I too get that brief sensation of wicked and deplorable goodness when I hear of these things, but it is always followed immediately by the sickening assuredness of that animal's demise. Like I have said before, I'm not an anti-hunter, I'm an anti Idiot-Hunter. My sanity rests on the knowledge that capable, intelligent, respectful hunters DO exist, although sometimes the things I hear and see make me feel like I really belong in the same cadre as the Nessie, Chupacabra, and Yeti seekers. Lately the news has been full of "human predations" and in each instance the troops are rallied and sent forth, guns blazing, to eliminate the offending animal. There were the two mountain lion attacks (one a write-up in Reader's Digest--(complete with color phot of the dead cat, which turned out to be an emaciated male) that reeked of the usual sensationalism-mongering-- and one near Denver) the black bear that killed the little boy and attacked his mom or sibling or something near Chattanooga, and the black bear that got after the hunter in Washington near the Olympic Peninsula. It usually ends the same, although I don't know if they ever killed a bear-any bear-in retaliation for the sad incident with the 2 year-old. I am not trying to be disrespectful, and if I lost a child to any animal I cannot imagine how I would feel, I really can't. But we continue to cut off migraton routes, shred habitat with subdivisions, and force animals into smaller and smaller little boxes of space, which also forces them into closer and closer cohabitation with US. Combine this with ever-growing numbers of humans hitting the trails and tromping through the woods and you are going to have troubles. For some reason we have come to either view animals as cute cuddly little creatures on exhibit in our own personal zoos, or else imagine them all as trap-jawed, gore-toothed monsters with a taste for human blood. This is the one reason why I am split right down the middle on the issue of reintroduction of the bigger carnivores. You are likely setting the animals up for a big run-in with humans, and the minute a bad thing happens, whatever the situation and the details, there will be people clamoring for a dead wolf, a dead bear, a dead mountain lion.

A little OT, but about hunters, I guess. When I was in college, back in 1492, best friend's parents were restoring a really OLD house. The original house would have just been kitchen area... HUGE timber beams and an area above that would have been for sleeping, I guess. We'd all end up out there on weekends helping out. On one of these days, her Mom said stay for dinner... fine with me. Then asked HOW I like my venison??? Her dad was a hunter and had a deer hangin in dirt floor basement of this old house. Had never had it before but was "game"... I know... GROAN!! Said I preferred steaks rare to medium-rare if that helped... though was up for whatever I was ofered. Thinking I was served the tenderloin of a really lazy deer that ate nothing but corn and other farm crops cuz it was FABULOUS!! Like filet mignon... NO strong taste and super tender. Remember my dad coming home from work with a few pounds of ground bear meat from a co-worker who hunted. It was darker than beef but made a great meatloaf.

Ah, gotcha. Well that seems easier to me than having "attractants" planted in the yard to invite them in. In that case, she can definitely try some of the minty plants I listed above and/or using the fertilizer lecorps4fun mentioned. I wasn't familiar with it and had to Google it, finding both good and bad reviews on using it as deer repellent. My opinion is that it probably wouldn't be very effective if it was used to deter deer from eating hostas in most of our gardens, but if used on the grass and any bushes they aren't interested in eating anyway then it just might be very good at keeping deer out of the area, if she's willing to keep reapplying it. Not sure if there are any "sonic" options that look like solar lights and would work. Also not sure if placing dog fur and/or poop around the perimeter of her property might help, but since some people have both indoor dogs that go out to pee/poop and still have deer pooping in their yards too then my guess would be no.

As evidence of deer intelligence. We hunted a ranch near San Saba where about 50 acres surrounding ranchers home was off limits. Deer only stared at us while in that pasture but not so if in the war zone. The lady put a cowbell on a buck which she had special attachment. Eventhough he would have been spared (unless hunter didn't believe what rancher said) ,we never once heard his bell outside that small pasture during season,,,,,except during rut. Can you imagine the campfire stories regarding what does thought about a lovesick buck with a bell on his neck? Come and get it was never mentioned.