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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Deer Fencing

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  • From: Leigh Hauter <bullrunfarm AT hughes.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc: Marie Kamphefner <kampy AT grm.net>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Deer Fencing
  • Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:51:14 -0500

We live on the edge of about 10,000 acres of forest and about ten times that much of rolling horse farms. This is an area where its unusual not to see half a dozen deer along the last five miles of road leading to our farm.

Ten years ago we would lose between $12-15,000 worth of vegetables due to deer damage almost every year. We tried everything, (urine, hair, electric fences, predator scat, rotten eggs, expensive commercial deer deterrent liquids, loud noises, permits to shoot as many as 50 deer a summer, shorter fences, guardian dogs, and more).Then we put up the ten foot fencing from Gemplers (they are on the web.. about $300 for a 330 ft long roll, less if you buy more rolls).

From there the deer damage dramatically fell. Last summer we only had a couple hundred dollars worth of damage from a few very young deer that got in by lifting up and crawling under the fence.

It's our observation that deer are very much critters of habit. Once they stop going to an area for a period of time they stop trying. Each year, since we put up the fence, the number of deer getting inside decreases (though, even with the first year there was a marked drop-off in deer vandalism ( Now, after more than five years of having the fence up, its only the occasional young deer without experience that will find its way inside).

Besides the fence we also have a pair of Great Pyreness roaming the fields which helps but isn't a cure in itself. We had GP's before the fence and they weren't able to stop the onslaught.

Another point to deer deterrence -- You have to be consistent! You can't let the fence fall down for long and you have to be religious about keeping the gates closed.

Another point is don't be cheap with the fence. Less than ten feet isn't tall enough. While, with motivation, deer will occasionally jump ten feet they will jump the seven foot fence without giving it a thought.

Additionally, make sure the fence you buy is strong. We once bought some cheaper fencing and the deer ripped a hole in it and started using the hole as a highway. Before patching it I put up a wildlife camera to see what was going in and out and found that five different deer were regularly entering and leaving from the hole that one of them must had torn open with its hooves in the fence (once, when the deer were eating the leaves off of our sweet potato vines I had the brilliant idea of putting down row cover. 'If they can't get to it, they can't eat it' That's what the deer must have thought too because it wasn't to long before the row cover was ripped to shreds. the deer would rip dozens of holes in it with their hooves to get to the leaves below).

Are experience is a strong ten foot fence with a guardian dog like a gp on the inside is the way to go. Deer are creatures of habit and the longer you can train them to stay away the less they will try to get in until finally all but the very young will ignore your fields.




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