Anything short of a 10' fence repel deer from fruit trees?

[randy41]

i have a 7 1/2' deer fence around a field that had sweet potatoes in it last year with no deer problem. no deer shortage here so the fence did the trick.

 

[Gary Fowler]

My brother says that to use an electric fence and only need to put the wire about 12" off the ground. It catches the deer right across the nose as it snuffles forward and startles it so that he wont ever come back. He said you may have to repair the fence though as they tend to run forward sometimes. I don't know how well that works but he says that keeps them out of his garden.

 

[newbury]

You can put up an electric fence for relatively little money, it only needs to be 5 feet and also would be easier and quicker to put up and take down.

My brother says that to use an electric fence and only need to put the wire about 12" off the ground. It catches the deer right across the nose as it snuffles forward and startles it so that he wont ever come back. He said you may have to repair the fence though as they tend to run forward sometimes. I don't know how well that works but he says that keeps them out of his garden.

My Mississippi relatives use the "single strand electric fence with peanut butter" method to protect about an acre of watermelon patch. Just smear some peanut butter on the wire (fence off) then turn the fence on. They will sniff and lick the peanut butter and get a good jolt. Apparently they are smart enough to not come back. I think of it as a "Jiffy fence".

 

[Threepoint]

We've had good luck just stringing 30 lb test monofilament fishing line between metal T-posts set every 16 feet or so. The deer can't see it very well, bump into it, and avoid the area. May not be practical for your situation, but if it doesn't work, you can just put plastic insulators on the T-posts and run a couple of strands of aluminum electrical fence wire, charged with a 12v battery-operated or solar fencer. If the deer can't see the line or wire very well, they won't want to try to jump over it. That's in contrast to, say, a chain-link fence they can gauge. I've heard of a documented case of a power company finding a large buck standing inside one of it's enclosures grazing away one morning. The fence was reportedly 12 feet high!

 

[Deere Dude]

We planted 10 apple and 2 pear trees last fall in CT from 5 gallon containers and they all made it through the Winter fine...

The deer have just discovered the buds on the pear trees, but so far leaving the apples alone... Don't really want to fence the area in unless it's a last resort, so wondering if there's any tricks you folks have up your sleeves to discourage the little rodents ??

Thanks !!

Somebody told me they hang CD' from the little trees or a rod near the trees. The reflection and movement scares them, supposedly. I tied some aluminum foil pie plates to strings and hung them on each of 12 trees. So far good luck in two years. But we didn't have any snow so they can get food elsewhere, although I have been seeing 6 deer in our back yard od one sanding on the rear legs getting at taller non fruit trees.

 

[PRF]

Thanks for all the tips !! I know the buggers are hungry cause there was a pretty deep snow pack this year.. The fields are starting to grow like crazy so I hope they'll start eating fresh grass..

 

[dusty3030]

A militia of possums.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqqviTdcL5M

 

[DarkBlack]

Electric fence. Cheap,easy, most effective other than an 8' fence. Go to tractor supply this weekend and get setup. Once you learn them it's a piece of cake.
In all my years I've never met a dear that favored pear over apple. Maybe you have a very strange deer. 99% of the time their preference is:

1) sweet cherry
2) apple
3) more apple
4) Asian pear
5) peach/nectarine
6) European pear
7) apricot
8) plum Asian/Italian

This is based on 30+ years.

 

[Ted Summey]

A double electric fence works well when built this way....

The inside fence is two strands of poly tape or poly cord. One strand is 16" off the ground, the second strand is 36" off the ground. The outside fence is one strand about 16" off the ground and is about 3 feet outside the inner fence. Apply voltage via a charger sufficient to contain a cow or bull. I use a 12 volt battery system with attached solar charger.

I have used this type temporary fence to keep deer out of food plots until I want them to have the food plot.

It works extremely well because it capitalizes on deer's lack of depth perception so they won't jump the double fence. The electricity keeps them from going under it.

 

[coachr]

We planted 10 apple and 2 pear trees last fall in CT from 5 gallon containers and they all made it through the Winter fine...

The deer have just discovered the buds on the pear trees, but so far leaving the apples alone... Don't really want to fence the area in unless it's a last resort, so wondering if there's any tricks you folks have up your sleeves to discourage the little rodents ??

Thanks !!

A fence may be the best protection, but we have great luck with a much easier all natural solution called Deer Repellent Packs. The all-weather packs contain granular coyote urine. They trigger a deer's natural instinct to keep their distance from predators. They are truly the only all-natural/nature's solution to keeping deer away from garden, shrubs and trees. Oh... and they last up to 90-days and are easily hung directly on the trees. Easy peasey! You can buy them in any quantity on www.DeerRepellentPacks.com.