[Market-farming] Deer Fencing

Willie McKemie mf at austinfarm.org
Thu Jan 21 12:32:11 EST 2010


On Thu, Jan 21, 2010 at 09:51:58AM -0600, Marie Kamphefner wrote:
> Regards to the list:
> 
>  
> 
> We need to install deer fencing around our garden area. Where is a good
> place to start looking for something that won't cost an arm and a leg?

I've had very good results from my double fence:
http://austinfarm.org/homegrown/images/images3/index.html
http://austinfarm.org/homegrown/images/images5/index.html
It's been in service for 6-7 years now.  The peas pictured would have 
been impossible without deer fence.  As someone else mentioned, deer 
don't like to jump widths of more than about 30", though they can.  
Another option is a slanted fence whose top is 30" or more offset from 
the bottom.

Cost to add a second electric fence to an existing barbed wire or field 
fence should be less than $1/foot.  To build a double fence, probably 
$3-$4/foot.  A "real" and substantial 8' deer fence will cost $7+/foot 
around here.

We had a pretty thorough discussion of deer control here before I built 
my fence, probably in 2002.  Lots of very interesting ideas.  A guy 
with an orchard adjacent to Camp David was using semi-wild dogs and 
reporting good results.  I don't know if archives are available.

My fence has done a good job with deer, but failed to keep out coyotes, 
hogs, and coons.  They no doubt get through where the fence crosses 
drainages.  The bottom wire, which I would hope to keep out the 
above, is 1"-2" above the ground.  Last year, I went around the 
perimeter to insure some ground clearance; that was a multi-day 
project.  A few years ago, a couple of hundred feet of the fence was 
laid down by flood borne debris.  Once or twice a year, I notice low 
voltage on the fence and have to go find the problem.

-- 
Willie, ONWARD!  Through the fog!
http://counter.li.org Linux registered user #228836 since 1995
Debian3.1/GNU/Linux system uptime  768 days  6 hours 14 minutes



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