I am not a gardener or I'd have known of your plight(s) regarding deer earlier by reading this thread. I've been directed here to help.
The previous owners of this house clearly had it professionally landscaped not too long before putting it on the market (and it worked because we bought it fast!) by a company that put in deer favorites even though deer are plentiful, the back of the lot wooded.
I'd dealt with munchie deer at my old house, but these deer are more numerous and perhaps hungrier. They were not deterred by commercial deer repellent, so I got crafty and started making my own.
It works.
Start with a sturdy plastic jug. I use the one liquid detergent comes in, 92 fluid ounces. (A gallon is 128.) I empty it but don't bother to rinse it.
In a 2-cup measuring cup, beat together 1/2 cup milk (or sour milk) and 1 or 2 eggs. Pour into the jug. This forms the basis for the rotting smell you want, and the egg is essential in making the repellent stick to leaves.
Grate one bar of original-clean formula Irish Spring bar soap. No substitutions. Put the shavings into your measuring cup. Add very hot water to nearly fill it. Stir to blend. The goal is for the soap to fully dissolve. In a hurry? Use a blender at the lowest speed. Pour the resulting soapy liquid into the jug. Deer dislike this soap's scent nearly as much as I do.
To the jug, add 1 Tablespoon cayenne powder and 1 Tablespoon garlic powder or granules. The lowest quality at the dollar store is fine. Add 1 Tablespoon cooking oil, any type.
Fill the jug to the top with warm water, tighten the cap securely, shake well to blend ingredients, and let it sit outside in full sun for three to five days.
You can spray it on plants to make it go far, but it's common for the sprayer's tube to clog. Although it uses the entire jug, I've recently switched to using a one-gallon watering can with a sprinkler-type head to distribute it on about fifty hostas.
Be aware that flies are quite interested as you apply it and will follow you from plant to plant. Once the repellent dries, the plants have only a faint Irish freshness, the flies leave the plants alone, and so do the deer and rabbits.
Don't apply this to any garden product you will eat, since it's deliberately hard to wash off. It does wash off after several rains; I reapply it about every two or three weeks.
Maryn, shocked that she has a garden tip, since she also has zero garden skills