pointer80
Senior Member
Posts: 233
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 1:50 pm
Location: northern Michigan

question on best deer fencing

Hi all, I hope I am not wearing out my welcome with all these questions but when I have so much gardening knowledge at my finger tips I like to utilize it. I have to install a deer fencing of some sort around my garden and do not want to get to fancy or expensive this year so was thinking of the deer mesh available at the big box stores to get me by this year. Will this suffice or is there something better? Hopefully next year I can go a little better if needed. Thanks all.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Deer netting works well. If you are fencing in a large area, like your whole yard or a big garden patch, you will need it to be 8 feet tall. But I garden in raised beds and I put deer netting around each bed individually. Then it can be 6' or even 4' tall (just enough so deer can't reach their heads over it to graze while standing outside). That's because even though deer can pretty easily jump a shorter fence, they won't do it when that would put them inside a small enclosure.

Image

You can buy these metal stakes at big box stores that have hooks on them. You just hook the netting onto the stakes. To work on the enclosed garden, just unhook the netting. If you have small critters like groundhogs, raccoons, etc, use earth staples to fasten the netting down at the bottom.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

It is interesting how some people have problems with deer and some don't. I have about 40 acres of wilderness land behind my house, lots of tree, brush, and a very large stream that is knee deep at the moment and 20 deep 90 ft wide after a flash flood rain. I see deer 30 feet from my garden all the time but I never have a problem with deer eating my garden. Sometimes after dark deer come into the yard and set off the motion detector lights but they still do not eat the garden. Deer don't eat my, tomatoes, corn, beans, squash, melons, potatoes or the greens. The neighbor up the road said, only things deer eat in my garden is lettuce.

When I lived at a different house there was a forest 400 feet away deer ate my corn only when it was ripe but never ate anything else. Deer can jump over a 4 ft fence easy and jump a 6 ft fence if they want to. I had a 7 ft tall electric fence, wire spacing 12" only around the 12'x12' corn patch that kept the deer out. Electric fence is easy & cheap to put up. Farm supply stores sells metal fence posts in many lengths about $4 each last time I looked. Solar fence charger and wire too. The fence Rainbow is using will probably work for you too it might need to be 2 layers high to keep deer from jumping over.

User avatar
webmaster
Site Admin
Posts: 9476
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 12:59 pm
Location: Amherst, MA USDA Zone 5a

An electric fence is overkill.

Deer fencing will do just fine. DeerFencing.com produces fences that are designed and manufactured in the USA and are reasonably priced. Their deer fencing can be virtually invisible, too.

I prefer to support American manufacturers and businesses so I'm thinking of getting some from that company in order to keep my dog from straying into the forest that abuts my property. ;)

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

As noted, deer will not jump into a small enclosure, even though they could clear the fence. If you have a way to fence in just areas of your garden with the deer netting you will be fine.

PaulF
Greener Thumb
Posts: 910
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Brownville, Ne

Rabbits and deer are my garden's biggest pest problem. About ten years ago I was able to find enough used picket fencing to recycle around my 50'X50' plot. To keep out the rabbits, chicken wire was installed all around the bottom. For deer, at the posts I attached 1"X1"x 6' boards and to that deer fencing was stapled and zip tied into place. So there is a seven foot deer fence surrounding the garden. In the photo you can see the white rags that are placed at deer eye level so they won't jump through the netting which is almost invisible at night.
IMG_6836.jpg
I started with some cheapo bird netting like stuff and learned it is better to spend a little more. The thin net lasted a year. What I got was a thick plastic netting from the cheapest source I could find several years ago (I think five or six) There is no sign it will need replacing. Tenax C Flex Deer Fence, 6 by 100-Feet. Put up the good stuff and no deer problem. They avoid the vegetable garden and snack on my wife's flowers in the yard instead.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Pallet Fence might work.

Image

jeff84
Senior Member
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:38 pm
Location: southwest indiana

this actually works pretty well to keep away all kinds of critters not just deer.

https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywo ... b40ywyv0_p

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Deer Jerky?

jeff84
Senior Member
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:38 pm
Location: southwest indiana

no, is that where your browser takes you when you click my link? its supposed to take you to amazon page of predator urine.

User avatar
rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

jeff84 wrote:no, is that where your browser takes you when you click my link? its supposed to take you to amazon page of predator urine.
It does take you there.

I think James was just making his usual suggestion that one possible response to critter problems is a shotgun....

jeff84
Senior Member
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2017 10:38 pm
Location: southwest indiana

ah, I see. and agree. deer cant do much of anything if you turn them into jerky

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

I put a radio in the corn patch tuned to the local talk station, to discourage raccoons and skunks. Wonder if a radio would frighten deer too?

Yes, and don't forget the shotgun. :-()

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Yes a radio should work. I put motion detector lights in the garden once the lights never scared the deer at all. Next I attached an 8" school bell and a fire alarm buzzer to the motion detector, deer do not like noise. A radio should work.

PaulF
Greener Thumb
Posts: 910
Joined: Tue Nov 09, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Brownville, Ne

That's all I would need is for a fire alarm going off all night or somebody out in the garden talking.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”