Garden deer protection

[lorihadams]

I heard a gentleman say he used fishing line to keep the deer out. They bump into it at night and can't figure out what it is so they avoid it. He runs it every 8 inches about 4 ft tall around the garden and they won't jump it cause they can't see it.

 

[BarredBuff]

We buy a spray, that has raw eggs in it and it repels them big time.

 

[Joel_BC]

There have always been deer in our locality and neighborhood - along with coyotes, black bears, racoons, the occasional bobcat, neighbors' stray dogs & cats, and (down the road a mile) a few elk.

About four years ago, the deer were getting into our place way too much - got though our rail fence into our larger food garden, plus were eating at our fruit trees and destroying quite a number of the ornamental shrubs my wife had planted. In fact everyone in the neighborhood was complaining about the increase in deer problems. People who had tried electric fence strands did not generally seem to feel this worked very well to keep the deer out, in our area. Possibly it works with some varieties of deer, elsewhere.

We put up a new fence encircling half of our property, encompassing all of our food-growing and decorative areas, including our pond. The strong fencing wire is six and a half feet high. It's kept the deer out. I realize that, theoretically, an adult deer can jump over a fence of the height of ours - but my observation of thelocal deer (two species) suggests they only do so if their adrenalin is running very high. In other words, they will not attempt to jump over it in order to get in, becuase they're not being chased at that time.

Problem is, bears can climb over it to get at ripending corn, fruit, squash, carrots. I guess we're now going to run an electric strand to keep them out. Expenses never end!

 

[moolie]

We have deer in our front yard all the time (live on the edge of town) so we've kept "edibles" in the back, but we'd like to add apple trees and we are concerned that they'll be a temptation to the deer. Any thoughts? They roam our street and regularly snack on front yard plants--I think the previous owners of our house did their homework because all of our perennials up against the house are things that deer must not like because they never get nibbled on even though I always see them nibbling in other yards.

They can't/don't want to get into our back yard--our house is only 14' away from each neighboring house and even though we only have 6' fences around the back yard, I don't think they like the look of the "dead end" as they peer between the houses and see the fence/gate. The jackrabbits and squirrels have no problem getting in, thus why we hooped chicken wire over our raised beds to keep them out of the veggies this past summer.

 

[~gd]

There have always been deer in our locality and neighborhood - along with coyotes, black bears, racoons, the occasional bobcat, neighbors' stray dogs & cats, and (down the road a mile) a few elk.

About four years ago, the deer were getting into our place way too much - got though our rail fence into our larger food garden, plus were eating at our fruit trees and destroying quite a number of the ornamental shrubs my wife had planted. In fact everyone in the neighborhood was complaining about the increase in deer problems. People who had tried electric fence strands did not generally seem to feel this worked very well to keep the deer out, in our area. Possibly it works with some varieties of deer, elsewhere.

We put up a new fence encircling half of our property, encompassing all of our food-growing and decorative areas, including our pond. The strong fencing wire is six and a half feet high. It's kept the deer out. I realize that, theoretically, an adult deer can jump over a fence of the height of ours - but my observation of thelocal deer (two species) suggests they only do so if their adrenalin is running very high. In other words, they will not attempt to jump over it in order to get in, becuase they're not being chased at that time.

Problem is, bears can climb over it to get at ripending corn, fruit, squash, carrots. I guess we're now going to run an electric strand to keep them out. Expenses never end!

Well electric fence wire is very cheap when compared to the money you aready have invested. A trick I used when I upgraded my welded fence to keep out climbers [coons mostly] was to off set the hot wire to the outside of the welded fence [they make insulators to do that or you can make yourown] I used cheap aluminium wire rather than barbed wire or high tension wire. so much easier to work with. No additional posts the woven fence gives all the support you need. I bought the cheapest charger I could find and boosted its effectiveness by attaching the ground wire to the woven fence and the hot wire to the single strand. If you touch just the hot wire you do get a jolt because the woven wire is grounded through the posts. if you touch both the hot wire and the woven fence you really get zapped because you body is the short circuit. I don't know how it would work on bears it should if they are really climbing [like a coon will] but if they are just knocking the fence down it might not work. ~gd

 

[hqueen13]

ZOMG! BRILLIANT!!! Well, I know what's on our shopping list!!!!

So the next question is what about the other littler critters? I know we've got a few rabbits, and some woodchucks, and a possum (dunno if they bother a garden or not...) and coons for sure. If they bump it, they'll be upset for sure, but if they don't...?

Amazing. I can't wait to share this with my mom! She's been having horrid problems with the deer in their *urban* neighborhood! She's got crazy nets up and everything, that'll be the end of that I suspect!

 

[Beekissed]

And the ultimate deer deterrent? A free to a good home dog on a wireless electric system that roams, barks and otherwise keeps your deer away at all times. The added benefit is that they also deter rabbits, coon, possum and even bears.

 

[BarredBuff]

And the ultimate deer deterrent? A free to a good home dog on a wireless electric system that roams, barks and otherwise keeps your deer away at all times. The added benefit is that they also deter rabbits, coon, possum and even bears.

Yes a utility dog is important on a homestead too. They keep all other animals at bay!

 

[~gd]

ZOMG! BRILLIANT!!! Well, I know what's on our shopping list!!!!

So the next question is what about the other littler critters? I know we've got a few rabbits, and some woodchucks, and a possum (dunno if they bother a garden or not...) and coons for sure. If they bump it, they'll be upset for sure, but if they don't...?

Amazing. I can't wait to share this with my mom! She's been having horrid problems with the deer in their *urban* neighborhood! She's got crazy nets up and everything, that'll be the end of that I suspect!

Well this was setup for suburban areas. Check your local rules many places have fence rules and electric fences are frowned upon because they aren't very visible. I had mine checked by the local inspector and he told me he would allow it because the welded fence provided a "visible barrier"that provided a warning but he insisted on yellow signs on the hot wire.
I just love it when they are more interested in the safety of tresspassers than owners.

 

[hqueen13]

I just love it when they are more interested in the safety of tresspassers than owners.

Heh, yup. Stupid people are the job security of firefighters and paramedics everywhere!

I'll give her the pointer about the fencing, but her garden is so small that I don't think it would make much of a difference, nobody would probably ever notice If she chooses to move the garden away from the corner fence where she currently has it (she's struggling with it there anyway due to the shade from a large tree that has grown up over the years), then it will be easier for her. If she leaves it in the corner by the chain link fence, it will be slightly more difficult, but I thinks till doable to electrify it.

I still am curious to know how to keep the smaller critters out. She has a LOT of rabbits, and so do we, plus groundhogs, possums, and coons. One wire won't be enough to deter those critters, the bunnies will just walk right under, haha!