You might adore Bambi and her mom and dad, just not in your backyard. If you life in a rural area or close to a park there is a good chance that deer will pay you regular visits at nighttime. Deer are nocturnal, they use the protection of the night to go foraging. They love young green sprouts and there is a good chance your garden is full of them.
So how do you keep deer out of your garden? Here are some ideas:
1. The most obvious solution is putting up a fence. It has to be high enough, because deer can actually jump quite high. You should be fine with a fence of about 10 feet though. Check for holes on a regular base, these elegant animals are capable to wiggle themselves through any opening. If you don't want to surround your garden with a deer proof fence you could also consider electrical fencing. Beware if you have kids though!
2. If fencing your garden in is not an option you may protect individual plants and trees. Put plastic of wire protection around young trees in order to keep the deer from nibbling at the bark. The protection should at least be 6 feet high, depending on the size of the tree.
3. You could use deer repellent on vulnerable plants. The idea is to spray the plants with some substance with an unpleasant odor (for deer), so they will go elsewhere to find more appealing food. Commercial repellents usually smell like some predators urine. A homemade solution are hairbags: put human hair in a little clothbag and put it on the plants. Or prepare an egg-water-mixture (20% egg - 80 % water) and spray them onto your plants.
4. Don't convert your garden in a sanctuary for deer during winter months. Although it might be very educational for your kids to watch the deer eat the fodder you put out for them, by doing so, you will make your garden interesting for them - they will remember to come back in spring and summer for more!
5. A cheap solution worth trying, is putting up a strong fishing line between trees and the like. The deer don't see it and when they bump into it they will be startled and will (hopefully) turn around