Deer Fencing

[Dwight44]

Just getting ready to plant about three small gardens, and if there's no deer fencing them, it will be pointless.

I am planning a defensive action which consists of steel fence posts behind about six feet of raspberry bushes from the adjacent road all along my property. I will ferilize these raspberry bushes on a continuing basis.

My idea is that a deer would have to make one helluva jump to clear the brambles and then the 8 foot mesh fence.

The fence itself is planned as T-shaped steel posts (sorry I don't know the correct term) with what I believe is called rabbit mesh attached to it to a height of 8 feet. On my property side I plant to run some clematis or honeysuckle along the fence as a further barrier and to hide the fence.

I plan to set the posts into concrete after drilling holes with a post hole digger.

Any comments would be much appreciated.

 

[Mark4510]

Dwight,
Welcome to TBN!

We run 8' "T" posts with steel mesh wire fence that high and it seems to work well. I think you are on the right track although with our red clay soil its like concrete when it dries out. Depending on your soil you may only want to set the corners in concrete.

Mark

 

[Dwight44]

I'm also working in clay, so I'll hand drive them and tamp, and save the cement for the pressure points.

 

[bczoom]

Dwight,

I'll echo Mark on the welcome and not using concrete everywhere.

EDIT - Disregard some in whole or part. We posted at the same time

What kind of ground (dirt/clay...) do you have?
With T-Posts, you shouldn't need the post hole digger for most ground. Get a driver to pound them in.

Another thought.
Not sure what size you mean when you say "small" but make sure you have a gate or whatever big enough to get any equipment you may need for tilling ground and stuff.

Brian

PS. Where's Salt Spring Island?

 

[Dwight44]

Brian:

The clay I have is almost like rubber, a pick just bounces off it. You think I should try to rent a driver? Do they work off my 3PH or?

Driving with a sledge won't work, it's that compact, and we get a big wind off the lake 200" away, so they have to be set properly if they're going to carry a bunch of foliage.

Salt Spring Island is an overpriced retirement island about 30 miles from Vancouver BC. Only a wekk or so of snow each year, so probably the nicest climate in Canada, ergo the migration of us sore-backed boomers..

 

[RonR]

I don't recall where online I saw it, but I have seen a series of fences that claim to keep deer out. It has one series of wires vertical and one series of wires running about 45 degrees. It's not overly tall as I recall.

I think if you search for deer fencing, you might find it via google.

Best wishes,
ron

 

[DocHeb]

This slant fencing described at:

Low-Cost Slant Fence Excludes Deer from Plantings

 

[RalphVa]

Dwight,

I protect my veggie garden 100' below my house with 2 strands of electrified wire. I use a 12 volt battery to charge it. Lasts about 4-6 weeks between battery switches. TSC makes a "Mule" solar charger that you could use to charge the battery, and there are some solar-powered chargers with batteries built in.

I've one strand at 4' for the deer and one at 4-6" for groundhogs and coons. You have to bait it with pieces of tin foil with peanut butter on them when you put the fence up for the season and about once/month.

Only time it didn't work on deer was when I forgot to connect the jumper wire to electrify it. Got a spark checker now that I use to test it. Bought everything at TSC, even the plastic fence posts with metal tips that you just step push into the ground.

Have grown veggies here now for 4 years. No animal thefts yet except for when that rabbit decided to live inside the fence. He got it when one of my chargers when out. Found the darn rabbit living very comfortably underneath a big squash vine. He liked the green beans and the peanuts.

Ralph

 

[Dwight44]

Electrified fences aren't mentioned locally as a solution (and we're polluted with deer - no cougars on this island). That may be because it rains a bit here..

We don't have small kids so that's not a problem.

I have to fence a perimeter rather than a garden plot, so there's might be a scale issue for electric fences in high vegetation areas like mine (Pacific NW). I'd training the whole neighbourhood..

I think I'll get a pellet rifle just for the satisfaction of bouncing a few off their white-tailed asses; as they bound away with my tulips..

 

[RalphVa]

I've a pellet gun for getting them when they're up around the house area. Down below, I can almost walk up to them and hit them with a hammer. I'm almost always nude. Guess they think I'm another deer. Had to fight off a couple twins one morning when I stepped out my back door for a wee-wee. The buggers were going to suckle me. I had to fight them off!

Ralph