Encounters with wild animals come up in every yard, garden and trail. This guide gathers our articles on bears, deer and common garden visitors in one place. Some cover what to do in an encounter, others test popular home deterrents, so you can see what each article says before you decide what to try.
Related guide: our complete raccoon guide.
Bears and deer
- What to do if you hit a deer: General guidelines for a deer collision, with a section for each state.
- Scents that repel bears: Which scents bears dislike, such as pepper spray and ammonia, and which to avoid.
- Do deer eat tomatoes: How deer behavior and diet relate to damage on garden tomato plants.
Animal senses and behavior
- Animals with the best smell: A ranking of animals with the strongest sense of smell, including bears.
- Deer feeding times: What deer feeding times are, what affects them, and common myths about them.
Do home deterrents work?
- Coffee grounds and squirrels: Whether coffee grounds keep squirrels away, with the research and pros and cons.
- Do solar lights deter animals: How effective solar lights are at keeping animals away, and alternatives to try.
- Coffee grounds and mice: Whether the coffee grounds theory holds up for keeping mice away.
- Coffee grounds and skunks: Whether coffee grounds deter skunks, and what experts say about it.
- Coffee grounds and deer: Whether coffee grounds keep deer off plants, plus alternative deterrents.
