Help me - Solution for deer

[Nacman]

I have HS4 for a while now. I am trying to leverage the system to detect deer (eating my apple trees). The trees are about 45 ft from the house. My rear PIR sensor mounted on the corner of the house for spotlight automation doesn’t quite reach the tree. I tried repositioning it but it just wont sense motion that far out.

so I am looking for a sensor or beam crossing type sensor. If Inhave to wire it low voltage I can but prefer a wireless solution to HS4 plugin.

the plan is to use an event to turn on my irrigation.

Does anybody know of a wireless solution that will either interface with HS4 r or a long range Z wave device that I can mount near the tree. It will require ability to handle exposure to whether.

In one day these deer broke 5 limbs and cracked the main stalk.

-Nac

[Bob_Linux_User]

the plan is to use an event to turn on my irrigation.

Just FYI, I saw a post somewhere that the deer just get accustomed to the sprinkler and will eventually ignore it. Their drive for the apples is stronger than their fear of the water.

[racerfern]

Agreed, deer and raccoons, tough to annoy. That said, I have two Bosch Zigbee sensors (I got them on eBay but that seller is gone, paid $20 each) They have great range for detection AND zigbee has great range for hopping from device to device. The sensor holds two type 123 batteries and will probably last a year or two based on my zigbee experiences. In my experiences, zigbee has much greater range than z-wave.

Try varying your ammo. If you have more than one zone, vary them, maybe lights or sounds as well. These animals are not stupid.

[Uncle Michael]

Deer accommodate to mitigation measures pretty rapidly. I doubt that the sprinklers will deter them for long.
I have had good success keeping deer out of an area of about an acre with Tenax fence that is 7-8 feet high. In addition to the fence posts I have a heavy gauge nylon cable at the top that the fence is also secured to. That prevents sagging and significantly increases the strength of the fence. Tenax is much lighter than metal fencing and is almost indestructible. I've had mine in place for almost 15 years and it is still in extremely good condition. I've had deer jump into it, but never over it, and they have never damaged it. Since as I understand it you are protecting just one tree, I think a 7 foot fence around the tree (beyond the lower branches) will be very effective. The deer will not be tempted to jump into an enclosed space like that. (And the Tenax is very difficult for them to see, so they will typically not jump high enough to clear it.)
Apart from providing a convenient entry point for humans, the primary challenge will be preventing the deer from nosing under the fence, so it will either need to be secured to the ground or you will need a wire fence inside the plastic fence. (I use a 3-foot wire fence with the Tenax outside it.)
A search for plastic deer fence or Tenax deer fence will yield multiple sources.

[kenm]

The deer we have here in Northern CA stand in the rain all winter so water doesn't bother them. However, a "noisy" sprinkler does a pretty good job. Since deer are color blind, they tend to be very aware of motion around them. We use mylar streamers attached to the outer branches to "keep them nervous". It's not 100% effective but does a pretty good job as well.

As for a long range motion sensor, search for 900Mhz RF based PIR sensors. Many are AA battery powered but I'm not sure what kind of receiver interface you might need for HS.

[Uncle Michael]

If you are looking for temporary solution while the apples are ripening, I've also found that playing a reasonably realistic recording of a dog barking is VERY effective in discouraging deer from approaching. They literally avoid the area entirely. You need to have the ability to play recordings on outside speakers, and it doesn't solve the problem of the motion detector, of course. It's just more likely to be effective than turning on sprinklers.

[Sgt. Shultz]

I was in another forum about deterring cats, and my solution there might work here. Setup something that throws stuff (or an airsoft gun) and aim it by using a camera that recognizes the deer. Hard mount the camera on the gun and move the two so the deer is always in the center of the cameras lens so it follows the deer as it moves.

[Nacman]

I think a less technical solution will be the route I take after looking at the responses here. I spoke to a local orchard grower. He hangs a bar of soap on a string on all his 1st year trees as these are. He said the deer he has stay away from the trees with the hanging soap. Since the damage is already done, I don't have much to lose. I repaired the broken tree and the leaves left are not withering. No more deer tracks either.

Thanks all.

[kenm]

I was in another forum about deterring cats, and my solution there might work here. Setup something that throws stuff (or an airsoft gun) and aim it by using a camera that recognizes the deer. Hard mount the camera on the gun and move the two so the deer is always in the center of the cameras lens so it follows the deer as it moves.

You must have much less aggressive cats on the East coast. I fired an air soft gun at one of our cats last night and he jumped towards the dart, grabbed it, and tried to eat it.

Not sure what you have on your coast, but if you are trying to keep them from using your flower beds as litter boxes, try a layer of crushed coco beans on top of your mulch. Even more effective is chicken wire, mulch, and a layer of coco beans. Much like the soap smell, they don't like the smell of chocolate. You on the other hand, will have cravings for chocolate every time you leave the house.

[Dweber85rc]

I think a less technical solution will be the route I take after looking at the responses here. I spoke to a local orchard grower. He hangs a bar of soap on a string on all his 1st year trees as these are. He said the deer he has stay away from the trees with the hanging soap. Since the damage is already done, I don't have much to lose. I repaired the broken tree and the leaves left are not withering. No more deer tracks either.

Thanks all.

I think the key is to refresh the soap on a regular basis. Anything with a strong sent should work though.

[outbackrob]

A hunting license with a deer stamp!