Nuisance wildlife — from deer and rabbits to raccoons, moles and voles — pose major headaches for gardeners. In this week’s encore presentation, I am revisiting my conversation with wildlife damage management specialist Marne Titchenell on effective solutions for deterring wildlife.
Marne is the wildlife program director at the Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources, where she served for 16 years as a wildlife program specialist prior to assuming the director’s position in 2023. She developed her love of wildlife during annual family vacations hiking and visiting national parks, which set her on her career path. She received her Bachelor of Science in wildlife management and forestry from The Ohio State University in 2004 and continued her study of forest wildlife at OSU School of Environment and Natural Resources, where she obtained her Master of Science in 2007.
Marne Titchenell teaches wildlife control techniques to groups all throughout the year. (photo: courtesy Marne Titchenell)
We recorded our conversation in 2018, and Marne’s advice is just as valuable today. Marne shared which wildlife deterrents actually work, based on research, and which are just wishful thinking.
Read on for a condensed recap of our conversation, or head to the original show notes for the unabridged version.
Deer Management in the Garden
Gardeners use repellents, scare tactics, barriers and all kinds of creative methods to keep deer at bay to prevent damage to plants, trees and shrubs. What really works depends on a number of variables.
Deer have learned to coexist with us in our urban environment, and there is little to control their advancement in our neighborhoods. There simply aren’t many threats to keep their numbers in check.
As populations rise, deer become less selective with their appetites. So, you’ll need to remain vigilant and employ various methods during different times of the year. Bear in mind, the longer a deer has access to a particular food source, the more difficult it will be to get the deer to leave that food source alone.
Deer are known to eat up to 500 different plant species. Selecting deer-resistant plants is a good start. Just remember that’s no guarantee you won’t see damage. If a deer is hungry enough, it will eat deer-resistant plants too, and their feeding preferences change throughout the year. For example, they love mowing down the fresh spring shoots of my oakleaf hydrangeas, but as the season wears on and the surviving hydrangea foliage matures and toughens, the deer seek out more desirable options.
Diligence is key when relying on repellents. This management approach is only truly effective when applied regularly and to all new growth. Whenever possible, apply before or immediately after you see damage to plants at risk. Be prepared to reapply every time it rains too.
Repellents can be expensive, so if you’re using them on a large area, they may not be the cost-effective approach. Fence construction can be costly, but there may be long-term cost savings when compared to restocking your repellent supply season after season.
Research has shown that odor repellents tend not to work, while taste repellents can be very effective. Any repellent with egg solids, blood, hot pepper, or capsaicin as an ingredient is your best choice. Some repellents contain eggs with either hot pepper or capsaicin, and those work particularly well.
If deer are hungry enough, they will acclimate to the taste of the repellent, so it’s a good idea to alternate different repellents to keep the deer on their “toes.”
A hungry enough deer will browse on a “deer resistant” plant, even one that a repellent has been applied too. (photo: Marne Titchenell)
Anything that will surprise deer – like motion-activated sounds, lights or water – can keep them away for a time, but you will need to keep moving the source. It doesn’t take long for deer to get wise to the mechanics and go back to browsing on your prize shrubs.
Deer won’t be deterred by any stationary object, like fishing line or spinning pie plates, for more than a day or two. These items can work for birds but not for larger animals. Deer will quickly learn how to navigate around or ignore these deterrents.
Many gardeners use human hair or soap to keep deer away. Research has found these not to be worthwhile strategies. That said, Marne recognizes that these may work for some gardeners. It depends on how pressured your local deer population is to find food and what other options they have available to them. If they aren’t under pressure, these milder deterrents may work.
If you’re experiencing heavy deer damage in your garden, that is a good sign the deer population is under stress, with food options in short supply. In this situation, a fence may be your only option.
Deer are expert jumpers, so in general, it will take a fence that is 8’ or higher to keep them out of your property’s perimeter. If you are fencing in a small area, you may be able to get away with a fence just 5-6’ tall.
Deer have terrible depth perception. Small, confined spaces make them nervous.
Marne is a big proponent of what she calls the “peanut butter fence.” A single strand or two of electrical fencing along a shorter fence line can become a very effective behavioral barrier. Fold pieces of tin foil or window screen material with a dab of peanut butter at various spots along the electrical strand. The deer will sniff or lick the peanut butter and will receive a shock to their tongue or nose. Since these areas are particularly sensitive, the deer will avoid future contact with the fence. The same electrical shock to any other part of their body will be negligible to the deer, so using the peanut butter approach is an important aspect of success.
It’s not just the foraging that can cause damage in your landscape. During fall rut, your trees are at risk of damage from bucks rubbing their antlers on tree trunks. Male deer rub to remove their summer velvet, or they may be leaving their scent for does and other bucks to mark territory. Either way, this damage can harm tree health.
A tree shelter – essentially a protective cover around the tree trunk – can protect your tree from rubbing. Select one of the sturdier, stronger tree shelters which will stand on its own and stake it to the ground far enough away from the tree to allow air flow and prevent direct contact.
An inexpensive option is corrugated irrigation pipe. You can slice the corrugated pipe lengthwise and wrap it around the tree trunk. This material is durable and allows enough space and oxygen for the tree trunk but discourages bucks from rubbing.
Rabbit Management in the Garden
Rabbits are herbivores just like deer. They have sharp top and bottom incisors that cut plants at a clean 45 degree angle. So if you see clean bites on your plants, you know you have a rabbit problem. Roughly torn foliage is a sure sign of deer damage, since deer tear off instead of cut off.
The same management methods used for deer are effective on rabbits – taste repellents and fencing. Fencing is the most effective tool in smaller gardens and should be approximately 2-3’ high. Chicken wire staked into the ground can create an effective fencing barrier.
Rabbits can hop into raised garden beds, but sometimes a taller container like a whiskey barrel may be enough to keep bunnies at bay. (Photo Credit: Amy Prentice)
Mole Management in the Landscape
Moles are underground insectivores that feed on grubs, worms, beetles, and other invertebrates. As they tunnel, they create visible runways. Long, straight primary runways are the main travel routes, while shorter, curved runways are used for feeding.
For effective mole control, focus on the primary runways. Sound devices and repellents, including castor oil, have not been shown to work, making properly placed traps the most effective option. To find an active runway, press down a section with your foot and mark it. If the tunnel is raised again within a few hours or by the next day, it’s actively used and is a good place to set a trap.
Toxic baits can work if placed in an active runway, but granular and pellet formulations are generally less effective than traps. They also pose risks to pets and wildlife through accidental exposure or secondary poisoning. Because of these unintended consequences, I recommend avoiding toxic baits.
Mole tunnels are easily recognizable from above ground. Tunneling creates raised or depressed areas in lawn turf, and the grass can die if the mole has damaged grass roots during tunneling. (photo: Marne Titchenell)
Vole Management in the Garden
Voles are plant-eating rodents that live above ground. They feed on roots, tubers, seeds, and stems, often leaving plants chewed at the base or loose in the soil after damaging the root system. They also create surface runways through mulch and dense vegetation.
The best way to discourage voles is to eliminate their cover. Remove boards and other ground debris, pull mulch away from plant stems, and avoid dense ornamental grasses where voles are a recurring problem. With less protection from predators, voles are less likely to feed in your garden.
Snap traps are an effective control method. Place them along vole runways or near damaged plants, and cover them with a large pot or piece of cardboard to protect other wildlife. Bait is usually unnecessary, though apple slices or peanut butter mixed with oatmeal can help.
Taste repellents, such as hot pepper products applied around the base of plants, may reduce damage, though they’re less effective when vole populations are high. Wire cages around roots can provide additional protection. While toxic baits are available, they pose risks to pets and wildlife. Ultimately, every gardener must decide their own level of tolerance for vole damage and whether management is necessary.
Voles eat vegetation and can gnaw away entire root systems, as seen here. You can even see the marks from their small, but sharp teeth.
Climbing Critters Management in the Garden
Raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, and other climbing pests can easily scale most fences, making exclusion difficult. Instead, focus on removing what attracts them to your property.
Pick up fallen fruit promptly, keep pet food indoors, and wait until the morning of pickup to put out garbage so it doesn’t attract nighttime visitors. If rodents are abundant around barns or outbuildings, reducing their numbers can also discourage predators like raccoons and skunks. Finally, eliminate hiding places by blocking access beneath patios, sheds, and other sheltered areas where these animals may den or seek cover.
Research has shown that repellents don’t work against these types of pests, so if modifying your environment doesn’t work, trapping may be your only option.
Traps for the smaller pests tend to be kill traps, but what about live trapping pests? That may be an option in your area, but there are rules and regulations on the issue. Check with your state’s wildlife agency to learn which pests you are allowed to trap and release elsewhere. Relocation is restricted in many areas due, in part, to prevent the spread of disease among animal populations.
Some animals, like rabbits, simply don’t adjust well to a new environment. Since they can’t adapt quickly to a new home, they will often die in their new territory.
Garlic is one crop that the squirrels and other four-legged mammals won’t touch since they hate the taste and smell. (photo: Amy Prentice)
As a final thought, I would ask that you reconsider the term “pest problem.” Do you actually have a pest problem, or are you experiencing a little damage which you can opt to live with? This is a question gardeners must decide for themselves. We must each take a look at the bigger picture in our landscape and decide if there is a situation that requires management efforts or a little more patience and willingness to share.
If management does become necessary for you, do your homework and be mindful of the risks involved.
Rabbits have sharp teeth so they leave clean cuts compared to deer damage.
If you haven’t listened to my conversation with Marne Titchenell on controlling deer and other nuisance wildlife, you can do so now by clicking the Play button on the green bar near the top of this post.
How have you learned to co-exist with nuisance wildlife? Let us know in the comments below.
Links & Resources
Episode 060: How to Control Nuisance Wildlife in the Garden: Deer, Rabbits, Moles & More
Episode 119: Deer-Resistant Design: Fence-Free Solutions to Protect the Plants You Love
Episode 227: The Humane Gardener-How to Nurture a Backyard Habitat for Wildlife
Episode 474: What to Know About Ticks, with ‘The TickGuy’ Dr. Thomas Mather
joegardenerTV YouTube: How to Protect Trees from Deer Rut Damage
joegardener Online Gardening Academy™: Popular courses on gardening fundamentals; managing pests, diseases & weeds; seed starting and more.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Organic Vegetable Gardening: My new premium online course. The course is designed to be a comprehensive guide to starting, growing, nurturing and harvesting your favorite vegetables, no matter what you love to eat, no matter where you live, no matter your level of gardening experience.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Seed Starting: Everything you need to know to start your own plants from seed — indoors and out.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Beginning Gardener Fundamentals: Essential principles to know to create a thriving garden.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Growing Epic Tomatoes: Learn how to grow epic tomatoes with Joe Lamp’l and Craig LeHoullier.
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Master Pests, Diseases & Weeds: Learn the proactive steps to take to manage pests, diseases and weeds for a more successful garden with a lot less frustration. Just $47 for lifetime access!
joegardener Online Gardening Academy Perfect Soil Recipe Master Class: Learn how to create the perfect soil environment for thriving plants.
Growing a Greener World Episode 406: Setting Up A Garden
Earthbound Expeditions | Chile: A Journey Through Nature’s Wonders with Joe Lamp’l | 2027
Marne A. Titchenell, Wildlife Program Specialist
Ohio State University Extension School of Environment and Natural Resources
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management: Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage
Dramm – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
Milorganite® – Our podcast episode sponsor and Brand Partner of joegardener.com
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I receive a commission every time you purchase a product through an Amazon affiliate link. Some product links in this guide are affiliate links. However, none of the prices of these resources have been increased to compensate us, and compensation is not an influencing factor on their inclusion here. The selection of all items featured in this post and podcast was based solely on merit and in no way influenced by any affiliate or financial incentive, or contractual relationship. At the time of this writing, Joe Lamp’l has professional relationships with the following companies who may have products included in this post and podcast: Milorganite, Soil3, Territorial Seed Company, Cool Springs Press / Quarto Group and Dramm. These companies are either Brand Partners of joegardener.com and/or advertise on our website. However, we receive no additional compensation from the sales or promotion of their product through this guide. The inclusion of any products mentioned within this post is entirely independent and exclusive of any relationship.
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