It works, it really works! This little guy single handedly defended my garden from the neighborhood deer. Last year the woods side of my garden took a lot of damage. This year, when they ate all of my Yogoslavian Red lettuce, just as it was about to form it’s tender, beautiful, small heads, I asked my gardening friends for advice. We went over many of the things that don’t work too well and I was actually thinking about spending hundreds of dollars for fencing, when one of my garden friends mentioned she’d had success with a motion activated water system, marketed as the Scarecrow. When it senses something moving in its “line of sight” it sends out a strong jet of water. The sensitivity and the range of water movement can be controlled. Mine is made by Contec but I noticed Haveaheart also had their version. They aren’t too expensive but you probably want to add a dedicated hose and a splitter if you can’t dedicate a water outlet to it.
Some friends found evidence that deer would lose their fear over time. So as soon as the summer garden was winding down, I turned it off. However, it seems the deer haven’t checked back recently as nothing has been eaten. It may be in neighborhoods like mine where there are few deer, it’s a permanent deterrent.
Now if I could find something just as effective for chipmunks. In my tightly packed garden, they quickly learned how to stay out of the Scarecrow’s sight. I ordered Coyote Urine crystals from the same source and only succeeded in ruining my garden shoes. Stinky!