A Little Coyote Pee Please

A deer had a snack attack on my Hawaiian Red Ti plant.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and for my beloved, I brought him coyote urine. You see, we are at war with deer.

A few days ago I came home to spot two new plants pulled up by their roots with the tops eaten off. And last night as we left for dinner, we spotted seven deer on someone's front lawn. Yes, seven deer. They just looked at us as if to say, "What! And just what do you think you're going to do?" They mock us.

A scare tactic: coyote urine

So yesterday I went to a local feed store. I have never been in a feed store before. Aside from the usual horse, cow and bird things, they had purses, jewelry and assorted other items I guess in an effort to feed a woman's soul. As I looked at the purses, I decided to get on with what I came for -- coyote pee.

I strolled up to the cashier area and patiently waited for the lady to finish checking out someone. There was rancher standing to my right and another man on my left. When the cashier said, "Next," the men gallantly told me I could go ahead of them. "Oh, thanks," I said. Then I said, "I need coyote urine. Do you have any?" This cracked everyone up.

"I'm at war with deer," I said. 

"I bet I know where you live," said the rancher. "They are terrible around there."

My tulips out front are defying the odds.

That's an understatement. I swear there are herds of them around here. Of course, we can't shoot them. But one neighbor (not us) shot one with an arrow. They deer survived and walks around with the arrow sticking out of its neck. Now there's an ordinance against bow hunting too.

Coyote urine comes in pellets or the liquid form. At first I opted for both. Then I saw the price tag. About 12 ounces costs $15. So, I got the pellets figuring that it may last longer with all of the rain we've been getting. It says it keeps deer, elk, armadillos and javelinas away.

Cyclamen is brussel sprouts to deer.

So last night I gave my husband his Valentine's card and then handed him the coyote urine pellets. You've been married a long time when something like that excites the both of you. Last night he went out and sprinkled it around our plants. This morning he came in all excited. "It doesn't look like the deer got into our plants!"

So far we've learned that deer don't like Blue Plumbago, Monkey Grass, Vinca's, Cyclamen, or ginger plants. They load up on roses, hibiscus, tulips, pansies, snapdragons, and just about any other pretty flowering plant. The latter are like an all night buffet to them.

"Well, if this doesn't work maybe we can capture a real coyote and leash it out front," I kidded my husband. "That probably would be cheaper than continuing to buy pellets."

Wondering if this doesn't work, what's left?

The Wondering Texan