paintball for deer control in my yard?

Big fence an option?

I'm not sure you'll have much luck with airguns unless you set there 24/7 to smack them with a plastic BB, and even then, with time I think they will get used to the BB smack and keep eating your stuff. I know here only a serious fence or crossbow stops them.

In that scenario my choice would be a really tall fence.
It works silently, without hassle, 24 x 7 x 365. Easy.

I used to cast and shoot resin balls from my Phantoms and other pumps sometimes. Those or maybe marbles (ive found very few that could be made to work) are what id probably use, just be aware they may be lethal if they hit them wrong....or at least lethal on smaller animals, never bounced one off a deer size critter's head. you'll also likely need a gun/barrel with sized inserts to actually FIT your ammunition.
Indoor paintballs wont hurt them, tho will likely only be as effective as chasing them out of the yard.
Regular paintballs will sting and be as effective as a resin ball or marble but will leave a very obvious splotch...I "hunted" deer around our farm a few times with my old Talon, never actually hit one, tho I did shoot a few Francolin with it.

Another other idea would be a high power airsoft rifle and biodegradable BBs. I put together a CO2 powered gun that would punch the heavy aluminum ones clean thru both sides of a coffee can, and the regular propane-powered one will sting pretty good at 30yds.

Last idea and probably most practical is a simple pump pellet gun loaded with bbs or flat point pellets. Give it 3 pumps and youll sting the crap out of the deer but the rounds shouldnt penetrate fur/skin.

No idea how the law would regard any of this kinda activity, so your on your own there.

The fence and/or a dog in the back yard are probably the best options.

I think besides rubber balls, pepper bomb balls are also used for crowd/riot control.

I think they would be much more effective.

Once again, I don’t know the legalities or availability of such items.

Been there, done that. As long as there is something to eat there you are going to lose. I have about a dozen apple and peach trees on my property, I planted them about 20 years ago. I have gotten ONE peach in the entire time I have been there. ONE.

They get basically tame, they will learn paint ball distance and just move out of range till you get tired and go back inside....you are going to loose.

The only thing that worked was an outside dog, but that has its own issues. Invisible fence will stop the dog from chasing and the deer will learn that, and you listen to the dog yapping all day, their vocal cords never get sore. Take dog inside and guess where deer go.....you will loose.

They will eat your fruit, they will eat your tulips, in the winter they will start to starve and strip the trees of bark killing those trees......and you will loose.

You will finally just resign yourself to they are here first, and they will be here after you are gone, and stop fighting.

If you come up with something let me know.....and don't let anyone see you shooting them with a bb gun or paint ball, you will get a visit from people with badges.

A 15-foot black chainlink fence is typically very effective. I have yet to see deer get past.
If you wish to be really fancy about it…erect a double-fence about 6-8 feet apart with gates.

If a truly Olympic-caliber deer somehow clears the first fence, the deer will now be in the channel.
Simply open the exterior gate and the deer will wander back out. That is how my buddy built his.

He had started with much lower fences and learned the deer were strong enough to clear them.
Ever since opting for the taller double-fences…not a deer (or any other critter) in his yard with his kids.

Blue Jays said:

A 15-foot black chainlink fence is typically very effective. I have yet to see deer get past.
If you wish to be really fancy about it…erect a double-fence about 6-8 feet apart with gates.

If a truly Olympic-caliber deer somehow clears the first fence, the deer will now be in the channel.
Simply open the exterior gate and the deer will wander back out. That is how my buddy built his.

He had started with much lower fences and learned the deer were strong enough to clear them.
Ever since opting for the taller double-fences…not a deer (or any other critter) in his yard with his kids.

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Good idea, but listen close.....ka ching, the sound the deer makes trying to jump the fence is the same sound you wallet will make paying for this.

If you live in town you might check before you go down this road, might be regs against this kind of thing.

Folks around here have resorted to high fencing their yards to keep them out. You can try everything but as mentioned they learn. Kind of ironic though because the big ranches high fence their land to keep the deer in...

Remington1911 said:

"…Good idea, but listen close.....ka ching, the sound your wallet will make paying for this…"

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Buy once, cry once.

The reality is a single 15-foot fence will thwart 99.95% of deer.
The extra course of fencing with gates pushes that to 99.999%.

I was at Los Alamos in New Mexico a few years back and saw a mule deer jump at least a six foot fence from a standing position. You will need a pretty tall fence. I have three Does that hang around my house. They have eaten their way through too many of my young trees, killing too many. I too am interested in your same solution. Town used to issue permits and I let a guy with once such permit park in my driveway when I saw how far he had to walk. Was happy to see him. Anyhow I know when they are moving because the dogs smell them and my outside cameras are pointed their way. Having a 15 foot fence is not an option.

Blue Jays said:

Buy once, cry once.

The reality is a single 15-foot fence will thwart 99.95% of deer.
The extra course of fencing with gates pushes that to 99.999%.

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I do agree, but for someone like me it is not doable unless I have income sources like Hunter Biden. Fencing in 15A of land would be a tad bit spendy.

Remington1911 said:

"…Fencing in 15A of land…"

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Yowza! You are 100% correct. That much land would require Rockefeller-level coin to double-fence.

Some years back I had a neighbor with a large red setter. Every evening he'd let it out to run free. Of course it would always deficate in someone else's yard. Speaking to him multiple times did no good.

One evening I had gotten home with my brand new single shot (yep, even before we figured out how to put pump activation on them) paint ball gun. I happened to have it loaded when the dog came by. As it squatted I let fly and hit it in the butt. It ran off in the squatting position deficating all the way home. It never again entered my yard. No permanent damage, but the dog remembered.

So, just a regular paint ball would likely work quite well.

1KPerDay said:

is it an airgun or a non-firearm weapon? regardless, has anyone had success chasing off deer with paintball guns perhaps with the rubber bullets? I have about 7 deer that live in my neighbor's barn and hang out in my yard every day. I scare them out but they just run around to the front yard and come back in. Ideas welcome. The city does not issue in-town archery permits or other helpful stuff. They are all ex-californians and think that it's wonderful to have nature in my property. Crapping all over my property and destroying all my plants and fences.

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Probably a very bad idea. Game Wardens would be all over you.!! Some neighbor complains of painted deer!
Animal cruelty or whatever,

If you are already fenced with something, you can run a double strand of electric across the top. Not too much cost and tends to work pretty well so long as it's something they can see so they make the connection. Recommend smooth 12.5 aluminized wire and a charger rated for bulls so minimum 7kv and at least 0.5 joules. Yes they can jump it, but generally once they get jolted a few times they just stay away. A good solar charger can run freestanding for a couple years before needing a new battery. Bait a new fence so they are enticed to touch it and learn what it does. Obviously set up when they are not inside or they will never leave.

Where I live (CT) the deer are very well deterred by my slingshot !. I hit them in the rump, and they don't come back. And I am talking about a garden-variety slingshot, using 00 buck shot. You should see their surprise when they get hit. Takes a little practice, but eventually a rump shot is not that difficult. I believe that an airgun pellet simply registers as an insect bite, but the buckshot is much more effective (and non-lethal).

1KPerDay said:

I've read varying things about how high they need to be. 10'? 10' with electric wire across the top? Anyone have experience with this? I hate these forest rats.

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I was told at least 7 feet. We've got an acre surrounded by woods and the deer destroy about everything we plant. You can scare them off but they will always come back. A farmer(biggest farm in state) I know used air compressor cannons that would make a noisy blast every few minutes and it worked until they got used to it, then they ignored it. He tried different scents like hanging scented soap but got used to that too. The only thing that did work somewhat was thinning the herd with state issued crop damage permits. They killed up to twenty deer some nights for the thirty years I worked out of that farm and they still have a deer crop damage problem. We fed 200 people at an annual game dinner with just a portion of those deer. We've used deer repellents on some of our plants which do seem to help. We've learned to live with and actually enjoy the deer and bears that frequent our property. If you find a solution market it and you'll make enough money to buy Twitter!

LoonWulf said:

Regular paintballs will sting and be as effective as a resin ball or marble but will leave a very obvious splotch...

Another other idea would be a high power airsoft rifle and biodegradable BBs. I put together a CO2 powered gun that would punch the heavy aluminum ones clean thru both sides of a coffee can, and the regular propane-powered one will sting pretty good at 30yds.

Last idea and probably most practical is a simple pump pellet gun loaded with bbs or flat point pellets. Give it 3 pumps and youll sting the crap out of the deer but the rounds shouldnt penetrate fur/skin.

Click to expand...

Multi-colored deer running around would be entertaining to see! lol

I've 'trained' our local goose population with my air rifle to stay on the far side of our neighborhood pond and have no doubt that deer could be convinced in the same manner.

earlthegoat2 said:

I think besides rubber balls, pepper bomb balls are also used for crowd/riot control.

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Cayenne powder is a great deterrent for all kinds of garden thieves! Not too expensive but does need to be reapplied regularly...

First off if you have a large acreage you or someone should be hunting it during deer season to cut down on the population.

If you are using the old style paint ball guns put the paint balls in the freezer & turn the pressure of you guns way up. The paint balls won't break & will leave a large whelp where it hits.

If you want a more humane way of keeping deer out of your area try this spray.

Rotten Egg Spray
Eggs contain sulfur compounds, and when they decompose, they release a putrid gas called hydrogen sulfide. The smell is worse than a bad case of morning breath and will send deer far away from your yard.

Ingredients:
*3 raw eggs
*3 cloves of garlic (you can add more if you want)
*3 cups of water
*3 tablespoons of milk or yogurt (milk products contain a protein called casein that helps the mixture stick when dry)
*3 tablespoons cayenne pepper

1. Blend the eggs, garlic, milk, cayenne pepper, and water in a blender.
2. Pour into a container with a lid, and let it sit outside for several days to ferment.
3. Strain the mixture into a spray bottle, and spray on plants and on the perimeters of your yard or garden. Please save any remaining repellent in a jar, and wash out the bottle after each use because the nozzle will get clogged if not washed properly.