Goats are cute and lovable animals that everyone loves to play with. But when it comes to hunting, do they scare away deer?
Yes, goats do scare away deer when hunting. Goats are smelly animals, and any smelly animal will deter deer from staying in the area. This is because the overwhelming smell of goats takes away deer’s number one safety sense: smell. They also compete for the same food sources, meaning if goats are around, chances are deer are not.
There you go! In the rest of this article, we will explore the relationship between deer and goats and how to keep goats away from you.
Deterring Goats
Lavender
There are a few ways to keep goats away. They mainly have to do with smells. Goats have a handful of smells that they do not like at all.
The first smell that goats hate is lavender. Lavender is a popular herb famous for its extremely pleasant smell. While it may not make sense to plant lavender plants when you are hunting, you can always use a lavender oil spray to deter goats if you are in the woods.
You can also plant lavender in the ground to keep them away.
Mullein
A plant that has been used for medicinal purposes, mullein is another plant that goats do not like. When a goat steps on mullein, it releases a scent that goats hate. It also tastes bitter to them. As with lavender, you can buy a mullein spray or eyedropper that will cover you in its scent.
Sage
A plant long used for cooking and its scent, sage is a third plant that keeps goats away. Goats do not like the scent of the plant. It is also toxic for them to eat. As with the previous two plants, a sage spray in the woods would help keep goats away. You can also plant them.
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is another scent that keeps goats away. It irritates goats and is strong enough to cause a bitter taste if the goats eat it. As with the previous plants, use a spray if you are in the woods hunting.
Animal Poop
As disgusting as it sounds, animal poop is a deterrent to goats. Apply it to areas where you want goats to stay away from. While we don’t recommend covering yourself in poop, a spray might do the trick.
Peppermint Oil
An easy-to-get spray, peppermint oil is great for scaring goats away. It’s a universal essential oil, so it won’t be hard to find. The strong scent of peppermint oil irritates the sinuses of the goat.
Loud Noises
This one is tricky because noises can and will also scare away deer. But loud noises are a good deterrent for goats. Of course, use this option wisely if hunting.
How to Attract Deer if Goats Are Around
Simply put, you’re going to have a hard time attracting deer if goats, especially many of them, are around the area. Goats and deer compete for the same food sources, and goats are experts at stripping away the land of vegetation.
On top of that, goats are smelly animals, which keeps away deer due to them losing their number one safety sense: smell. However, here are a few ways to attract deer in general.
Deer Attractions
The surest way to attract deer is through food. Various crops such as corn, turnips, peas, milo, clover, and alfalfa will attract deer. Plant some of the vegetation we spoke about above to keep goats away.
Additionally, liquid deer bait is another good way to attract deer. It’s almost impossible for them to resist it. Wintertime causes deer to seek the most nutritious meal they can find, leading them straight to this.
Finally, deer scents can cause deer to come running. You can buy deer scent products anywhere on the market, a sure way to get a deer to come to you.
We recommend using a deer attractant like this one from Amazon. There’s no mixing required with this formula. Simply place it on the ground to help attract deer.
Final Thoughts
Deer and goats do not mix. Goats keep away deer due to their smell, which eliminates a security sense for deer, and the fact that they both compete for the same food sources. A group of goats will eat up all the deer’s food before getting there, causing their incentive to disappear.
But there are ways to keep goats away. These include sprays such as cayenne pepper, lavender, sage, and peppermint oil. You can also plant these plants and more, like mullein. They will keep goats away from you and the area they are planted.
Finally, there are some ways to attract deer, although it is much harder with goats nearby. Most likely, if goats are nearby, deer will not come. You can use crops such as corn and soybeans to attract deer. Furthermore, you could use liquid deer bait or deer scents. Either can easily be purchased on the market.
