I don't know about deer scram, but i'm in NJ too, and i tend to follow a rutgers study that basically concluded the top 2 most effective ingredients for deterring deer are rotten eggs and capsicum. If Deer Scram has these 2 then i'd say get it.

i've either mixed my own or used this spray called "Deer Solution" which is available in major garden centers in my area has both top ingredients but also smells minty. It is supposed to last for 100 days, although i get a bit paranoid and spray more often (b/c of new growth & flower buds etc.). Deer still tramp through my yard a lot (i saw tracks yesterday). they don't touch anything i've sprayed (including clematis, astilbes, japanese irises, stella d'oros, and lilies). i thought it was just the taste, but i'm beginning to think it's the smell too.

We've been using DEER OUT for more than two years with great results.The county of Morris (NJ)along with the Humane society just bought a bunch of it to give out free to there residents.I read in the newspaper & seen it on the news that they tested a few different repellents and decided that DEER OUT was the most effective......There was a woman on the front page of the Morris county paper holding a bottle saying, I quote ' I swear by DEER OUT ' I know it has been wonderful for me...

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.deerout.com

I am always telling of my success with plain old water and eggs and I hope I'm not being a broken record but I have had 100% success with plain water and eggs. It bothers me that the products sold in stores are so expensive when all it takes is one egg and some water. I use a laundry detergent jug to store the mixture and as it sits between applications it smells more BUT once it's dry it isn't detectible to humans. Each time I use a portion I top off the jug with more water and the solution is sustained by the continued rotting of egg matter. I just fill my watering can halfway with plain water then top that off with egg repellant.I reapply when we get rain or if I see deer activity nearby-my neighbor lost most of her daylilies this week so I reapplied to mine--and hers...my daylilies that sat twenty feet away are still intact.

~Babs

babsclare: what is the proportion of water to egg? would the egg(s) have to be bad when you start this concoction or it becomes that way after some time?
do you cook it? do you leave it outside? do you place it in a sunny place? does it stay in a shady area?
please help!!!
short of giving up gardening do not know what else to do.
my area would not permit high fences - neither can i afford them - i only have a quarter acre to handle but there are more deer than people here and i think they have decided to reclaim the area...!

I'm a bit further north than you are in NY Dutchess County zone 5 with a major deer problem. I've done some research, had deer demolish my garden, been to some lectures and the most knowledgeable person on the subject is Brad Roelller of the Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY.

You can check out their site and find info on deer resistent plants. I went to one of Brad's lectures and he indicated that there was no one solution to deer browsing, that you had to fool them with multiple repellents and that you had to be prepared to protect your plants with netting in the seasons when deer browsing was at its height. Bummer, I know.

Tree Guard works best for me of all I've tried, and lasts longest thru growing season.

Molasses grass also works pretty good.

The "recipe" for "egg water" for deer:

Add one beaten raw egg to a 4 quart or 4 litre container of water. Shake well. Spray on plants you wish to protect. Reapply after each rain or dew as this will wash off the plants. Works and is very inexpensive to make. Store leftovers at outside temperature out of the sun. I put mine in the potting shed. If stored in the sun, the gases given off will expand the plastic container I would imagine. Will smell like rotten eggs when using it the next time, but just spray away from yourself then so the wind does not bring it back to you. Your dog will follow you around and try to lick the plants and clean up the egg solution for you that you just sprayed until you train them not to do so.

I am so glad to hear the reviews on Dear Out. I just ordered some and am anxiously awaiting its delivery. We have had NO deer this year in our yard, but now I am going to plant some groundcover OUTSIDE the fence and do not want to waste my time and effort....

I read on this site that "Tidy bowl" would keep away the deer-we put out a whole sack of it-one per rose bush and the deer ate all the stems and blossoms the next night! I also question if it is good for the soil or plants? Back to our electric fence which is a nasty cure-but it works for all except terrapins, groundhogs and rabbits.Will try the egg/ water next but wanted to say-save your money on the bowl cleaners.

yes i have tried deer scram and i have had great results with using this product. It is the only product that has actually protected my hard labor.

Re the 'egg' recipe: I read about one 'egg proponent' who recommend straining the mixture through cheesecloth- to separate the slime out. I just put it in a blender. The final mixture seemed very homogenous, and goes through any sprayer.

Searching the web, I found considerable variation on eggs to water ratio, and how many times the container can be 'topped' off with water, stretching the mixture.

Suggestions?

But overall, if it works (I just applied mine) it's MUCH cheaper than the commercial products. Thanks to all who contributed here.

rich

Out customers give us great feedback on DeerStopper from Messina Wildlife.

These products can be purchased at a discount on www.aboutdeerrepellents.com

We also have a growing library of Deer Repellent studies and Research links at www.aboutdeerrepellents.com/research.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: AboutDeerRepellents.com

We have had amazing results with DEER OUT...It just simply works better than anything else we have ever tried. There are times when we have 20 deer passing thru our yard and since we started spraying Deer Out we havent had so much as one of them take a bite...We have been very pleased to say the least.

Here is a link that might be useful: WWW.DEEROUT.COM

I have had really good luck with this Kopy Kat liquid fence recipe. Once in a while I will sprinkle some blood meal to keep the deer guessing. It even keeps the deer out of my corn. I have been using this for the last 4 years. The deer will look, but they don't come near enough to eat. Just sprinkle it all around the perimeter of your garden. I re-sprinkle about once a month. If you live where it rains a lot, you may have to use it more often.

Copy Kat Deer and Rabbit Repellent

There is a version of "Liquid Fence" on the market. I found this works just as well, just you have to use it more quickly due to it not having the preservatives in it. It smells bad when you apply it--this is your warning!! You will need 5 one gallon containers to mix this up. Fast and easy.

4 to 6 eggs
1 lg head of garlic, chopped
5 gallons of water
Any hot pepper you may have in the house

Put eggs, garlic and pepper in a blender with some water and blend until well mixed. Empty mixture in one of the gallon containers. Fill the container with water and mix well. Distribute the mixture into the other 4 containers until all 5 containers are equal.

Fill all 5 containers with water and set in the sun for 3 days to "ripen".

Sprinkle around the perimeter of the area you want to protect. You can also strain some mixture and put it into a spray bottle to spray on plants that might need extra treatment. Retreat every month or after a hard rain.

I have also mixed in onions. I donÂt know if it helped or not. I think the eggs and garlic is enough.

From what I have read, it helps to change the recipe every once in a while, so the deer donÂt get used to it. You can add milk, dish soap or salad oil in to help it work better.

To change my Kopy Kat, I use either garlic, hot pepper or spearmint oil as an additional smell taste bad ingredient to rotten eggs.

I've got a couple of dumb questions, so forgive me...

1. When you spray this stuff on plants, are you using a big sprayer like you use for applying weed killer? or putting it in a hand-held sprayer like household cleaners come in?

2. Do these concoctions make your garden stink to humans? My kids & neighbors would complain about that.

3. Do you just lightly spray the plant or have to thoroughly cover every branch, leaf, flower bud?

4. Does that rotting egg discolor your leaves/flowers?

5. For the "liquid fence" that is used around the perimeter of garden, same questions. Basically, how much do you need to apply to the ground - just light sprinkling or pretty thorough? And are my neighbors going to complain they can't BBQ outside because of a stench?

I'm in a subdivision, not out in the country, so kind of worried about ruining the enjoyment of our backyard for my kids as well as the neighbors.

Thanks!

For my Copy Cat Lq. fence, since I make it up in 1 gal milk jugs, I just carry the jug around the area I want to protect and let the lq sort of dribble out. It doesn't have to be a heavy stream, just a small dribble. It smalls bad when I first put it on, but the smell goes away as soon as it drys.