There is an old myth that claims the smell of porcupine urine keeps other animals away from an area. This has a lot of people wondering “do porcupines scare deer away?“
The tale of porcupines scaring off deer is only known as a myth. Many property owners have spotted both porcupines and deer in the same area. If there are porcupines in the area, you don’t have to worry about them frightening the deer away.
Are there porcupines in the area where you go deer hunting? This is the right page for you. Today, we’re going to discuss how deer react around porcupines and what you need to be prepared for when they’re in the area. Keep reading to learn more.
Are Deer Afraid of Porcupines?
Deer aren’t afraid of porcupines. It’s not uncommon to see porcupines and deer in the same spot unbothered by each other’s presence.
That being said, there are times when deer are no longer showing up in an area with porcupines. This has nothing to do with them being afraid. The reason why the deer have chosen to find a new area is that they are on the search for food. Porcupines are known to eat a lot, so they can scavenge all of the crops in the area.
If there is no food, there is no reason for the deer to return.
How to Deter Porcupines From the Area
There are many ways to get rid of porcupines, unfortunately, some of the most common solutions can also keep deer away as well. Since porcupines don’t pose a threat to deer, there isn’t an immediate need to deter them from the area. However, if your crops are limited, you may want to reserve them for the deer.
In this case, the most humane way to get porcupines out of the area is by using a live trap. Place the live trap in an area where the porcupines have been active. Make sure you bait the traps with something that will attract a porcupine, such as a piece of wood.
Once you successfully capture a porcupine, you will need to release it in a new area. To make sure it stays away from the area, you should always release it at least 25 miles away. If you aren’t comfortable releasing the porcupine on your own, you should contact animal control.
Best Ways to Attract Deer When Porcupines Are Around
When porcupines are around, the reason they will deter deer is that they’re eating all the crops. Both deer and porcupines are always on the search for food, and both animals are herbivores. This is why it’s not unusual to find both animals looking for food in the same area.
If there are berries in the area, that will attract both deer and porcupines. If the porcupines are driving deer away, you don’t need to get rid of the deer. Instead, you need to focus on what plants both animals are searching for and plant more that will attract deer.
Porcupines generally eat tree bark, pine needles, leaves, roots, stems, and seeds. Deer will search for a diverse vegetation of crops, grass, nuts, and more. Planting some of the crops deer love (corn, alfalfa, red clover, and more) can bring more deer back to the area.
On the other hand, you should also make sure there are food sources that the porcupines enjoy as well so they don’t scavenge everything in the area. It also helps to attract deer back to the area if there is an available water source. This way the deer will have water for drinking and bathing.
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 porcupines scare away deer? Despite the old wives’ tale that says porcupine urine scares away other animals, this isn’t true. Deer aren’t afraid of porcupines and the two animals don’t interfere with each other. You may even notice deer and porcupines in the same area without bothering each other. Porcupines usually don’t affect deer hunting.
However, porcupines do eat a lot. They are known to completely clear the crop or vegetation in an area. This can drive away deer that are in the area because of the food sources. For this reason, people will need to make sure there are plenty of food sources, as well as a water sources, to keep deer coming back to the area when porcupines are around.
If porcupines have become a problem in the area, the most humane solution to deal with it is by using live traps. This way, you can move the porcupines to a new area. When doing this, make sure the new location is at least 25 miles away from your property so they don’t find their way back. Make sure you relocate the porcupine in a wooded area.