“We live back in the hills of Vermont, where deer are a real problem for gardeners,” says Gerry Hawkes, Woodstock, Vermont.
“For the past 15 years or so, we’ve had excellent success keeping deer out of our garden by simply stringing a single strand of 30-pound-test monofilament fish line around the perimeter at midthigh height. Deer can’t see the line to jump it, so when they unexpectedly bump into it, they are spooked away. The 30-pound line is strong enough to keep from breaking, yet still hard for deer to see.
“Each spring, before we plant and put up the line, we see lots of deer tracks through the tilled soil of the garden. As soon as we put the line up, there are no more tracks. When we take the line down after harvest, the tracks start appearing again right away.”
