I want to set a few acres aside for keeping the deer out. My reading here suggests that a fence needs to be at least ten feet tall, although an alternative was suggested of running two four foot fences about four feet apart.

I think I want to go with the ten foot tall suggestion.

Now it's time to think about implementation.

At first, I thought I would use some of the trees around here for poles. A lot of the forest needs thinning. But those would probably rot in a few years ....

Somebody (outside of the forum) mentioned steel posts. Do they make them that long? Where do you find such a thing? And wouldn't I still need something much stronger for corners and gates?

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), March 15, 2002

Answers

Can not help with your current plan of attack but can offer some advice. One method I have read in publications that I think works is a variation of the two fence method. Install or maintain an existing fence at about four foot high. This primary fence is used to keep the livestock in. Outside this primary fence run a second fence about two feet away from the first fence. The second fence only needs to be a single strand of wire about 18" above the ground. The second fences trips the deer before they can get close enough to jump the primary fence. Some publications recommended electric fences but not all.

I think this method is cheaper, simple to install and maintain. A ten foot tall fence will require special equipment and procedures.

-- ChrisN (chrisnass@hotmail.com), March 15, 2002.

The two fence method is probably the cheapest but it should be configured exactly like the one that worked, I believe, in PA.

If you need long fence posts the best way to go would be used pipe. In the past, I've suggested used offshore fishing net. If you live near a fishing port you could probably buy several thousand feet of the discarded net for a hundred dollars.

I think the net runs 12 to 15' wide. No deer is going to jump that nor will they run through it. The stuff has to be over hundred lb. test.

-- Darren (df1@infi.net), March 15, 2002.

My company recently fenced a farm with 10 foot woven wire fence for deer. This is very expensive. We used wooden posts and a air power stapler. Thia farm has a very expensive crop on it. All the rest of our farms that have deer pressure are protected with that high visability electric wire like thay use for horses. The secret to the electric wire is put it 30 inches high and to bait it with peanut butter where the deer come into the field. It very quickly becomes a visual barrier to them. We have found this to be 98% efective(sp) We only used the 10 foot fence because of the value of the crop.

-- John in Mn. (nospam@mywork.com), March 15, 2002.

Mellinger's at http://www.mellingers.com/shopmellingers.tpl has inexpensive deer fencing/netting. I plan to use it this year. I already have t-posts to set it up with. I think slanting it is a good idea.

-- Susan in Northern LP Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), March 15, 2002.

I have posted this a few times here and on other forums. I might add, that our deer are Blacktails, smaller than Whitetails. I use a 6' fence on 10' T-posts, set 2' in the ground or with the spade just below the ground, (we do not have ground frost) I run a smooth wire at 7' and one at 8' and either flag it or put 1/2" PVC pipe on the wire. I use 5-6" treated posts for corners or, treated 4X4s set in concrete, the same for gates. I have used all kinds of combonations, of pipe, grape posts & channel iron. Fencing is expensive initially but if you amortise the costs over 10- 15 years against deer damage, it become muh more economical. Myfences are also to keep out Coyotes & Cougar, just the other day I read where a cougar can jump 16' verticle. I have seen Whitetails clear an 8' stell spike fence and I have seen them impailed on them too. I have heard of the 2 fence method but that means some sort of double gating. Visual! is important to deer.

-- hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), March 16, 2002.

My husband put a deer fence around our garden. It's 8 feet high and made of chicken wire. He used wooden posts set in place with fence post concrete. He hammered steel rods into the top of the posts to extend the height another two feet and then used two rows of barbed wire a foot apart each around the rods. Never have had trouble with deer in the garden. He also dug in a gopher fence and seemded to have fenced in at least one gopher or mole.

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), March 16, 2002.

For a large area you should try an electric fence. Ours in solar operated and covers 2 acres. You have to bait it so the deer put their noses on it, once they get the jolt they learn to stay away. We use three strands of wire. Lower wires are important because deer prefer to go under things. In 4 years we have had no problems and live in a very deer infested area. The initial expense is for the solar panel and battery, but the wire is cheap. We did the 2 acres for under $1000 and to do more acreage would only require the purchase of more wire. We run the wire from tree to tree whenever possible to avoid posts. Our source is Premier Sheep Supplies 1-800-282-6631.

Just a note about the mesh fencing - a friend had been using this method and one day went out to find a buck all tangled in it. She had to call the DEC to come and shoot the thing (she's not the type to do it herself).

-- diane greene (greenwitch@catskillnativenursery.com), March 16, 2002.

We've used electic fence for goats from premier.

We had a new area we were about to move the goats into and found that something had gotten caught in it and tore up a section. That had to be a particularly bad day for that critter - cuz the fence was powered up.

-- Paul Wheaton (paul@javaranch.com), March 18, 2002.