Deer Fencing Question

13 years ago

Hello Everyone,

I have been having an awful time keeping deer out of my main garden as well as my recently expanded berry section. I had an economical idea for a deer fence and I was wondering if any of you have experience that you can offer.

The distance around the perimeter of both gardens is roughly 230 ft. The main garden (50'wide x 40'deep) already has a 3 foot rabbit guard metal fence surrounding the perimeter. The new berry section to the immediate right of the main garden has no protection and is roughly (30'wide x 30'deep).

I was thinking about purchasing 8ft T posts and deer netting. I would run my T posts every 20ft and then attach some sort of thin nylon rope (if i can't find the black 8 gauge monofilament wire locally). I would attach the rope to each post at the highest point (6 feet) and then probably another strand at (3 feet). Once the line is up, I would zip tie the deer netting to the lines and posts. At this point, I have no idea how to create a gate for the perimeter that is easy to open and close. I was thinking of using 2 8ft green garden posts stuck in a pvc section that is burried in the ground. I could easily lift the garden steaks out of the pvc and move them aside (I'm guessing?).

Anyhow, I'm doing all of this instead of using a electric fence (for the time being). I figured I would invest in the T posts now in case this attempt fails and I have to go electric. I could also use yellow t post clips and run electric wire between the posts. Then I could hang the netting over the electric wire assuming it is strong enough? This way, I am one step away from electric if need be. The deer aren't starving so I'm guessing they won't go through the extra effort of jumping the 6 ft span. I am also planning to offset this fence roughly 3 feet off the main garden rabbit fence. I understand deer have bad depth perception so perhaps this will deter them as well?

I apologize in advance for the long winded question. Does anyone here have any suggestions? I'm in a jamb here and need to move quickly before my berry bushes are reduced to stubble! I've got the Irish Spring soap hanging in the meantime (laughing).

Thanks a million!!!

Terry

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Comments (3)

oregonwoodsmoke
13 years ago
You can buy 6 1/2 ft non-climb (fixed knot) deer fencing. That is about as cheap as you can get to keep the deer out. Pound-in metal posts to hold it up, but you will need pressure treated wooden posts at the corners.

You can mickey mouse stuff together and spend the money for that and still end up buying a real fence. Might as well pay for the fence and save the money you would have spent on the rest of it.

Unless deer can see something really clearly, they will crash into it. If they crash into deer netting, they will pull it down. I've had them crash into non-climb wire, and that's pretty obvious to see.

I do have a neighbor who props up old limbs and strings many strands of knitting yard loosely all around her veggie garden. Then she ties flags on the yarn.

She says that the motion of the yarn as it sways in the breeze scares the deer so that they won't jump it.

It sure looks ugly. She's out multiple times every day, blowing an air horn and running at the deer to chase them away, so I'm not sure how well the yarn is working for her.

You an also get 6 ft tall kennel wire with 2X2 squares in it. That'll keep the deer and the bunnies out. Trouble is, it is about $125 for a 100 foot roll.
daisyjune
13 years ago
We failed miserably with a fence we made like you're describing, because as the person above said they will crash into the netting and just knock it down (at least that was what happened to us).

I'd recommend building something more like a batting cage for your plants if deer a really big problem like they are where we live - that is what we did for our main garden, we seriously needed a roof over it! The rest I have growing in pots on my closed in porch where the deer can't possibly get in. The good news is we got nearly all of the gates, even the door for free - try posting an ad on Craigslist or other sites like "free metal fence removal" or "fence & gate needed" - hopefully you'll get lucky like we did :) Good luck!
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Hey Everyone, Thanks for all of your great suggestions!! Given the fact that I have Triple Crowns coming in the mail this week, I decided to run to the store and get this done. I can't take another round of attacks!! Ok, so here is what I did. Brookw and Northwoodswis, I wish they had those fiberglass posts around here! I'm in central Ohio and I went to a local Lowes store and Tractor Supply Company and didn't see many options. I'm sure if I took another week to research, I could find the fiberglass posts somewhere. But I went ahead and bought the 8ft T posts for $6.50 a piece (ouch). I also bought some fairly cheap electrical wire that I will string between posts and attach the deer netting. My thought is this. The deer netting was cheap at $12 for a (7' x 100') roll. So I'll give that a go. If it doesn't work, I can quickly convert this system to electric. For the gates, I purchased a few 10ft pieces of Rebar. I will sink some pieces of pvc into the ground where I want the rebar and where I want the gait to open. That way I can move the fence in a hurry. Now if I go electric, I'll have to change the gate setup. Anyway, I know it isn't ideal but I'm hoping this will give me the opportunity to either save money or in the worst case scenario, upgrade to electric if need be. Northwoodswis - I know what you mean in terms of spending ridiculous amounts of money. My garden is a sink hole for money! Now I know why there are only 2 people in my entire neighborhood that bother to garden. My neighbors are constantly looking into my yard "what is he doing now," "is that a garden?" (laughing). Well I guess if food prices go way up, we'll be sitting pretty! Thanks again everyone, Terry
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They can definitely clear 6 feet no problem. I think the question is: how big is the area you're trying to enclose? They don't like to jump into a small area. They don't like to jump into an area where they can't see what's on the other side. If it's a relatively small area they probably won't bother to jump in--unless they're really hungry, like in the winter. If you had some evergreen azaleas growing in there I bet they'd jump in over the winter. But it all depends on how hungry they are and how much effort they're willing to expend to get at whatever's inside. Ask around and see what works for neighbors with similar size plots.
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allorganicinmo
13 years ago
I've never tried it before as we have a dog who's only job in life is to keep animals out of the garden - and he does a good job; but some friends of ours swear that if you get some human hair from a local salon and spread it all around your garden and even tie it to your short fence, deer won't even think about crossing it. Being a pretty avid hunter, this makes "scents" as deer rely a great deal on their smell as a number one safety mechanism. If they smell human - they're gone. Might be well worth a try. Good luck.

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oregonwoodsmoke

daisyjune

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