Pound Sand? No Posts

Gatorboy · Sep 19, 2004

Today I pounded in 62 T-Posts -- glad to be done.

I am fencing in a 3 acre portion of my property to plant trees in (starting a tree farm). I'm hoping to keep the deer out. I've built a 6' high-tensile fence with 8 wires. I installed wooden posts approx. every 100 feet and put T-posts at approx. 20' intervals. I used 13,000 feet of wire.

Here are just a few pictures: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

v8dave · Sep 19, 2004

A good looking and ambitious project.

I have a local friend with 5 acres enclosed with an 8' fence. The deer still get in and eat the rose bushes. Maybe the deer in Maryland won't jump as high. But, here in California we'd have to use a double row of 6' fencing to keep the 150 pound rats out.

Gatorboy · Sep 19, 2004

<font color="blue"> But, here in California we'd have to use a double row of 6' fencing to keep the 150 pound rats out. </font>

I am not quite sure how many deer my fence will keep out. I am thinking if this does a poor job, I'll attach some type of bracket off the wood posts horizontally -- like an outrigger -- and run wire from it. This way when they get to the fence and try to jump, they should hit this hanging wire, or it will just confuse them. If that won't work, I may try extending the fence height with rebar drilled into the top of the wood posts or I may have to put up a second shorter fence a couple feet outside of the original.

Bob_Skurka · Sep 19, 2004

Are you going to run a strand of electrified wire at "nose" height?

I'm pretty sure the deer will clear 6' without too much trouble. We call them rats with antlers around here. I lost a small orchard to them. Replanted it and lost that one. Today I told the lovely Mrs_Bob that I wanted to fence in part of the soybean field and plant blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and try the fruit trees again. She said she'd have to go back to work full time to pay for all the things the deer will be eating. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

GareyD · Sep 19, 2004

Good lookin' fence...

I put the twin to yours around my pasture...I think the deer love me for it...I swear they use it for an exercise gym...walk up to the fence and spring over flatfooted ...I think they are using the post spacing for their own slalom course (Boing, boing, boing) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I think most deer farms use at least a 10 foot fence, and don't manage to keep all them critters in the pens.

The only way I've found to keep the deer out of places I don't want them to be is to plant something special just for them where I don't mind them being!!!

Archdean · Sep 19, 2004

Very nice fence! did you use a 2 man steel fence setter to put in the steel posts or just with a sledge?
Dean

beenthere · Sep 19, 2004

Great fence, but cannot imagine it will do much to slow the deer down. Do you have some source of information that says this is high enough? Seems I've heard somewhere that the low fence in front of the high one works, or at least something in front of the fence, which changes there intent.

Maybe a thick hedge 2-3 ft out from the fence would discourage their flight pattern (or a hedge they'd rather eat than jump). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

daedong · Sep 20, 2004

Dave,

Just read this thread, I know nothing about deer but it sounds to me it ain't going to work. Is deer not good eating, it sound like the USA is over run with them,

Like Bob said, run a electric wire. ...............................Maybe 6 to 8 ft away at nose hight

maybe Bob might go boundary rider for you, problem solved (just kidding Bob /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif).

wroughtn_harv · Sep 20, 2004

That looks like some kind of fun. Nice fence too.

Did you fill that bucket with dirt or sand to help driving in the t posts?

As for the deer.......I've heard they won't jump where they can't see where they're landing. Using that idea I have to wonder what it would be like to place a three foot piece of sight barrier (silt fence material maybe) to cover between three and six feet in height.

It wouldn't be attractive until someone comes up with a color pattern that works if that's possible. But then barren land where trees once were isn't very pretty either.

Gatorboy · Sep 20, 2004

<font color="blue"> did you use a 2 man steel fence setter to put in the steel posts or just with a sledge? </font>

I used a "1-man, boy I'm tired after pounding all these posts" type driver similar to this: