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Do Owls Scare Away Deer?

do owls scare away deer

If you’ve spotted an owl in the area, there is a chance that the deer may be around as much. This could have you wondering “do owls scare away deer?

Owls aren’t known to attack deer, but deer view them as predators and won’t go anywhere near them. Many people will even place plastic owls on their property to scare deer away and this trick surprisingly works well. If it looks like an owl, the deer want nothing to do with it.

Are you wondering if deer are afraid of owls? You’ve come to the right page. Today, we’re going to discuss if owls scare away deer and how you can keep deer around your hunting area if owls are nearby. Keep reading to learn more.

Are Deer Afraid of Owls?

Deer are known to be frightened of owls. Even though owls don’t consider deer prey, deer are still frightened by the sight of this bird. Any animal that can be considered a predator will frighten a deer. This is why homeowners who have a problem with deer on their property will set up a fake owl decoy. If they spot an owl figure, they will be scared away.

Are Owls a Threat to Deer?

Owls generally aren’t a threat to deer, however, there can be situations where an owl may attack a deer. This won’t happen out of the blue or just because the owl is hungry. There is always a reason that the owl will be provoked to attack. 

The only times an owl will attack a deer is if the deer is too close to its young or if the deer has chased away the prey that the owl was hunting. The latter is a very rare situation as well, as the owl will likely find new prey before attacking an animal as large as a deer. 

How to Deter Owls Away So They Don’t Scare Away Deer

There are several ways in which you can deter owls away from an area so the deer aren’t afraid to go there. Some of these include:

  • Make a lot of noise to scare the owl away. This includes clapping, yelling, horns, and other noisemakers. Basically, be as annoying as possible so the owl doesn’t want to be there.
  • Shine a bright light directly at it. If you know where the owl is residing at night, shine a bright light in that direction.
  • Set up a scarecrow.
  • Remove bird feeders, bird baths, and other attractions that lure birds to your property.
  • Make sure your cats, dogs, and other small pets come inside at night. This includes chicken and fowl as well. If they can’t come into your house, make sure they have a safe and secure place to stay where the owls won’t sense them.
  • Get rid of brush piles, dead trees, perches, and other areas that owls settle down on. Making it difficult for them to rest means that they are less likely to come back. You should also inspect your roof for holes and put a screen over your chimney to make things more complicated for owls in the area.

Best Ways To Attract Deer When Owls Are Around

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Owls in the area don’t have to mean the end of deers in the area. There are things you can do to attract deer when owls are around.

  • Place a water source on the property. This will attract deer because they use it for drinking and bathing.
  • Allows shrubs to grow around the property. When they flourish, deer will come to them because they can relax out of sight and avoid poor weather.
  • Place salt blocks in areas where you want to see more deer. They are attracted to the sodium in these salt licks.
  • Use corn. Deer love corn, so you can attract them by either planting corn or using corn feeders.

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

Do owls scare away deer? Owls do scare away deer even though they aren’t known to cause any harm to deer. Deer can frighten easily, so the fact that owls look like predators is enough for them. This has even inspired property owners to place fake owls on their property to scare deer away.

While you don’t have to worry about owls attacking deer in the area, you should try to deter them if you want to use the property for deer hunting. This can be done by making noise and limiting the things in the area that attract owls.

Make sure you also keep the property deer-friendly. This can be done by placing things in the area that deer enjoy, such as water, salt blocks, and corn feeders. Deers also love a tall shrub to use for shelter, which is very likely to get deer to continue coming back to an area.

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