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I am not 100% sure if the deer pressure is the cause of the super thorns but it is the only thing I can think of. I guess it could be an experiment for you. Were you planning on planting sea buckthorn?

I was more thinking of raspberries and blueberries.
Does the sea buckthorn produce berries?

It does! I have an article on it. It might work for you. I think some of the varieties are good down to zone 2. What growing zone are you in?

Notice in the picture below the lack of massive thorns!
berries