Deer Control

Deer Control and Exclusion in New York: Garden Damage, Ticks, and Fencing

March 7, 2025·10 min read

New York's white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population has expanded dramatically over the past three decades. Estimated at over 1 million statewide, deer are now present in significant numbers in nearly every county — including suburban Nassau, Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam Counties, as well as urban greenspaces throughout the outer boroughs. The consequences for homeowners are multifaceted: destroyed gardens, vehicle collisions, and a significantly elevated Lyme disease risk through the role deer play in expanding tick habitat.

The Deer Problem in New York: Current Context

White-tailed deer in New York thrive at the urban-suburban interface. The fragmented woodland and landscape mosaic of Westchester, Rockland, and Long Island's North Shore provides ideal deer habitat — edge habitat with abundant browse, little predation pressure, and multiple food sources including landscaping, gardens, and agricultural edges. Where hunting pressure is low or absent (as in most suburban and urban parks), deer populations grow unchecked.

The economic impact is substantial. NYSDEC estimates deer-vehicle collisions cause over $1 billion in annual property damage across New York State. Garden and landscape damage costs individual homeowners hundreds to thousands of dollars per year in plant replacement. In communities like Shelter Island, Fire Island, and the affluent suburbs of Westchester, deer have essentially eliminated the possibility of unprotected ornamental or vegetable gardening.

Lyme disease in New York is strongly correlated with deer density. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) — the Lyme disease vector — uses white-tailed deer as its primary reproductive host. Adult ticks must feed on a large mammal (typically deer) to reproduce. Areas with high deer density have dramatically higher tick density and correspondingly higher Lyme disease incidence rates. Suffolk and Westchester Counties consistently report among the highest Lyme disease rates in the United States.

NYSDEC Regulations: What Homeowners Can and Cannot Do

White-tailed deer are a protected game species in New York. This means:

• Hunting: Legal during designated seasons with appropriate NYSDEC license and permit. Archery, muzzleloader, and firearm seasons vary by region. Suburban and urban areas have significant discharge restrictions limiting hunting options even where deer populations are highest.
• Lethal removal outside hunting season: Requires a Deer Damage Permit from NYSDEC. These are issued primarily for agricultural operations with documented crop damage and require application, review, and written justification. Residential property owners rarely qualify.
• Feeding: Intentional deer feeding is prohibited in many New York municipalities and strongly discouraged statewide. Feeding deer concentrates animals, accelerates habitat degradation, and increases vehicle collision and tick density risks.
• Non-lethal management: Fencing, repellents, and habitat modification do not require permits and are available to all property owners.

Fencing: The Most Reliable Solution

For garden and landscape protection, a properly installed deer fence is the only fully reliable long-term solution. Options for New York homeowners include:

8-Foot Polypropylene Deer Fence

High-tensile polypropylene hexagonal mesh in 8-foot height is the most cost-effective option for protecting garden areas and small properties. At $1.50–$3.00 per linear foot (materials only), it is dramatically less expensive than woven wire or wood fencing and is nearly invisible at a distance. It must be properly tensioned and secured at the base — deer routinely push under loosely installed fence.

Woven Wire or High-Tensile Electric Fence

For larger properties and agricultural applications, 8-foot woven wire or multi-strand high-tensile electric fencing provides more durable long-term protection. Electric fencing with a peanut butter bait station on the hot wire conditions deer to avoid it after a single contact — this is the most cost-effective large-area solution when properly maintained.

Double Fence

Two parallel 4-foot fences spaced 3–4 feet apart exploits a quirk of deer behavior: they can clear height or distance but not both simultaneously. This system works well for properties with aesthetic restrictions on fence height, such as HOA communities or historic districts common in Westchester and Nassau Counties.

Repellents: Effective as Supplements, Not Standalone Solutions

Spray repellents containing putrescent egg solids (Liquid Fence, Deer Out, Bobbex) consistently outperform other repellent types in university trials. They work by creating an olfactory signal that deer associate with predator activity. Their limitations:

• Must be reapplied every 2–4 weeks throughout the growing season, or after significant rain.
• Effectiveness decreases when deer are severely food-stressed in winter — hungry deer will browse through repellent treatments.
• They work best on ornamental plantings and landscape beds, not vegetable gardens where the smell can affect produce.
• Deer habituate over time — rotating between different repellent types (contact vs. area repellents) helps maintain effectiveness.

Deer-Resistant Plant Selection for New York Gardens

In high-deer-pressure areas, plant selection is as important as physical exclusion. Deer-resistant plants for New York conditions include:

• Herbs: Lavender, rosemary, Russian sage, yarrow — aromatic plants that deer avoid.
• Perennials: Catmint, bleeding heart, foxglove, astilbe, coreopsis, hellebore.
• Shrubs: Boxwood, spirea, forsythia, viburnum (varies by species), barberry, juniper.
• Trees: Birch, spruce, Douglas fir — deer occasionally browse but rarely to the point of killing established trees.
• Avoid: Arborvitae, hosta, azalea, daylily, tulip, and most roses — these are highly preferred deer browse and will be severely damaged in high-deer-pressure areas without physical protection.

Frequently Asked Questions