Hey, this is Outside In, a show where curiosity and the natural world collide.

I'm Nate Hedgy.

And today's story starts in a humble strawberry patch that's under attack.

At one point, up to a third of the strawberry plants had been nibbled down so that just the crown was left, and most of the leaves had been eaten.

And, of course, lovely deer droppings all through my field, too.

This is Jeannie Bartlett.

Jeannie works on a farm in Vermont, but she also has this side hustle selling her own

homegrown strawberries.

That is, when they're not being pilfered by rogue deer.

Deer are cute and everything, but...

They recapbing.

Now, Jeannie has been a longtime fan of the show, which I know because she has called our listener hotline over a dozen times.

This is Jeannie, calling from Montpelier, Vermont.

Hey, outside is Gene is Jeannie Farquit.

This is Jeannie and several of my friends from Burlington, Vermont.

But this particular call about a possible solution to her dear problem was so intriguing.

Producer Taylor Quimby just had to call her back.

So where did you hear talk of the urine solution?

Yeah, I think I first remember hearing of coyote urine when I was little.

The deer were eating the yew bushes outside my house.

And I'm pretty sure a few years my dad sprayed a coyote urine product on them,

and I remember my mom complaining about the smell and being like, well, I guess it helps

...