Deer Fencing

[BXmark]

I was going to fence in an area for a garden to keep out the numerous deer we have around here. I had planned to use 5 foot wire fencing. I see several deer fences advertized that are 7.5 to 8 feet high. Will a 5 foot high fence be adequate or am I kidding myself. What are some of your experiences?

 

[IndianaPaul]

BX:

I tried 5 foot fence here (So. Indiana) 2 years ago, worked on keeping the young ones out, but does/bucks did not seem to be too bothered by it. A couple of the neighbors use 8 foot fences and that seems to work for them, but then their gardens are pretty small (less than 100' x 100').

Paul

 

[JJT]

You're kidding yourself. 8' is the minimum I'd put up, or plant extra..... Even having a dog is no insurance against the deer.

 

[IndianaPaul]

JJT:

Amen to the deer versus the dog. I moved my German Shorthair's kennel to about 40 feet from the garden first year out here. Within 30-45 days, I could pull into driveway of an evening and the deer would be browsing within a few feet of the kennel. Even had a doe and fawn sunning themselves last year on hillside about 50 feet away from him!

After first week, he quit barking and just watches them now.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We are required to use 9' in NY but for your garden you can use 7'-8' and be ok. You would be wise to buy 8' field fencing with solid strand stays and set your post every 15' and steak the fence down in the centers to keep the deer from going under them. The solid strand stays help keep the fence standing straight on its own so you won't have to stretch it too much. You will be looking at at least $1.50 - $2.00 per running foot if you install it yourself but it will easily eliminate your deer problem. Your other alternative is if you can find some heavy 6' chain link and not the stuff you use around you yards but the industrial fencing and set that for the first 6' then go to TSC or any farm store and get some 4' field fence and attach that above the chain link with about 6" overlap. This won't look as nice but may save you a few dollars if you can find the chain link it is also a lot harder to install. If you get the cheap chain link most any buck will rip right thru it if they are hungry enough but your biggest concern will be them going under it. There are a few companys that make the 8 foot field fence and it varys in price depending on the time of the year but you can see some at <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bekaert.com/na/>http://www.bekaert.com/na/</A>

 

[toddwulf]

8' would be a minimum. My neighbor ran his 10'. Keep in mind if they can jump from an elevated point (above) close to the fence, even 10' wouldn't be enough. They can jump VERY high, particularly when they are VERY hungry.

Todd in Placerville

 

[Robert_in_NY]

That would be the only way they will jump 10' is if you built the fence in a ditch. Most deer and I am talking 19 out of 20 will get caught in the wire before they make it over 9'. Our deer if they get scared which happens if dogs attack the fence will usually jump into the wire about 6' off the ground. We have never had any jump 8'-9' high fencing as they won't even attempt it and in most cases there is plenty of other food around when people are growing gardens but to a deer it is a treat to graze on vegetables but they will not kill themselves for a treat. Most likely the deer will try to go under the fence and they only need a couple inches to get their nose under and any slack in the fence and they will get thru as we had a doe do this to get into a divider numerous times.

 

[JoeR]

In Florida the deer like to eat the leaves and fruit off citrus trees. They can do some damage to a grove... I have seen some grove owners install six foot fences angled at 30 degrees. The fence is high tensile wire, with most of the strands electrified, and spaced 6 to 8 inches apart. The deer can jump high, but for some reason they do not like the fence angled like a backslash " / " since this makes the jump high and increases the distance at that height. I must admit that the deer in Florida are small compared to deer in most other northern states.

Joe

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Much simpler solution, deer can't stand the smell of scented soap. Get yourself a bunch of the hotel size bars, and hang them about 2 feet above the ground all around the garden, about every 10 feet. The deer won't come near that place.

 

[Knight9]

I've been contemplating the same issue. We have only been in our new place a year and there are deer everywhere. This spring will be our first garden. I'm going to hold off and see how much of a problem we have, but if the deer do invade the garden (and I'm sure they will /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif), here is what I plan to do.

I want something that looks "pretty" (wife's request) and since the deer will only be a problem for or fairly short growing season, I don't want a permanent structure designed only for deer. I will try to put in a nice picket fence around the garden with 4x4 posts put in at the appropriate level. Then I'll put brackets on the back of the posts inside the garden that will accommodate a metal post (maybe T-style or tube). These metal posts will have the mesh on them, and add an extra 4 - 6' in height. When the season is done, I will pull out the posts from the brackets and leave the attractive picket fence.

I'm hoping this will work. So far it is all theory, but I'm fairly sure I can make it work.

Kevin