Melissa, you hit the nail on the head. I have a large yard on many levels that's fenced and hedged in. However, it was just a 5' split rail around the back and at the time it was becoming a small forest of undergrowth so they felt very safe there and probably spent most nights in its embrace! LOL! I had at least two sets of foals, but the last ones decided it was home, until I decided to clear it out and maintain it as a garden. In truth, we never had deer until just a few years ago when they developed one of the forested areas. Then they had nowhere to go. I know some people hate them, but seeing mom caring for the little one was enchanting and seeing the newborn babies so close was something I'll never forget. I would be spring weeding and suddenly found myself up close and personal with a little bambi hiding in the ferns! If only they just slept in my yard and didn't eat the roses! Still, I prefer them to coyotes and raccoons!
As an interim measure (since my various devices were often unsuccessful) I fully enclosed each bed with short fencing that I could easily open and close. This looks better and is easier to maintain to my mind than caging each individual plant. They NEVER bother the enclosed beds at all, just eating the buds and flowers that stick out through the fencing. Probably, the netting or fishing line might have worked had they not been familiar with my yard. This explains why I rarely post full garden shots!
I'm hoping my latest measures work and I can take off the caging finally!
