WARNING: DISGUSTING!!! Preventing hunters by scaring away wildlife... | Homestead Security | Forums

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I have had continued problems from a neighbor trespassing on my property to illegally hunt. The last Sheriff's officer had a good suggestion: Stop the hunting by scaring away the wildlife (deer) by urinating and spreading hair clippings all over the property.

Problem: Anytime it rains, all that scent gets washed away or diluted.

There are products you can buy for this purpose which are water insoluble so they will continue to work regardless of rain. But they are super expensive. My property is 7.5 acres which comes out to 326,700 square feet. I could buy something like Bobbex Deer Repellent, but it would cost me about $400+ just for the two 5 gallon containers of concentrated spray. Never mind that I'd need to spend another $30 to $50 for a pressurized sprayer, or that it would probably take me 2 full days of mixing and spraying to cover my property and the outside edges of my borders. (I can spray beyond my boundary lines while remaining inside the bounds of my property with the aid of the pressurized sprayer.)

While I don't want to shell out the money for the Bobbex, their website said something that got me thinking: "The fish oil used in the product allows the product, when dry on plants, to be water insoluble."

Since my conversation with that Sheriff's officer, I've been urinating into empty apple juice jugs. (Its the perfect camouflage so people don't realize it's all urine.) I've spread about 1&1/3 gallons along the southern end of my property so far. There's been so little rain that there's been a constant burn ban in effect.

Then yesterday (Friday), it rained. It's still raining today (Saturday), and according to weather forecasts, will continue raining through Tuesday. All my time and effort on the south side of my property is being washed away literally as I write this.

So I already have another 1&1/4 gallons of urine saved up, but this time I'd like to try mixing it with something that will make it resistant to as many rains as possible. That means making it water insoluble and not entirely liquid based.

While the fish oil is one suggestion coming from Bobbex, I looked into it further to see what I could come up with as a water insoluble option...

Basically there are oils, and there are waxes. But there are many kinds of oils and waxes to choose from, and I need something with the right balance of physical properties (and odors, or lack thereof). I need something that is neither solid, or too liquid.

My first thought was petroleum jelly (aka Vaseline). But that's a bit too solid. After doing some reading, I stumbled upon the idea of oil-based wax pomade.

I looked up DIY pomade and learned it is made by melting down any semi-solid oil or wax in a double boiler, and then mixing in liquid state oils while in the early stage of cooling before it re solidifies.

Most of the DIY videos used rather fru-fru scented options which would be attractants. I want mine not just repellent, but downright repugnant!

So for my semi-solids, I can melt down generic Vaseline, lard, and old rancid cooking fats. For my liquid oils, I think I can use castor oil, vegetable oil, and maybe a dab of old motor oil. (I may not use the motor oil as I'm concerned about the environmental impact.)

While It's all still liquefied, then I'd add in the urine.... in theory. For spraying with the pressure sprayer I would want to re-liquefy the solution either by re-melting it first which would likely re-solidify a little too quickly and clog up the pressure sprayer, or I could use a solvent (like alcohol, only different since alcohol does not work as a solvent on petroleum jelly) to liquefy the solution. The trouble is, I'd want to use one that would evaporate (like alcohol) allowing the solution to re-solidify once applied.

Petroleum Jelly Physical properties
Petroleum jelly is a mixture of hydrocarbons, having a melting point usually within a few degrees of human body temperature, approximately 37 °C (99 °F).[5] It is flammable only when heated to liquid; then the fumes will light, not the liquid itself, so a wick material like leaves, bark, or small twigs is needed to ignite petroleum jelly. It is colorless, or of a pale yellow color (when not highly distilled), translucent, and devoid of taste and smell when pure. It does not oxidize on exposure to the air and is not readily acted on by chemical reagents. It is insoluble in water. It is soluble in dichloromethane, chloroform, benzene, diethyl ether, carbon disulfide and oil of turpentine.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum_jelly#Physical_properties

I have a few concerns:

• Petroleum Jelly has potential to be flammable, particularly once liquefied.
• The other fats and oils also have (less) potential to be flammable.
• Solvent: Dichloromethane is classified as volatile. It can melt plastic (of the pressure sprayer), and it is toxic and poses human risk by inhalation or skin contact.
• Solvent: Chloroform is simply not an option. It presents too many potential dangers, and requires special license to purchase.
• Solvent: Benzene is a Carcinogen... aka causes cancer. No thank you.
• Solvent: Diethyl Ether is classified as volatile, highly flammable, and with a low flash point. It can melt plastic (of the pressure sprayer).
• Solvent: Carbon Disulfide is volatile and may be life-threatening because it affects the nervous system. No thank you.
• Solvent: Turpentine is combustible and flammable, and its vapour can irritate the skin and eyes, damage the lungs and respiratory system, as well as the central nervous system when inhaled, and cause renal failure when ingested, among other things.
• Urine is acidic and contains ammonia. I'm concerned it would have unforeseen chemical interactions with the oils, fats, or chemical additives to make it soluble that could ruin the entire batch.
• I'm also concerned that use of a solvent could have unforeseen chemical interactions with the Urine that could nullify it's use as a deterrent.

Of the solvents listed, Turpentine seems like the easiest to obtain and the safest choice if used carefully. It also has an evaporation rate classified as "fast". This is a two-edge sword. Fast evaporation means my solution will re-solidify more quickly, but it's vapor poses health and safety hazards and exposure times would need to be limited to as brief as possible. Spraying over a large area for an extended period even in open air and using a breathing mask, it would still pose a threat and I'd need to work in short batches stepping out of range until the vapors had enough time to dissipate.

So this first post is part DIY instructions, and part request for help so I don't ruin the batch.