How Can I Tell If Deer Are Eating My Garden Plants?

How Can I Tell If Deer Are Eating My Garden Plants?

If you're waking up in Long Island, NYC, or anywhere across New Jersey to find your garden looking half-eaten, you're not alone. One of the most common questions we get here at Deer Guys, New York Deer Control, and New Jersey Deer Control is:

“How can I tell if deer are eating my plants?”

Let’s break it down. If something's been chewing up your flowers, shrubs, or trees, there are a few telltale signs that deer are the culprits.

1. The Bite Marks Say It All

Deer don’t nibble neatly like rabbits. They rip. If you’re seeing plants with jagged, torn edges—especially on soft growth like hostas, tulips, or daylilies—it’s probably deer. They use their bottom teeth to tear at stems and leaves, leaving rough, uneven damage.

✔️ Look for: Ragged tears, missing flower heads, shredded leaves.

2. Hoof Prints and Pellet Piles

Check the soil around your beds. Deer tracks look like upside-down hearts—two pointed toes. You might also find scattered piles of small, oval-shaped droppings. If you see prints near the damage, you’ve likely had a late-night visitor.

✔️ Look for: Deer prints in soft ground or mulch, clustered pellets.

3. Damage Happens Overnight

Deer are sneaky. They tend to feed around dusk, dawn, and overnight. If your garden looks full at night and wrecked by morning—yep, it’s deer. And once they know your yard is a food stop, they’ll keep coming back.

✔️ Look for: Fresh damage in the morning, new bite marks daily.

4. Favorite Plants on the Menu

In our years of servicing yards across Long Island, NYC, and New Jersey, we’ve noticed deer love certain plants more than others. These are always high-risk:

• Hostas
• Hydrangeas
• Tulips
• Roses
• Fruit trees
• Arborvitae
• Newly planted shrubs

If you’ve got these, you're basically running a buffet.

5. You Might See a Path

Deer often follow the same trails. If your plants along a fence line, driveway, or woodline are being eaten in a line—or if there's a flattened trail through tall grass—those are deer routes.

✔️ Look for: Repeated damage along one path or route.

What to Do if You See These Signs

If any (or all) of the above sound familiar, deer have found your property. And the bad news? They don’t leave on their own.

But here’s the good news:
At Deer Guys, New York Deer Control, and New Jersey Deer Control, this is exactly what we handle. Our team uses a natural, patented deer repellent that’s weather-resistant, virtually odorless, and made fresh daily. It’s designed to stop deer damage fast—without harming your plants, pets, or family.

Why Trust Us?

• We've been stopping deer damage since 2002
• Our repellent is not sold in stores
• Created by a wildlife biologist
• Safe, effective, and guaranteed

Caption: "Hosta leaves with ragged bite marks — clear signs of deer browsing"

Need Help? We’re Local and Ready to Spray

Whether you’re in:

📍 Suffolk or Nassau County – Deer Guys
📍 NYC boroughs – New York Deer Control
📍 North & Central NJ – New Jersey Deer Control

We’ll come to your home, inspect the damage, and get your property protected fast. Most clients stick with our year-round protection plan, but we offer seasonal options too.

👉 Ask us for a trial spray and see real results—fast.

Want us to stop by and take a look? Just give us a call or click to schedule. And if you're still not sure it's deer—send us a photo. We’ll let you know what’s eating your plants.

Because protecting your landscape is all we do.