fast enough to try this, lol!
Problem with human hair as critter deterrent: Birds think it soft for their nests, but small baby birds can become entangled and and strangled by long hair. I’ve been very careful about what I do with my waist length hair since I heard that in the 1990s. My grandies may be HORRIFIED when they find out that pillow they love is stuffed with Gra’Ma’s hair!! Ha ha… but it may save wee little birdies not to have it in the trash or compost!.
Hello Mike, Following some advise from some oldtimers, I planted mint in certain areas around the perimiter of the foundation of my house. Supposed to keep mice and some bugs away. What I found out by pleasant surprise was that everywhere there is mint there are no more moles or voles in those areas. We have more than our share of moles and voles here in southern New Jersey but none anywhere the mint is growing. Just beware, mint is invasive.Hope this helps!
Alison – you are WRONG. This has been looked into by authorities. It is collected from zoos, animal parks, rescue centers, etc. The area that the animals use as their “toilet” is modifed with a collection basin that carries away the urine. It’s actually better for the animals as they are not living in their own waste. Next time research before you post ignorant, uninformed comments.
Where do you all think the predator pee comes from? Animals trapped in cages, standing painfully on wire floors so the pee runs down for collection. Do you think this is fair? Would you treat your family pets or children like this?? I suspect not.
Shame on you all
So,, does this mean if I capture one of the cute young guys who work at my local gas station, put him in a cage, and catch his pee… I can use it to protect my garden??
I promise I won’t hurt him!! But it might be easier just to ask one of them to pee in a bottle for me, right?
I’m trying to prevent field mice from destroying the roots of plants, eating them, everything from holly to raspberry, but have had no success. They either dig down close to the trunks or get there some other way with no really noticible hole but when the plant is visibly dying and I can’t figure out why, I discover all the roots are gone and the trunk ends in a nub below the soil.
Any suggestions not including cats would be appreciated greatly.
Peter,
In the nursery business we have no choice but to use weather resistant mouse bait (from a farm supply store) around our plants. Especially those that we cover for the winter. We put the bait inside of PVC pipes with small holes on each end. However, a poisoned,dead mouse can be lethal to a pet that finds it and consumers it.
What a great conversation! I had no idea about all of these cures for the animals that destroy our gardens.
I live in Western NC mountains and we have black bear in search of bird feeders, moles and voles ( and moles are a protected species, no kidding!!! Illegal to kill them). I have solved the bear situation by removing feeders in the fall early and not putting them out again until late spring. I have a cat that has been great at catching the moles and voles (she may land in jail for that…).
But the biggest destruction I have is from raccoons! It took me almost two months to find a solution to get them out of my soffet, and this works!! I ordered Raccoon Eviction Paste (google it) and yes it was pricey at $65, but it worked. You only put a little dab out and bam! They are gone in hours.
My mother and babies moved to a neighbors basement, and when I found out I did the treatment for her. Again they packed up and disappeared in hours.
Then they came back, this time to my basement. I got rid of them overnight.
The bottle of wold boar urine has served me well, and I have only used a small dab of it. I even sent some to a friend in Iowa and it worked for getting them out from under a shed in her back yard.
Considering the damage they can do very quickly, it was worth every penny.
Thank you!!! I have a very large barn on my 5 acres of property and just found out raccoons have moved into the large loft. They pushed down the pullstairs and feces came pouring out. EEwww! I am hiring specialists to come out and trap them, clean up and block the openings, but was researching coyote urine to keep them away from the house.
I was excited when I read about human urine until my husband pointed out that public urination can land a person on the “sex offender registry” and we live on a busy road.
A totally toxin free way to deter raccoons… wait until night, shut off the lights in your house and open a windows and make hoot owl noises. They will scurry away immediately. Might have to do this a few nights in a row but they apparently are terrified of hoot owls, so it works well. Sometimes they’ll come back in a few months, if so just repeat.
I used this in southern Virginia where we had a big racco0n problem… and potential for rabid raccoons.
Human pee works well for deer. All winter deer would graze through my garden spot. After planting, start peeing. Spread it out. I’ve learned to walk and pee at the same time. Or you could pee in a bottle or bucket, depending on your aim, and pour it out. I had no damage from the deer. Wished it worked on bugs.
Hey Dwayne,
Just FYI. Listirine, Tabasco sauce, and marigolds keep a lot of bugs away! Cayanne (not sure I spelled that right?) pepper keeps squirrels and bunnies away too! Moles will not cross a row of marigolds either.
Something chewed up my marigold seedlings. So they didn’t keep the critter away. Also I have some large South American variety and they didn’t help with the critter. I think it is a rat or squirrel.
This is for the guy who wanted to know about preventing codling moth damage. My dad always sprayed the fruit trees during the winter or early spring, when they were dormant with Dormant Oil spray(petroleum oil). It smothers the critters before they can climb into the flower and ruin the fruit. I use Neem oil during the warm months to keep my garden growing. Similar but more environmental friendly.
a thought just ocurred to me about the urine…I would imagine a few tinkles added to this after it’s made would do wonders to the mix
sorry my spelling is kind of off…I meant to say I add dove liquid soap not had…a couple of tablespoons per gallon will work here…
I live in the country and we have all kinds of wildlife to contend with…I hate steel traps and I hate to poison anything. If nothing else works we shoot to kill. However; usually pepper spray will work. Only I make my own with 8-10 jalapenos, a couple of m onions, a few cloves of garlics, some tabasco sauce or whatever hot smellies you have around boiled in a couple quarts of water (be sure to vent the air…it will choke you), and then I dilute it about 3 or 4 to one (you’ll have to experiment to find what works. I had dove liquid soap to help the spray adhere…it keeps out deer and rabbits and other small animals. For raccoons I add about a 1/4 c of dove liquid (per gallon)to the pepper spray and spray the corn from top to bottom…it works on keeping opossums out too. You have to experiment to find what works for you…but, with trial and error it really does work. For beaver you just have to fence around the trees.
I’m in Tennessee. Great ideas all. I also used human pee to keep deer away and it works pretty good until it rains. I kept a hose end spray bottle just for that purpose and hooked it up when I needed it. This was after losing 500 tulips in one day, to hungry deer. My property was their path to the stream below. The deer just stood and looked at me anytime I tried to shoo them, with a look that said, “What? We were here first. Indeed, they were. One cold, dark, snowy evening, a middle aged New York City guy, who was delivering pizza, sat parked in my drive for a good 15 minutes, as my pizza was getting cold. I finally stepped out the front door to see what he was waiting for and he yelled, “Youz got dea in ya yaad.” When I finally caught onto what he was saying, I turned and sure enough the whole herd was eating away. I assured him they wouldn’t hurt him, nor would they go away, if that what he was waiting on before he brought the pizza. It was a good laugh. Turned out he had never seen a deer up close and personal, and was afraid they would attack him. Just thought I would share. City folk and country folk bring different assets. And to those who are the spelling police on here, I would like to say: My sweet southern Mother taught me there are tackier(more impolite)things than misspelling words or using improper grammar. One is correcting those who do. 🙂
❤️🤣😊❤️
Just remember Mary to dilute the urine 1 to 4 parts water or you’ll burn your trees and plants. And have a lovely conversation with the kids about how wonderful the pee makes the trees grow especially when you spray them all over and the pee dries on the plants. That’s what makes the fruit so beautiful I tell them. It helps to stop the conversation by spraying a small group of fruit until the spray is dripping off the fruit and say I missed that spot. And try to get them to smell the spray that is the best part. I have so much fun doing this.
Well, I read through all your posts with great interest, noting all your problem visitors, – bears, moles, deer, gophers, porcupine but the northern flying squirrels really took the biscuit! What on earth are they? Here, in Ireland, we may have a visit from a rabbit or two, and a fox or badger may wend it’s way through the garden but nothing as exotic as your “critters”. Have loved this, especially the pee on the fruit trees 🙂
Mary, they really don’t “fly” they glide. I’ve lived in this house since 1947 and have had them since then. Back then I’d see one during the day but now it’s around 9 at night and usually sitting on my bedroom window sill.
They’ve become rare what with so many trees being cut down and new houses built. I’ve never had them as a pest because they live in giant sycamore trees. Anyway, they have a web of skin like a frog has between it’s toes only it’s furry and between the front and back legs. They jump into the air and glide to their next destination.
Peter
wanted to comment about getting rid of unwanted wildlife for those of you that live in the city it may all seem like cute little animals but until you have had a coon wipe out all your chickens and a weasel kill your cats im sorry but you just dont understand what country life is all about its just the way life is out here and when it comes to protecting your livestock and family you do what you must so before you judge those folks take a month a live where they do i would just about bet you would come away with a diffrent version of the truth thanks lyle jr.
I used the different urine products with good results. I also use the scarecrow sprinkler system which turns the srpinkler on (for a short duration) with a infrared sensor. This also works well.
Does anyone know how to prevent coddling moths from laying their eggs on fruit trees? they do this shortly after the blossoms fall off in the spring. They make some 100 varieties of fruit wormy, especially apples. any ideas anyone?
Great discussion guys with lots of humor. I really enjoyed it.
Mark I respect your decision to protect your garden. It won’t
work for for me though ano I am a meat eating deer hunting mugg.
When ever possible I have simply planted more so the animals
Could have a share as well.
I ain’t saving nuttin that comes out of my body and definitely
Ain’t gonna spread it on my crops. Might tell the neighbor
Kids that I am spraying pee on my fruit trees though. I loved
That one!!!
Will try the hot wire too. That idea has potential. You ain’t lived
Till you’ve peed on a hot wire. But that’s for another day. I never
Forgave my cousin for that one.
I had northern flying squirrels in my attic. We trapped/released 6 over a couple of days, but they got smart and could spring the trap, get the bait and elude us. My guy bought coyote urine, put it on a couple of cotton balls and the squirrels did not return for a few days so he was able to seal up the crack where they were entering.
Deer are constantly a problem for my vegetable garden here in NC. I use a combination of human urine and also hang fabric softner sheets at random around the perimeter. This works for me. New application is required every two weeks. Thanks for all the interesting feedback concerning wildlife problems. Charles
hi! the best urine on earth is …cow’s pee! Indians use it to kill insects,when it is mixed with certain herbs:no need of expensive insecticides! it is also used to cure many diseases of man. Actually it is a panacea.
In country Australia we often pee ourselves around the perimeter fence to keep foxes out. Foxes and dingo’s (which we don’t have here) are our main predators and just love to get in and kill my chickens. Foxes don’t like the smell of man. Every 2 weeks we just take a walk!
I enjoy the deer in my yard so I use LIQUID FENCE on just the plants I want to protect. It really works and it‘s safe. It smells horrible but dissipates, to humans, after an hour or so. Liquid fence makes repellent for several animals. I have only used the one for “deer and rabbit”. It lasts through several rains but new growth needs a quick spray periodically. I think it’s the same idea as the rotten egg, garlic and whatever’s real stinky, but is made for the lazy person like myself. I buy it concentrated and one quart has lasted a couple years.
Last year we decided to buy the Japanese Beetle traps. With scented gel of course. We had a bonus of the scent keeping the other animals out of the garden.
We farm several sections of about 4 acres of our land. Sections of berries and sections of various vegetables. We placed the traps at each corner of a large section.Don’t know why, but it worked to collect thousands of beetles and deter the deer that had in previous years had feasts no matter what we did.
We also added a pretty large chicken coop and run on the property (although not close to the garden, or us) and noticed that if any deer came out of the woods, they steered away from the chickens. Almost like they were afraid of them……lol Maybe the bad smell….lol
In previous years I have actually counted a dozen deer in a line walking down the middle of our long gravel driveway, till they got to the fence and jumped it.
Cross my fingers that the beetle traps work again this year! We’re forewarned on the traps that they may attract beetles from very far away, but I’d rather empty or throw away bags daily than the deer to eat all of our garden.
That is so sad that what Mark put on this website about using the poison that would kill even domesticated animals did not get edited. That is bizarre, and I really like to read all of the comments that come to Mike M.’s site, but not things such as that. Please, Please, do not submit things like that in the future! Thanks.
Sweetheart, I say this with all the love & kindness I can muster, but this is just like a tv. You don’t have to watch (read) everything.
It’s my job to feel good or to monitor what I want to read. There are as many different ideas on every subject as there are people involved.
I know it can sound cruel to poison something or someone. But, millions of people are poisoned EVERY day & nobody says anything, in fact, they suggest that same poison to the people they love.
Prescription drugs are POISON. That’s what makes them drugs. Check out the LD50 rating of every drug you know. This is not the forum to explain it.
Poison is EVERYWHERE. We just have to be smart & compassionate.
My heart totally understands how you feel. It’s awful to think of some totally innocent accidentally being affected by something that we dislike so much.
I sure hope you understand where I’m coming from, because I do not ever want to hurt anyone.
This has sure been a fun read! We have used the Irish soap wrapped in cheesecloth around the perimeter of the garden. Helped some with the deer. It worked good in my raised beds to keep the rabbits out of the leaf lettuce. The hubby swears by the radio in the garden blasting 24/7. I hate it because at night when I want the windows open so I can listen to the nightlife, all I can hear is the radio. It is a good thing we live in the country and our neighbors don’t mind.
Hi,
How do you keep quail out of the garden and from eating the newly emerging plants? Bird netting doesn’t work. It may keep the adults out, but the baby quail still get in and do as much damage as the adults.
I didn’t see any comments here from experienced hunters about urine keeping pests away. I have bow hunted for 40 years, trying all kinds of scents including urine from coyotes, fox, raccoons etc. I can assure you that it will cause another specie to stop and sniff, but it will not scare them. Man, the top predator, can urinate in deer scrapes and it will not repel deer but actually get them to urinate in the scrape as well. I’ve done it. Deer doe urine must be taken at the time of estrus to cause a buck to get excited. It is the estrus, not the urine scent. Don’t waste your money buying expensive urine, it might even attract what you want to drive away. Wild animals are actually pretty curious creatures.
Mike; Human urine works great. I Use a porta potty to collect and spread full strength around garden. Also, stretching heavy weight fishing line around garden works.
The deer cannot see the line, and when they try to inter the garden it frightens them. They stay away. The fishing line has to be heavy enough for them not to be able to break.
Marvil,
This discussion is getting interesting. Your idea made me think about an elastic type of line that wouldn’t break as easily, but hook to a lever with a micro switch that trigger an audible alarm and a spotlight. Can you tell that I like making gadgets?
My problem is with rabbits! Started sprinkling used kitty litter around the edges and the rabbits stay away! Since I use the pine nuggets it soon mixes with the regular dirt and goes away.
PORCUPINES are a different issue! They ignore kitty litter and destroy everything in their path. Any ideas to stop porcupines?
I almost forgot I use the urine with a 4 part water mixture to spray my fruit trees whenever the fruit starts to get ripe and neighborhood kids are around. I make sure to tell them what I’m spraying on the trees. It seems to work on deterring those 2 legged critters from eating my fruit. Works like a charm.
I read where a lady had trouble with teen age boys stealing her water melons late at night. She put up a sign that said “one of these is poison”. It worked great for several weeks. Until one morning she got up to find a second sign that said ” now there are two”.
hilarious!
Now that is funny and sounds effective!!! I
would not steal your fruit and I grabbed my
Share of peaches as a kid.
I use my urine in my garden. It has a strong garlic like smell after it has aged about 12 to 14 days. Works great on the plants. Yes I wash them off first before eating them. And the wild critters around here leave my plants alone. Don’t have too many deer though the cars thin them out quit nicely.
There is a light on the market that scares predators away from chicken coops. This too could be used to deter animals from getting into your propagation beds. Just look up poultry supplies and you should be able to find it. I don’t know the name of the item or company that manufatures it but any larger poultry supply company should have it on their website.
The best way(price wise) to buy urine is in the 1/2 gal. to 1 gallon size. Google trapping supply dealers and you willl find all the urine you want at reasonable prices. Or pick up a FUR-FISH-GAME magazine at your local bookstore/magazine/newspaper stand. There are numerous dealers in FFG that will have almost any type of urine you would need in sizes(volumes-pints quarts half gallon and gallon) that you would want.
I like the deer but the groundhogs have to go. A thought
Weasel urine should chase them off
Mike,
Thanks For your continued dedication to excellence.
Thanks Tommy, I appreciate that.
I live in South West Missouri. My daughter and I have a large unfenced garden, where we grow nearly every vegetable known to man. We had a horrible problem with rabbits for a couple years until someone told us about marigolds. Rabbits love to eat marigolds, and if they are planted thickly around the perimeter of your garden the rabbits will stop and dine right there and never go any farther into the garden. Plus, the marigolds give the garden a really charming look. Occasionally a smarter-than-average rabbit will find a green bean to nibble, but we are very happy with this method of pest control.
I have tried cat litter by dumping the litter box contents in areas where I was having problems. It seemed to work for a short time on ground hogs and skunks. This winter I put out rat poisen in pvc tubes (like Mike suggest) and although the poison seems to disapppear completely, the pest have not eaten my plants? Can’t explain it. Just know my plants are healthy and undamaged. I’ve also been told that scattering hair works but haven’t tried it yet. And was told to pour my own urine around but decided to do the cat litter instead.
Just remember, Jane, that if a cat or dog eats a poisoned rodent they find, they can become critically ill or die, also. Our pets don’t have to eat the poison itself to suffer the effects from it.
i was going to do the same thing with the ret but then i saw how they dei from this slow and suffering
Of course one should use all one’s urine on garden, lawn, or compost. It is high nitrogen, strong enough so that you should not just pee in one place on the lawn but spread it out, and it may well mark your territory and deter some critters. It’s a shame how much urine and compostable garbage gets disposed of in ways that not only waste the nutrient value, but cost us money to have it treated.
I do pee in the compost…. But I haven’t found that peeing around the perimeter of the garden doe any good at all.
I lived in upstate NY with a deer problem. A neighbor that had lived there many years told me to use an electric fence of two wires. On knee height,22″ and one chest height,42″. I did as he said and for the three years I lived there I had no more deer problems. The lower one is sensed when browsing and the upper one when just walking. They never jumped the fence even when they could smell the pea plants when they were ripe.
This blog was highly entertaining and funny.
My neighbor’s new cat used my garden as a litter box last year. I plan on getting something like repel.
Hi Every one
I live in NEWYORK . I see , on my way to office, Chinese family feeding diluted HUMAN URINE to vegetable plants .. It did not take much time for me to figure out the cause of stink whenever i pass by their home ..!
guess I’ll need wolf, bobcat and coyote urine!
Got to check out the website!
Mike
During the growing season, one of the best things for moles and voles is to plant castor beans. They have pretty flowers, but the plants can be poisonous to house animals and children. One or two plants in a garden area or a flower bed is usually all that is needed. Plants grow about three feet high. Don’t know how it works on other animals, but I dodn’t have any moles or voles in about a one acre yard, garden and flower beds.
Woody
Mike, I have used a granuel formula that had Fox urine to repel groundhogs. It didn’t seem to work very well, but the neighbor’s shot gun got rid of their’s and mine too. Groundhogs that is. 🙂
To Rich- That’s a good one. Best idea I’ve heard in a long time. Those store products are expensive. 🙂
This is Ruby again! I remembered something that I must share. When my husband and I were both in our 20’s. A neighbor told me a story about urine. Her husband had an infection on his feet that went up his legs. The doctors couldn’t seem to help him. She told her husband she is fed up with this and is going to get rid of it. She had her two daughters urinate in a bucket. Gave it to her husband to put his feet in and apply it to his legs. Of course he threw a fit but did it. With a few treatments it cleared up. He went to the Dr. and he asked what happened. Said he knew about doing this but can’t tell his patients to do that. Mike, if you think your information sounded weird. How about this one?
This discussion is running off the rails, but thanks for sharing Ruby!!!
That’s what every marine at the island has been told for a long time
I was told that antifreeze can be used for getting rid of rats ,if it can be put where cats or dogs can NOT get it.. Be careful if you try this please.. we do not want to hurt someone’s kitty or dog..
Don’t you suppose the antifreeze does the same thing to the rats that it does the dogs & cats & children?
It it a tremendously painful way for anything to die.
I am a big believer is ridding ourselves of pests, but there are usually hundreds of HUMANE ways to do it. Why make something, anything, die a tremendously painful death when a quick one is more humane?
I’d never use antifreeze for anything than what it was intended. Just my take on it!
As someone who is on this site searching for anything that will work at deterring cats from my garden, I would have to agree with Connie. Don’t get me wrong, I am desperate to find something effective because my gardens are both brand new great big elevated garden boxes that I just built, which was very expensive with all the construction materials, fencing, having black dirt delivered, and cost of all the plants that I intend on transplanting into them. One box is for veggies, and the other one has already been filled with strawberry plants. This morning when I looked at that bed I realized that the neighborhood cats have not only used it for their litter box, but completely shredded 2 of the plants I just planted, so yes I understand your frustration as I myself am furious over the same thing, but I also had a cat get sick from getting into antifreeze at the auto repair shop next door to my house. I don’t know how painful the illness was to him, but I can attest to the fact that it caused huge vet expenses over several weeks, and ultimately he still didn’t pull through the ordeal. so please DONT EVER use antifreeze
22 shorts cheapest easiest way I know
Family member left an old truck in the desert when he went on vacation. small mice crawled up by the radiator outflow tube .. tried to start vehicle, ran hot. opened up radiator cap. Just to add 2 gallons of water…about 70 dead rodents floated up and out of it. They were pickled green color.
Our bird house was close to our deck at the back of our yard. The squirrels would go to the top of the posts and use them as their bath room. We had seen them make a trip from a tree to go do their business and then go back to the tree. I told my husband we need to collect our urine and paint the posts. But we never did. We moved the bird house instead so the food wouldn’t draw the squirrels there. My reply to Mike’s story was going to be ” Why not try our own PEE”
I used the crystalline type of predator urine without results against squirrels, skunks, racoons. Those pests just walked over it without noticing. we don’t have deer in the garden (knock on wood) so I don’t know if it works on them. To me, it was a complete waste of money, effort and hopefulness.
Hi Mike. I was having problems with other cats coming into my yard at night and peeing in my patio around my plants. Cat urine, as everyone knows, is very stinky. I found out through a web site, putting down orange peelings all over stops that from happening. It works. Within a few days, no fresh urine, and the old smell left. My own cats won’t use these areas either, the smell of orange peels turns their nose up. they go back in and use their litter box. My dogs are inside at night, so the stray cats well come in. My cats are supervised outside. This is how I know they are other cats. Keeping fresh orange peel out and about really does seem to work
Linda,
Orange peels? Interesting. Thank you for sharing.
You’re right, it was entertaining and informative, but please note the spelling of “nickel” its not nickle
N
Thanks Norm, I’ll try and remember that, but chances are I won’t. Spelling is not one of my better attributes.
I think I knew where you were going with it the moment I saw the link to this sight. I know that urine is used to hunt deer, so why wouldn’t these other urines keep pests out of the garden? It’s a natural and instinctive thing for the way animals react. I’m glad you posted it. Thanks Mike!!!
I first read of using LION manure 40 years ago, to keep raccoons out of the garden. In the next issue of the mag. some one reported they had received some lion manure from my local zoo in kansas city missouri usa. He reported that he didn’t know about raccons in other parts of the country. But in missouri they ain’t afraid of lions. I have had personal experience with using a radio to encourage a skunk to move from under my porch. Never came back. It was tuned to what ever comes on during a 24 hr. peroid. That pee guy has the best scam i ever heard of $$$$$.
Mike,
This is probably just as bizarre to you, but while I don’t need to use any animal urine in my garden, I do use my own urine in the compost! Urine is sterile, high in nitrogen, mixes easily with any other medium and is amply abundant. You should see my 12′ Tomato plants!
I read about it years ago in an Oriental Gardening chapter of a horticultural textbook. The Chinese (and probably all ancient peoples) have been using it for thousands of years, referring to it among other things as ‘Midnight Soil’!
I’ve never revealed this soil amendment secret to anyone and hopefully, none of my friends or relatives are on your email list. So let’s just keep this one to ourselves, ok?
Every day something new! Isn’t life wonderful!
I’m sorry to inform you but “midnight soil” is not urine, it is human feces. And that stuff is NOT a good idea for any garden as it can carry diseases.
referece:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_soil
Terry Thomas
Dunwoody Organic Gardens
Atlanta, Georgia
There is no current scientific evidence that use of sewage sludge in the production of foods presents unacceptable risks to the environment or human health. Using human waste in composting is, in fact, being used more and more as the population continues to grow. Chicago landscaper, ecologist and urban poo-pioneer Nance Klehm took waste recycling to the community scale with her “Humble Pile” project: For three months, 22 participants pooped into 5-gallon buckets instead of their toilets and brought them to Klehm to be emptied into aerated 32-gallon garbage cans in an undisclosed location. After 11 months, the 50 garbage cans were dumped into one large pile. After another year of composting with only comfrey and some old straw, Klehm delivered a fluffy compost — that tested negative for fecal bacteria — in 2-pound bags printed with “The Great Giveback.”
Well . . . this is a bit eye opening and educational, thanks for sharing!
I have lost upwards of 34 ducks and 6 hens to foxes on 4 separate occasions. Here in the UK, many poultry keepers swear by male urine. I know a woman that gets every male visitor to have a pee along the perimeter of her chicken run. I do what I can but do not drink enough to drench the boundary, especially as I am on the edge of a housing estate and can easily be seen during daylight. Women’s urine apparently does not have enough testosterone!
You’re right – female urine does not work at keeping pests away from gardens.
I have a very large jar with a lid that I have my husband use, first thing when he wakes up each morning. Most concentrated urine. (Done in the privacy of the bathroom – not outside. lol )
I have designated a hand held sprayer to use around the garden area (full strength) and it does work!
It will keep rabbits and squirrels away and we’ve also noticed we no longer have the nightly visits from the raccoon family that lives in the neighborhood.
Just a word to those out there that would like to apply it to your garden – dilute it at least half and half with water first or you’re likely to burn your plants, be they vegetables, herbs or flowers.
It does boost all plants significantly!
Mike,
What is wild Board ? Anything like spelczech ? 🙂
Hank
Hank,
A wild board is a board from an untamed forest. Is that what I wrote, board? I read that article at least twice. But I don’t get all worked up over typos. If I was really concerned with trying to be perfect I could only create 1/100th of the information that I do now.
Gotta love ya Mike!!
I have used mothballs to keep the neighbors cats away it must of worked as I have not seen one cat dig a hole or their footprints. Neighbors keep asking what those white dots are for ha
Mothballs are extremely toxic, though. They dissolve into the ground water. The box has skull & crossbones. It’s bad stuff. We used to put it into our woodpile for snakes, but then had a problem with the runoff killing everything.
Stay away from it unless you can contain it. Keep it out of the rain & make sure nothing can run off. It’s vapors are toxic. DO NOT BREATHE.
I have heard that urine from meat-eating male humans works the same way and that is usually free in most households.
Actually i think any human urine works. we have done this for years. I tell my son’s and Hubby to mark our garden and
chicken areas on a regular basis. They can perform easier than me, as males!
But it does seem to help.
We’ve used fox urine in our garden and it works
quite well. We pick it up at our local gardener supply shop in a crystaline form.
I have no idea how it is harvested!!!
Mike
My cats do a great job with the gophers, but what they leave behind isn’t much better. There’s got to be a better way.
think about this ….
how can you expect any animal to react to any urine where the species has not had any contact with that predator and its urine? the new smell would be no different than putting out perfume as a deterent
We live where there is a deer problem and there are no natural predators so how can you expect the deer to flee from any deposit of urine, and think that the amount of money spent
Bernie,
You might be, probably are right, but by the same token the amount of damage that deer can do in a single feeding does allow for some experimentation that would require a fairly small investment. But like I said in the beginning, I don’t honestly know how well it works or if it works at all.
coyote are everywhere
Instinctual reaction. They are born with the instinct.
I just did a test of using lavender to keep deer away and it worked. Have a ton of mail order small plants in pots at end of driveway and the deer found the strawberry pots. Next morning, all were munched down to the dirt/stems. Took pots of lavender and encircled the strawberries. No new tracks within 5 feet. They came up smelled and left! Natural deer repellent. Not sure about other critters. But lavender is a real solution that works, smells good and causes no ecological issues.
Have purchased urine from this individual in the past. If your problem is deer destroying your everygreens with their antlers during the shedding season, trust me, even the urine doesn’t work!
My mother-in-law had a bad mole problem in her yard. Her daughter has a cat that uses the litterbox. They put the used cat litter (not the clumping kind) in the mole holes, watered it so that it would leach into the ground and the moles left and went over to the neighbor’s yard. Well worth a try I think.
I have used fox pee to keep squirrels.Away from blue berry bushes . It. Works to a point, then my shotgun takes over.
MY RAT TRAP TAKES CARE OF THE CHIPMUNKS AND MOLES.
If you’re tough enough to “harvest” it you can guard your own garden, LOL!
Let me tell you about my experience with coyote urine last year. I put it in three locations around my garden. It said it worked for up to a month, but I applied it every week or less. It seemed to work until my heirloom peppers were just getting nice and the next morning they were down to the stems. The deer weren’t fooled. And forget those flashing red lights that are supposed to look like wolf eyes. The deer figure those out in a few days. Just ask my brother. The deer wiped out most of his peppers, bush beans, carrots and beets in one night. The only thing that works is a tall fence that starts two feet in the ground, to keep the groundhogs out, or a dog that can actively patrol the garden. Anything else is a joke.
Hello,
Am in the SE corner of Arkansas – almost in Louisana – we have a huge preditor issue. Bears – wild hogs – deer and all the little varmits as well.
Two things work for me. Hot Sauce – sprinkle it everywhere.
And also put a dozen raw eggs in a gallon of water – 20 cloves of crushed garlic and fill bottle with water. Leave in full sun for 2 weeks and yes it stinks! lol
Strain and place in a sprayer. Spray anywhere the varmits are giving you a problem. Works here.
But this does not work on gators. Sigh….
Patti, I’ll be the hot sauce is good on the gators if you eat them! About the hot sauce. Growers around here mix Louisiana Hot Sauce with a transpirant like VaporGuard or Wilproof so it sticks to the plants to keep the rabbits out of the nursery.
I make homemade deer repellant that works really well–except for fruit trees! (Nothing but fencing then!) For everything else:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons garlic
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
2 2 tablespoons hot sauce
and, most important of all:
about 1 tablespoon of xanthan gum (you can buy it at a health food store)
I mix this all up in a blender, except the gum, which I add a little at a time, pour out half, add water, and maybe more xanthan gum, blend again…repeat until you have a full gallon.
Let this sit for a day or two–good lord does it stink! But it works. Best of all: the xanthan gum makes it stick to the plants, and not wash off in the rain. I dilute the gallon mix with a gallon of water, put in a watering can, and apply liberally to my baby trees.
Except for fruit trees, I’ve had great success with this…and it’s cheap, easy to make, and, except for the gum, uses normal household supplies. (The gum is a little tricky….it turns liquid to a gel, so mix a little at a time, and blend it in.)
did it work on raccoons.
Hi, I had a friend I worked with and to keep unwanted critters of anykind out of her gardens and flower beds, she had her husband and son urinate into coffee cans, and left it set a few days and then dribble it all around the garden and flower beds. She said it absolutely worked, but the urine smell would dissipate, but the animals could stil smell it. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but thinking of doing it, if I get to have any troubles with critters.
I know someone that goes to the local barber shop and collects the hair that the barbers sweep up after a hair cut. He sprinkles it around his yard and gardens and never has a problem with rabbits, skunks or deer. I have heard about the pee too, but never have used it, nor do I think I want to.
I use human pee mixed in a 2 gal sprinkling can. Works on deer but have to rotate with other repellants (works best if you eat meat, the deer can tell.) Also, mint oil (from your health food store) works to repell mice and rats. I use it under my bird feeder to get rid of mice.
Deer hunters have used doe urine to attract the bucks during hunting season successfully. This is sort of reverse psychology I guess
but I think it should work.
We have no Mountain Lions in our area of Iowa. How will the deer know to stay away from my garden?
Norman, if you take a bar of soap (dial, dove, zest) really any will do and you shave the soap, then place shavings into a pantyhose and hang it in your garden you should see more produce and less deer! I’m in NY state and my brother grows grapes and he had a heck of a time with the deer. They ate his entire crop two years in a row! I told him about the soap and instead of shaving it he placed the bars in pantyhose and hung them every few feet ~ this past Christmas he gave me a bottle of home made wine so I knew then it had worked for him! Best wishes!
I have used the soap in trees also & it worked for me. The deer had all but killed off 3 pine trees by raking their antlers in the fall. I saved 2 but the 3rd. tree is slow at coming back. You can also go to the local barber shop & get a bag of cut hair & put it around the area you want to protect. It has the sent of humans, the animals will stay away. After a few weeks it will desolve, just put some more down.
Bizaar, I know. but i have a friend who pees in a jug and pours it in mole hills. Keeps the moles at bay. They actually stay away from his lawn. Kinda gross, but it works, I guess. 🙂
And they thought “Duck Dynasty” was something….!!
Mike, I’ve used predator urine, soap, human hair, dried blood, sweat-soaked rags, etc. to deter deer, and it ALL works–for about two weeks, until they figure out that there are no predators, humans, etc. The only sure-fire deer deterrents are a rifle, dog, or ten feet of fence (one ten foot high fence, or two five feet, spaced a few feet apart. I’ve had better luck with Repels All than anything else. It’s especially effective if used beginning early in the season, to discourage deer from establishing a routine path.
I hybridize daylilies, with too many to protect with nets, and the deer like to wait until the early morning of the day I’m planning to cross a particular plant to devour the buds. It’s Repels All and my dog for me!
We had deer eating our roses and we planted apple trees they were beginning to eat the branches of. My friend worked at an orchard and said to hang ivory soap in stockings around anything that you wanted to protect and we did and our problems were solved….
The rifle is the best deterrent for deer IMHO. My late wife used to plant a lot of marigolds ,around her flower beds , as she heard that would deter deer. the deer ate all her other flowers but never ate the marigolds, perhaps because marigolds are so stinky. Does anyone have any experience with the marigold thing ?
Mice and rats and gophers live in my yard. My cat is catching them almost every night, and I save money on cat food.
I think this makes a lot of common sense and it should work. Animals use their olfactory senses a lot more completely than we do and often “mark” territories via urine. While this is done primarily to warn off members of their own species, prey animals would naturally cue on these invisible signposts and stay away from those areas, too.
What I have used effectively is a more general all-purpose “warning”, which is dried blood. ALL animals seem to know what that means and to stay away—-cats, rabbits, deer, moose, you name it—-scatter a line of dried blood around the perimeter of the garden 2-3 times per season, and you never have critter problems at all. It doesn’t take much to do the job, either. Best of all, blood is a good fertilizer. It just soaks into the ground and nourishes your border plantings while protecting the rest of the garden from animal freeloaders.
I’m not saying anything against this man’s use of predator pee. It is probably more specific to certain pests and very efficient in deterring them. I am just offering the more generally available “cure all” for readers who looking for something to help deter furry garden pests.
Anna,
Where do u get dried blood?
What amount, concentration to be used?
Where do I buy this dried blood. I live in Acton,ca. The rabbits are eating my flowers. I’ve tried pee.
Since you mentioned the subject of “pee” my husband tells a story of a man that lived in rural Florida near him when he was growing up. This man use to sell the onions that he grew in his garden. They were some of the largest and sweetest onions that he had ever tasted. Come to find out his secret was he collected his own urine and would add to the water that was run down between the rows of the onions. You just never know!!!
Have a blessed day!!!
Mike,interesting article. I have tried hanging Irish Spring soap from trees and plants that deer have been eating on my property. It works to a point.
Bob,
You’re right, everything works to a point. Most growers have realized that only a high fence does the trick all of the time.
Hook a radio up to a motion sensor. Every time an unwanted visitor comes near, wahlah! the human sound of the radio will chase them away.
I like this idea and I’m pretty sure you can get a battery operated motion detector, those wild game cameras have them. Definitely worth a try.
The thing with deer is that they are afraid of what they aren’t familiar with. They don’t have very good depth perception sight.
Once they are around something for awhile & it doesn’t seem to be a threat, they’ll ignore it.
You constantly have to change what you are using: hair, soap, Liquid Fence, etc.
The only way I know to keep them out is with a BIG, tall fence.
Now, I did read during the winter that because of their vision, you can put 2 fences around a garden, about 4 feet apart and because they can’t see past the second one very well & the space between the 2 fences is a bit close for jumping that they’ll go away. Haven’t tried it & instead of fencing, I’m going to plant a 5 foot flowerbed around my garden & plant only things I know they won’t touch. Daffodils, iris, rosemary, lemon scented anything, lavender, & things like that. I’m going to put forsythia close to my fence & then plant shorter things on out to 5 feet, with daffodils on the front edge & I’ll plant marigolds in the summer.
Hope this does the trick. It’ll be a good place for some of my herbs, too.
Skunks, Mike??? Anything for skunks? They’re becoming far more than just ‘inconvenient’ in Chicago suburbs! (Just in immediate surrounding neighbors, six dog-skunkings last year)
Ahhh…I see… Fox-pee! But, at $75.00+…it ain’t exactly “free-pee”!
This does work I am sure. But there is a much cheaper alternative. You just got together over your own prejudices to do it. Having heard about buying predator urine to protect your garden or even small livestock like chickens, I remember about reading in numerous occasions about how wild predators Mark their territories with urine. Other predators instinctively avoid encroaching on the territory marked by urine fearing being attacked by the predator that marked it. In August of 2013, we moved onto our dream acreage,bringing our 70+ chickens and turkeys with us. By mid October, most had been killed an eaten by coyotes. Desperation set in, and I tried something I had thought about many times before but hadn’t quite brought myself to do. I started holding on until after dark to go out to the chicken tractors and peeing around the pens. No, I don’t have enough to go around all th way, I just leave what I can. The attacks stopped immediately. After about 3 weeks, I missed doing it for 2 nights, another attack. I resumed the peeing, and no more attacks. A lot of people have been skeptical of this, but to wildlife HUMANS ARE PREDATORS. Like it or not, you are. So you can tell yourself, “ugh, that’s disgusting. I would never do that!”, and go ahead and send that guy your $75.00,but I’ll keep the $75 in my pocket, pocketbook you very much. Granted, sexism aside, this would be a little easier for a man or boy to do, so you ladies might prefer to assign your husband, boyfriend or son to do this chore. So there’s my 2 cents on that subject. Or maybe it’s my $75.
Ron,
I was thinking the exact same thing as I was reading the article. After a few beer drinking buddies were in the yard one night, I noticed the local cats that usually visit my Koi pond were not around that week. You have a valid point.Beer is cheaper that mountain lion urine, and less offensive if you spill it on yourself.
This may have worked for you, but it’s been completely ineffective for me in western Nevada. Construction nearby has displaced several hundred deer, and they’ve moved into our older neighborhood of 1920s-era homes. We see up to a dozen at a time, munching their way through nearly everything. I’ve peed the entire perimeter, and trained our dogs to go near the fence line. The deer are oblivious.
I was in the process of moving from a Minnesota city to a mountain in Idaho, and brought 7 fruit trees to plant. I was going to be back and forth for over a year, so I tried something my father in law told me. I peed in a mason jar, and cut up a yellow sheet into 2 inch wide strips, and tied the yellow strips to the trees, and dunked them in the urine. Over the winter, all the rest of the trees in my area were killed by deer, but mine remained untouched. Worked for me!
Are you make or female? Thanks
go to a farm feed/supply store. Tractor Supply?TSC. Get a metal canister (looks like quaker oats can) of Golden Malrin Fly poison. blue crystals inside. mix a spoonful of it with quarter can tuna, spoon of grape jelly, in a jar lid. put it where they will find it.DO NOT LET ANY unintended victims get into it:kids, neighbor’s dog, your cat, etc. IT WILL KILL them fast!! made raccoons scare around my chicken barn this way!!probably not completely legal:poisoning wildlife, etc….but what happens when these pests get into things???…
I don’t like your info on the poison that you are recommending for “killing” wildlife. I’m sure it’s not legal-as you said yourself!. How horrible to recommend something that unintended animals such as our own beloved pets will get into also. This information is cruel and disgusting. there are other safe means to use to deter wildlife from destroying your garden. You have no right to be recommending poison that kills animals. Your information can be read by a cruel person who will use your idea to kill any animal they choose–be careful of the info you put out there–PLEASE!!!!!
You, obviously, have never had the problems of country life. Wild animals have eaten $1000’s of my trees, ate the wiring in my washing machine, my printer and chewed holes into my house and my entire lawn ruined. We are talking big bucks here and I am just trying to survive like all the other animals on earth. I’ll do whatever it takes and am grateful for the information given here.
If you are willing to kill off ANY animals for the sake of monetary items, then you surely do NOT belong in the country with nature!
There are ways to coexist, to scare them off and to save your precious electronics and what not.
People like you are the reason why animals are dying off at the rate they are.
Hate to see what the world will be like for our grandchildren/great-grandchildren.
Mark,
The reply I wrote was intended for your comment on your poison and not intended for Mike.
Wow, you are one sick person. Life is precious. Obviously you have not learned this important lesson. Too bad there are people out there like you that are free to harm other life forms.
I would not poison any wildlife. I am also an animal lover but be careful throwing words like “life forms”
‘ around. I have many vegan friends that look down on meat eaters. Plants are life forms too and can’t scream or run away when pulled from the ground by a grinning animal such as myself or you so be careful. The plants are actually the better “life form” being able to make thier food from minerals water and sunshine then GIVE us the oxygen for free. Time to admit that life for any animal is second hand business and how far you go to protect your life is a personal matter. I may myself stop short of poisening other animals but I am muderer non the less of wonderful passive creatures just to stay alive myself. not uppity about it though!
Well, it’s obvious those other folks have never had a problem with a nuisance animal that not even the county or state could do anything about. Sometimes, ‘wild’ animal become domesticated enough all on their own to become a problem & even dangerous.
We had a really BIG bear take out all but three of my 75 chickens, hurt one of our dogs, chased me, and more.
The game people tried to trap him. He knew all about traps. (I hate the relocation of problem bear program they have going on.) He wasn’t afraid of humans, he knew all about what the traps were. We watched him check it out & walk away. He’d been in one before, it was obvious.
Eventually, they had to take him out. We couldn’t even go to our barn safely to take care of our animals. I was afraid to walk to the car without a gun.
This is not way to live. Once you’ve lived with a problem animal, you’ll do anything that will work. These aren’t cute little (or big) wild animals. They are a problem. A real threat to life & property.
If the county hadn’t taken the steps they took, I definitely would have considered poisoning him. He was not good to himself or for us.
Now, that may sound cruel, but we live with bear, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, deer, etc., and we live peacefully with them all. We’re not out to wipe out the wildlife. But a threat to my life will lose it’s life, definitely.
Connie, same as my message to Mark. Please use bullets & not poison, please. Poisoning is not humane in any form.
Please reconsider.
Thank you.
Gary
What do we expect from these animals we as People have moved into there habitat. Why wouldn’t they come around to find food that is what they do. If we put our houses in their territory then we are invading their spaces. I don’t really believe in poisoning any animal but I don’t think we should invade the places where they have to live either. Sorry, I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Well since you don’t invade any wildlifes “territory” I’m guessing you must live in Antarctica? Wait, what about the penguins? 🤔
totally agree.
Just goes with the saying of once it is on your property it becomes a predator. We have had so many of our animals killed by neighbors dogs. We had to kill one of their dogs cause they were packing together and killing our animals (that were in pens) Out in the country your on your own, the law will not help you. I am seriously thinking about buying urine or like the man said above trying human urine. I am tired of us having to fear for our animals lives.
Mark, please reconsider poison, please. It is not humane!
Please,Please use a bullet!
Thank you for consideration.
Gary
AGREED! Gary!
i am not a violent or mean person regarding animals, but, when it comes to a pest, it is them, or me. i choose them. a raccoon can rip a person’s face up. mice will keep breeding and take over a home. rats are a few steps above mice, and can be hostile. i have no small children, and my cat is indoors, so, i am not going to buy *humane* (the pests aren’t human) traps and such to deter pets. not driving 10 miles away to let some mice run free so they can go bug somebody else. and they carry diseases. TB, i believe? that’s about as weird as having a human home intruder who is dangerous, trying to perseude him into leaving because you don’t want to hurt him.
I do not like this at all, Poison is not the answer, I grew up and still live in the country, garden like a mad woman and fight pests but I would not recommend a poison. Especailly one that could also potentially kill cats, dogs, birds, kids and other unsuspecting victims, And no I am not PETA or anything of the sort, I eat wild game.
My daughter recently had a skunk under her house trailer. She tried everything but finally put out chocolate bars under the trailer; the chocolate is gone and so is the skunk. Hooray!
I’m surprised that chocolate worked. My mom had two or three different pet skunks and the one thing I remember for sure, they loved junk food! Cheetos for sure!
Choc can kill a dog, betting it didn’t do the skunk any good.:(
Death of the skunk is about the only thing I know of that will keep a skunk away, every time you see a skunk.. You can dispose of them when their final spray odor dissipatesenough
to you. I have noticed that a head shot seems to work faster than their spray reflex.
Believe it or not! Depending on the price, I may have to try it. I keep getting lots of small holes dug all around the yard. Up under my fruit trees. Very frustrating. I have been told it is thought to be armadillo holes.
I would recommend the big cats for skunk, or research their natural predator and use that.
Good Luck
LOL ! I doubt if a skunk has a natural predator, maybe a starving coyote, they will eat anything that don;t eat them first.