7 Best Deer Rabbit Repellent | Stops the Graze, Not the Nose

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A mint-scented concentrate that covers an enormous area without the rotting-egg odor.

If your garden spans a serious chunk of land, this concentrate is the most cost-efficient way to protect it. Each 32-ounce bottle mixes into 2.5 gallons of ready-to-use spray, covering up to 10,000 square feet, versus the Safer Garden spray’s 375 square feet. You can treat a whole acre of property border with a single bottle. The mint scent is a real bonus: it smells pleasant to you while still repelling deer and rabbits effectively. Buyers report it protects hostas, daylilies, and hydrangeas even after heavy rain, with some noting it lasts 3-4 weeks between applications.

Unlike the Liquid Fence concentrate (which some buyers claim empties the bottle in under a minute through the hose sprayer), the I Must Garden mixes easily and stores safely in its concentrate form. One reviewer noted that after 10 years of deer damage, 4 months of use stopped all nibbling.

The main catch: for a spray repellent, you still need to reapply every few weeks during the growing season, and some buyers felt the price has gone up notably.

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A heavy-duty liquid that sets fast in rain and covers up to 600 plants per jug.

Plantskydd is the go-to choice when you need serious year-round control against deer, rabbits, elk, moose, hares, voles, squirrels, and chipmunks. The 1.3-gallon jug protects 500-600 plants at one foot high, and the formula is rainfast in just 24 hours — meaning after a single day, a heavy downpour won’t wash it off. During the growing season, you reapply every 2-4 weeks and spray new growth; in dormant season it lasts 3-6 months. Owners mention it keeps deer away from hostas with just two applications per season in the Midwest.

It is heavier than the I Must Garden concentrate — the jug weighs 10 pounds — but the trade-off is a much stickier formula that bonds to plant tissue. One buyer mentioned it clogs sprayers, so splashing it directly on plants works best, and the strong odor fades in about 12 hours.

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Hanging bags that keep deer away for up to six months with zero spraying.

This is the “set it and mostly forget it” option. Instead of mixing sprays or scattering granules, you hang the 20 included refillable bags every 4-6 feet around your garden perimeter. The bags cover up to 5,000 square feet, and the natural formula lasts up to 6 months per application — far longer than any spray on this list. One buyer in SE Michigan reported effective protection on a 1-acre property, while another with a 20-acre orchard has used it for 4 years on apple trees and maples. It works on deer and rabbits, plus elk, moose, and rodents.

The unique catch here: customers note that while it repels deer effectively, raccoons are sometimes attracted to the bags and will steal them — one owner reported raccoons hoarding the bags up trees. Also at 4 pounds, the bags are light to handle, but you need stakes or fence posts to hang them.

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A broad-spectrum granule that takes on deer, rabbits, squirrels, and more with one shaker bottle.

Bonide’s Repels-All is the Swiss Army knife of animal repellents. The 6-pound container comes with a built-in shaker top so you sprinkle pellets straight onto garden beds, around decks, or along fence lines, then lightly water them in. It targets a huge list of pests: squirrels, deer, rabbits, chipmunks, mice, skunks, rats, beavers, raccoons, porcupines, birds, and groundhogs. Buyers in SE Michigan report it works effectively on deer, rabbits, and other animals on a 1-acre property, lasting until September if refreshed after heavy rain. The natural active ingredients are biodegradable and safe around people and pets when used as directed.

However, if you compare it to the Repellex systemic granules, the Bonide is not absorbed into the plant tissue — it sits on the surface as a scent barrier. One customer observed it did not bother squirrels at all when sprinkled around a bird feeder, and another warned that the horrendous smell (which dissipates in 1-2 days) is strong upon application.

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A systemic granule that enters the plant itself and makes every leaf taste bad to animals.

Repellex works differently than any other product here. Instead of creating a surface scent barrier, the granules are absorbed through the plant’s roots into its cellular structure — this is called systemic protection. Once inside, a natural hot pepper concentrate travels to every part of the plant, including new growth, making it unpalatable to deer, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and many other animals. Because the active compound is protected inside the plant cells, it will not wash off in rain or degrade in sunlight, and the company claims protection can last up to one full year per application.

One buyer called it the only rabbit repellent that actually works. Another mentioned it worked well for hostas and petunias but was less effective on impatiens, and noted it requires monthly reapplication despite the marketing claim.

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A potent concentrate with a reputation for stopping the toughest rabbit and deer infestations.

Liquid Fence is the brand many gardeners turn to when nothing else has worked. The 32-ounce concentrate comes with a hose-end sprayer so you connect it to your garden hose and spray directly onto plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers. The spray itself has a notoriously strong smell — buyers describe it as “vile” — but it fades within about 12 hours, and the effect lasts for weeks. One reviewer called it the best repellent for heavy rabbit and deer pressure, noting that critters avoid covered plants entirely but don’t leave the area. Another buyer on a 5-star review said deer leveled their garden overnight until they used this, then “not even a nibble.”

However, there is a serious quality-control issue flagged by some buyers: one reported that the 32-ounce bottle emptied in under a minute through the hose sprayer, covering only 5 feet. Another said the smell ruined a backyard BBQ and pool use for days. If you get a good bottle, it works — but the consistency of the sprayer mechanism seems uneven.

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A small, affordable spray for targeted protection around a few flower beds.

If your garden is modest — a few raised beds, a row of azaleas, some hydrangeas — this ready-to-use spray is the most budget-friendly entry point. The 24-ounce bottle treats up to 375 square feet, while the I Must Garden concentrate covers up to 10,000 square feet. It uses a dual-action formula: it dries odorless to humans but irritates the animal’s sense of smell and taste, causing them to seek food elsewhere. Reviewers point out it is effective on azaleas and hydrangeas, water-resistant, but needs reapplication after heavy rain. The strong smell lasts 3-4 weeks according to one reviewer.

It is safe for use around children and pets when used as directed, and is made with natural ingredients. It also repels a broader list than just deer and rabbits: birds, cats, dogs, groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, and squirrels too. On the downside, the 375 square feet is tiny compared to any other pick here, and some buyers found it ineffective against determined quail and cats.