Understanding scents offensive to animals is important whether attempting to keep them out of your yard and gardens or away from your campsite. Let’s take a look at which scents and smells assorted animals dislike and why:
Deer
Deer are more annoying than anything else, as they have the habit of wandering onto property and chowing down on veggie gardens. Oh, and there’s the deer tick-Lyme disease thing. Eeesh. If dealing with a deer problem, the most effective option other than fencing is predator urine. While deer also dislike assorted herbs, such as yarrow, mint, thyme, dill and oregano, predator urine is a surefire solution. Purchase cougar, wolf or coyote urine at your local outdoor/hunting goods store, and soak cloths in the urine. Place the cloths in plastic containers featuring holes and stick them in and around your garden.
Bear
When creating a campsite, ensure it’s off known bear trails and keep food products at least 24 feet away from your trailer or tent. Human body odor used to be a good bear repellent, however the sweaty t-shirt method has become less effective as the animals are increasingly used to people. Other scents repellent to bears include “bear spray,” a highly-condensed form of pepper spray. Whether you want to get close enough to a bear to try the spray is another matter!
Remember, if you come across a bear and have food on you, throw it as far as you can to discourage the creature from approaching you.
Cougars
Domestic cats dislike the scent of practically any essential oil, so it’s possible the oils would also deter a mountain lion. Cats of all sizes have very sensitive noses, and don’t enjoy anything that interferes with their ability to smell. This isn’t an endorsement for dousing yourself with lavender oil and fighting a cougar, however!
Pepper spray is again a good deterrent as it interferes with sense of smell, though as with bears the trick is to actually spray the animal with it. If a mountain lion is coming your way, you’d best not run, as this will tell kitty you’re prey who needs chasing. However, waiting till the right moment to spray the animal can mean the different between a getaway and really large claw-related injuries.
Have you found certain scents helpful in repelling wild animals? Share your tips in the comments section!
