North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Lon Rombough <lonrom@hevanet.com>]

Deer don't eat grass.  They browse on  plants, but their preferred food 
is shoots of bushes and trees, like your fruit trees.  Add in fruit, 
and unless you have a tall enough fence, they WILL jump it for the 
goodies inside.  It takes a TEN foot fence to really stop them.
-Lon Rombough

So, I'm building a 7' tall fence around the orchard. A deer can 
actually jump over that, but I'm betting that it won't be worth their 
effort, considering all the grass and such in the area. Maybe visitors 
to my property will also get the idea. Once the fence is done, I'll 
start replanting.