I've been tearing down the old chicken coop, and if
anyone has ever pulled old, rusty chicken wire off old, rotten railroad
ties, well, you have an idea of what I'm doing.
Bev, buy a fence tool. It has a curved point that you position, then
tap behind the staple with a hammer, then leverage easily out. Old
posts often are soft enough that you don't need the hammer.
If I ever run any new fencing it will be of metal posts and dogpen wire.