Ticks are a year-round problem and affect over 300,000 Americans each year. Tick activity is at its peak during the warm months of the year and does not slow down until late fall. While many wildlife animals can get infected by a tick bite, one wild animal is to blame for the spread of ticks and the risk of Lyme Disease: white-tailed deer.

Whitetails that venture onto home properties do not harm people and pets on purpose - they simply are searching for food. However, when whitetails walk onto lawns and gardens, they tend to drop deer ticks in the grassy areas where children and pets play and gardeners grow in the backyard. This means that an increase in deer movement on lawns will bring more risk in ticks. 

Home growers that want to minimize the risk of tick infection will need to keep away white-tailed deer from landscapes with effective deer management strategies including: the use of a deer fence; growing deer-resistant plants; and applying deer repellents to the yard.

These methods are best for tick management and will see a reduction of whitetails on properties.