Anybody put up a deer fence?

[velvetfoot]

I was toying with the idea of putting up some of that plastic mesh around the place by mostly using trees.

Does anyone have any experience, opinions, etc?

Thanks.

 

[begreen]

We've had one around the gardens for several years. Otherwise there would be zero veggies on our plates. This year I put up a much longer one that surrounds the house, greenhouse, new beds, lower field and garden. It has been bliss to grow whatever we want. Also nice not to slip in deer poop out in the field. Support it well and frequently so that it doesn't sag between supports. The only issue with tree support is that they will eventually lift the fence off the ground unless they are older and have slowed down growth.

 

[SolarAndWood]

The plastic mesh doesn't last long by itself. We added 4' of PVC coated wire fence around the bottom. That worked for a year. Then, added another 4' of wire in the problem areas. This year we added a few thousand feet of wire to reinforce it all as they were ramming the upper sections of wire fence and it was failing. Now, I wish I had sucked it up and spent the money in the beginning on something that looks better.

 

[velvetfoot]

Wow, I didn't realize they'd ram the fence!

Doesn't sound like plastic would do the trick.
I'll have to look at the alternatives.

My wife has had success, she thinks, with the Plant Skyddr deer repellant, but I don't think we have as many deer as we could, yet.

 

[firefighterjake]

First year in my "new" home . . . well first home about 14 years ago . . . I put in a garden and it was growing nicely until I went out one day and it looked as though my garden had been mowed over by a John Deere lawn mower set about a 4 inches high . . . well I was close . . . it was deer, not a Deere.

Put up a large mesh fence . . . about 6-7 feet high . . . no problems. Ever since then I have put up the same mesh fence with no issues . . . although now I simply fold it over so it's about 3-4 feet high . . . technically the deer could jump over it and get into my garden, but for some reason they don't . . . I think they might see the movement or brush up against it and get spooked.

So yeah, the deer fence works for me and my garden . . . as for the deer they're still out there . . . saw a doe just last week hanging out in the backyard and every Fall I'll hear them out front munching on the apple trees and blowing.

 

[SolarAndWood]

We tried the live and let live approach year 1 as we didn't want a fence. One full moon and everything and I mean everything was mowed down. Anyone that says they don't like this or that is full of it. They might have preferences but in the end it will all go and faster once it is on their route. We tried the repellent after that with similar results. 8' + strong fence seems to be the only thing that works here. The place they were ramming was their previous spot where they knocked the mesh down above the lower course of wire fence. The second course didn't last 2 weeks before all the welds had failed. That is when I reinforced the whole thing with heavy wire around the whole perimeter of the garden. Even with that, I see the stress on some of the T-posts and it takes them no time to find a gate that was left open. Some towns nearby are discussing easing fence restrictions because of the tick bags.

 

[velvetfoot]

Wow. I've seen the heavier fences lower down the Hudson river; I guess I know why now.

 

[begreen]

The gauge of the plastic fence makes a difference both in longevity and it's ability to stand up to deer pressure. It also depends on the location of the fence and perhaps the variety of deer. If the fence is on a main migration route, where the deer have less alternatives (suburban crowding for example), then they will ram the fence, especially if panicked. Heavy gauge fencing is recommended for these areas reinforced with a nylon tension cable at top, bottom and at 3 ft.. But if I had serious, big deer population and was on a main deer trail, I would probably go for metal pasture fencing in these locations.

Locally we only have one type of deer (black-tail deer hybrid) that doesn't get nearly as large as some of the big bucks back east, so heavy polypropylene fencing has worked well for us. Our upper garden fence is now 7 years old and still in good condition. Fencing that is in the woods or shaded will last quite a while. Our fencing is out in the open and between my neighbor's yard and ours. We like the poly fence because from a distance you don't see it at all. It was purchased from http://mastergardening.ecomm-search.com/garden/fence . With free shipping, they came out with the best price.

FWIW, in upper Westchester, NY, my BIL put up a 7 strand wire fence with every other wire electrified. It works well for them. But for us, that wouldn't work. Our neighbors have young kids that I don't want to shock. And I don't want to constantly have to monitor the fence line to keep brush from grounding it.

 

[velvetfoot]

The drag also is that you have to in all liklihood put up a gate for the driveway.

 

[begreen]

Yes, it can be. We have a neighbor with a small vineyard that has a power gate. Seems to work ok. I made the decision to avoid that hassle and left about half the property unfenced. We have a person gate at the entrance to the walkway to the house instead.

 

[Bobbin]

The husband works for a nursery/greenhouse and fields the "deer question" on a daily basis. Advice from the pros is at least an 8' fence. You can purchase the mesh relatively inexpensively and it will last pretty well as long as you take care to put it up carefully. UV degradation is the Achilles heel as it is with anything sewn (marine canvas/awnings/umbrellas/etc.). Certainly you could use trees your fence posts, but trees grow (as pointed out earlier), and other animals climb them, and larger climbers can compromise the mesh by climbing over it. On a fabulous garden tour in PA 3 yrs. ago I was shocked at the amount of fencing to keep deer out. And one look at much of it it had me quickly calculating the price of it! Not inconsequential, by a long shot. I think you have to think long term and with repairs/refurfishing in mind. Skip the trees as posts, go for good posts and sink and set them properly. Once they're in place your job getting the netting in place will be a lot easier. And future repairs/replacement will be considerably easier, too. Think long term on this project. I know I would!

My personal opinion on deer is that they're a PITA. They can pretty much "leap tall buildings in a single bound", they are browsers and are fully capable of decimating ornamental shrubs/perennials in an evening. They carry the dreaded "deer tick" (vector of Lyme Disease) and they move through their territory with precision and teutonic regularity. They are remarkably well adapted and that makes them a supreme annoyance to gardeners. Hunting is generally banned in more thickly populated areas (for practical reasons) but that allows deer free rein in many communities. So it is with several neighborhoods in my town. And Lyme Disease statistics demonstrate it very well!

All that said, we don't have any deer fencing here. Our neighbors have been fighting the battle for years... but a dog that is regularly allowed to patrol an area is a decent deterrant. Not fool-proof, but pretty good. I've turned the dog loose on the errant deer discovered in the side yard pre-dawn and the result was spectacular. And we've watched the herd move through the woods behind our home on their way to our next-door neighbor's yard, wisely avoiding our's altogether.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks. I don't thing there's a dog in our future.
I'm thinking not using posts to the extent possible would make the job go a lot quicker and there'd be less visual impact.
I just don't know about the gate - even with an electric gate, about 350' away and all that expense, how would the UPS, meter reader and other people deal with it? Maybe could just make it push any button to open. The deer shouldn't be smart enough to push the button.

 

[begreen]

Our friend has a weatherproof keypad with instructions above it for the code. So far the deer are either near-sighted or uneducated enough to not have figured it out. The do make remote, solar charged battery operated units for the gates. Anything is possible if you have the bucks (well I guess if you have deer problems you already have some bucks )

 

[velvetfoot]

Well, I guess that just about does it.

Somebody at work suggested fire crackers...

 

[begreen]

In the big fruit farms they use propane cannons to scare any and all varmit and birds away from the crops. Works, if you don't have neighbors.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Year 1 with the wire over the mesh was fine, but year 2 they went through. These 2 pics were their favorite spot and you can see what they do to the coated wire fence. If I hadn't reinforced it with heavy galvanized strand, they would have gone through it as well.

 

[smokinj]

Deer will find there way through any fence, over or through it. BeGreen is right thats the best way is noise..We had a big pa system on a timmer with big bangs...And a shot gun off the top of the barns. Vermit permit.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Why didn't I think of that? Break out the old side by side and crack a second story window. Save money on fencing and fill the freezer

 

[smokinj]

Why didn't I think of that? Break out the old side by side and crack a second story window. Save money on fencing and fill the freezer

As a kid we would give away bag and bags of meat anyone who needed it or like it....My father orchard had over 500 large apple tree and 50 peach and cherry and another 500 under 5 years old. Deer and rabbits was a never ending battle.

 

[gpcollen1]

Used to have deer trails running down the mountain and along both sides of the house. One year with a dog and I only see them on the road a house or two up from mine anymore with nothing in my yard. i guess it depends on the dog but my girl is one of those that marks her territory everywhere, whether running the boundaries of her radiofence in the woods or when we take long walks around the neighborhood.

 

[LLigetfa]

I used the posts and top rail for chian link fence but I used 6 foot welded wire instead. The garden area is 20' x 30' with raised beds and the deer have never jumped over it. I think the visibility of the top rail and the uneven ground of the raised beds deter them. That and the GSD.

I know some people put up a double row of fence. The inside row is 3 feet from the outside row. The deer will not jump into the narrow 3 foot space and cannot jump over both fences in a single bound.