i found a quick easy and inexpensive way to keep deer from eating shrubs/trees. using simple garden stakes and fishing line. apparently when the deer hit something (line) that they cannot see, it spooks them. i was battling with the deer eating my rhododendrons and this fixed it. one day i saw one of the lines broken, and a deer print in the soil, but no plants eaten.
i just strung three lines (top, middle, and bottom) from one stake to another.
good luck!
