Deer eating my small apple trees

[ericm979]

Two t posts and a roll of 5' hog wire fencing has always worked for us. The deer push it around some but our deer aren't smart enough or hungry enough to go to the next step like yours are. If it didn't work, I'd do four posts, stretch the fencing tight and use the usual wire clips to hold it to the t posts. Dunno what to do about a gate, with the roll we just bend the cut ends over into hooks and that's been enough.

 

[sixdogs]

Good strong fencing least 6' high only thing works found works for me.

When I lived in New England with lots of nuisance deer, this worked. They pushed on plain wire so I went to high tensile barb wire. Still some issues so I hooked up an electric cow fence and that solved the problem. They would get close to smell he wire and you could hear the arc pop inside.

 

[Jstpssng]

When I worked in the orchard they had an 8 foot tall deer fence, which kept deer out most of the time. Electric is probably easier and less expensive to install. For smaller plantings I've seen people put up poles and 4 foot fencing just far enough out so that the deer can't reach over it, but it sounds like you have to many trees to make that effective.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

'Terminate' an animal for being hungry? Really?

OP, is there something else you can plant that they might like better and allow them better access? Do you have room for a food plot for them?

I was raised shooting deer out of the pea patch. We had a two story barn with Windows out toward the garden overlooking a 40 acre patch. Army cots and spot lights. Uncle's and cousins in attendance. Good times.

 

[plowhog]

Here's a pix of the fence with 3 T-posts. I was wrong about the diameter-- this is obviously not nearly enough. Thinking of expanding to 4 or 5 posts and a lot more buffer.

 

[Jstpssng]

Most that I see use four posts. They also have stiffer wire however, usually 2x4 inch mesh.
I have some concrete reinforcement mesh which would work well, except it’s a real PITA to work.

 

[JasperFrank]

What I'm to suggest is all theory, so take it as such.
If you build an outer obstacle, such as a simple, low, three foot high, post and single top rail fence, right where a deer would normally launch, four feet or so away from the inner fence you already have in place, I can't imagine a deer thinking it could jump over both obstacles in one stride. Between the two barriers, the deer wouldn't be able, to jump over the inner fence as it is tuned sideways, and then can't jump over the inner fence, but could still duck under the outer fence to get back out.

 

[cqaigy2]

We tried many options for keeping deer off/away from fruit trees. The one thing that seems to work for us is heavy duty black plastic netting 8 or more feet high. I use 10' sticks of metal conduit slipped into both ends and secured with zip ties. The conduit is slipped into hooks or eye bolts on wood corner post. Doesn't have to be tight, if it flops over a bit on top, it still keeps the concerned as it wider too. The other nice part of this arrangement is i can pop the netting out of the way and have wide open access to the trees.

 

[KennyG]

I've had good luck with cages of welded wire fencing plus Bobex deer repellant. Bobex seems to last longer than liquid fence and others. I've got a lot of deer but maybe my neighboring farmers feed them better.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I had the same problem with my orchard and garden. I tried small fences, electric fences, motion activated lights, and sprinklers. Nothing worked until I built an 8 foot fence around the orchard/garden. I see the deer tracks around the perimeter, but they cannot get in.

Same results with ten foot fence post with 7' - 6" above the ground. spaced 10 feet apart. Orchard is 60' x 80'. haven't had a deer in the orchard for 9 years. Just see the tracks outside the fence.

 

[jaxs]

Electric fence return's more for money and time invested. Incluse the area with a single strand 3-4 feet from ground and run a line through orchard. Tie aluminuum pie pans with a leingth of wire so they move with wind. The idea is to make them think pie pans attack if they get near them. Some times it require's adding a ground wire when ground is dry. No place should be without a dog,least of all anywhere you try raising animals or plants. Dogs don't need to be large or visous,just alert and bark when things come near so that you can take approperate action. I've had several breeds over the years and a Rat Terrier was one of if not the most alert of the bunch. Only problem was he would attack anything including kids so I had to give him to a couple that seldom had kids visit. He was the only dog I ever saw that wouldn't submit to it's master so had he weighed 50 pounds I would have had to shot him in self defense.

 

[jyoutz]

Electric fence return's more for money and time invested. Incluse the area with a single strand 3-4 feet from ground and run a line through orchard. Tie aluminuum pie pans with a leingth of wire so they move with wind. The idea is to make them think pie pans attack if they get near them. Some times it require's adding a ground wire when ground is dry. No place should be without a dog,least of all anywhere you try raising animals or plants. Dogs don't need to be large or visous,just alert and bark when things come near so that you can take approperate action. I've had several breeds over the years and a Rat Terrier was one of if not the most alert of the bunch. Only problem was he would attack anything including kids so I had to give him to a couple that seldom had kids visit. He was the only dog I ever saw that wouldn't submit to it's master so had he weighed 50 pounds I would have had to shot him in self defense.

I tried 4 different electric fence designs. None kept the deer out. Only the solid 8 foot fence worked.

 

[jyoutz]

When I worked in the orchard they had an 8 foot tall deer fence, which kept deer out most of the time. Electric is probably easier and less expensive to install. For smaller plantings I've seen people put up poles and 4 foot fencing just far enough out so that the deer can't reach over it, but it sounds like you have to many trees to make that effective.

Every electric fence design that I tried did not work. Only my solid 8 foot fence worked.

 

[plowhog]

I think 4 T-posts making a fencing square around each tree would work. But ... a weak spot is the top of the wire fence mid-way between the posts. Too easy or inviting to push on. Any ideas how to stiffen the top of the wire fence in between the posts?

 

[jyoutz]

I think 4 T-posts making a fencing square around each tree would work. But ... a weak spot is the top of the wire fence mid-way between the posts. Too easy or inviting to push on. Any ideas how to stiffen the top of the wire fence in between the posts?

Sounds like you then are creating an obstacle for picking fruit. Consider fencing the whole orchard. I did a 300’ x 300’ fence. A lot of work but it was done permanently. There is no real good way to stiffen field fence wire without stretching it. To do that, you need a proper fence with brace corners. And do not try to work with 8’ fencing; use two runs of 4’ fencing. To stream the top strand, I made a jig out of boards and chained to my loader bucket. That way I could raise the fence and back up the tractor to stretch. Use a lot of rear ballast if you try this, and back up slowly. This can make your tractor tippy if you’re not careful.

 

[Paddy]

I've been planting bare root apple trees to replace a mature apple orchard that is slowly dying out. This summer, my small trees were nearly wiped out by deer. A drought year left little for the deer to eat elsewhere, so they got aggressive even in spite of fencing.

At first, I used two T-posts and a circle of 4' wire fence around the trees. The deer easily defeated that by pushing on the wire. I then tried three T-posts and a wider fence radius of protection. The deer learned to push on the wire mid-way between the T-posts and they could still get to the apple tree leaves.

What are some alternatives to keeping the deer away from the apple trees? I have plenty of T-posts and wire fence, but I either need a better approach or a way to reinforce the upper part of the fence so it can't be pushed.

Any ideas?

I tried the 6 x 6, 5 ft tall reinforcement wire making a 6 ft dia circle around each tree. It did keep the deer out but, made it nearly impossible to prune and spray the trees. Also, making a tree grow tall to be above the deer makes it a pain to prune/spray/pick fruit. I keep my peach trees 8 ft tall, 15 feet wide, so I can pick fruit when they are perfectly ripe.

We have 8 peach/cherry/apple trees all in an electric fence. It's on a timer to only run at night. The lowest part is 2 x 4 welded wire up to 16 inches. Then hot wires up to 5 ft every 6-8 inches. You can run white cord above that. Once a deer jumps, they won't get shocked feet off the ground. The lower part being wire fencing is to get above the weed/ grass. And raccoons will craw under the lowest hot line if hots go from ground to top.


I read, deer will back off if shocked on the ears forward. Behind the ears they will charge forward! Having the hots 6 inches apart at face level is key.

If you don't use an electric fence, you may keep out deer with a very tall fence. Then you starting getting fruit to feed the raccoons!

Electric fences work if you keep the weeds off, have hots close together. We have heavy deer pressure here, just not in our orchard.

good luck, you can win this battle

 

[ponytug]

I think 4 T-posts making a fencing square around each tree would work. But ... a weak spot is the top of the wire fence mid-way between the posts. Too easy or inviting to push on. Any ideas how to stiffen the top of the wire fence in between the posts?

There was a study done locally that showed if the fence top had variations (think tree branches sticking up), a six foot fence with variation was as effective as a ten foot wire fence. Apparently the variation in height reduces the deers ability to judge where the fence is and they won't risk it. Perhaps some high strands with ribbons or pie plates that move?

If the trees aren't completely scattered around, how about a strand or two of electric, run around nose level on each tree, and connecting the trees together with insulated wire?

How about bird netting over the top? (Entanglement risk for deer might keep them out?)

As far as strengthening the wire, how about bamboo or 2x2" cut to length between the posts? Speaking from experience, T-posts alone at corners need a lot of reinforcing, i.e. bracing both ways, which is pricey.

Personally, I have never had any luck with reflective tape, moving mirrors, pie plates on deterring anything (raccoons, possums, jays).

Electric fence and netting is a different story; here, electric has worked great on pigs, and raccoons. While we have deer, they have never attempted to come near the house, probably helped by 6' chain link surrounding the homestead, and a dog or two inside a smaller area within that.

Good luck!

All the best,

Peter

 

[jyoutz]

There was a study done locally that showed if the fence top had variations (think tree branches sticking up), a six foot fence with variation was as effective as a ten foot wire fence. Apparently the variation in height reduces the deers ability to judge where the fence is and they won't risk it. Perhaps some high strands with ribbons or pie plates that move?

If the trees aren't completely scattered around, how about a strand or two of electric, run around nose level on each tree, and connecting the trees together with insulated wire?

How about bird netting over the top? (Entanglement risk for deer might keep them out?)

As far as strengthening the wire, how about bamboo or 2x2" cut to length between the posts? Speaking from experience, T-posts alone at corners need a lot of reinforcing, i.e. bracing both ways, which is pricey.

Personally, I have never had any luck with reflective tape, moving mirrors, pie plates on deterring anything (raccoons, possums, jays).

Electric fence and netting is a different story; here, electric has worked great on pigs, and raccoons. While we have deer, they have never attempted to come near the house, probably helped by 6' chain link surrounding the homestead, and a dog or two inside a smaller area within that.

Good luck!

All the best,

Peter

Bird netting is a huge problem. The tree branches will become entangled and you will have to cut the netting off to pick or remove it. Ask me know I know this.

 

[plowhog]

As far as strengthening the wire, how about bamboo or 2x2" cut to length between the posts?

I was thinking about that-- good idea. Also considering 4 braces from center-center, like a diamond inside the square. That might add stiffening and dissuade jumping. Trying to figure out access though-- I don't pick apples but do need to knock weeds down. When we irrigate the small trees *everything* else wants to use the water to grow.

 

[RalphVa]

I've been planting bare root apple trees to replace a mature apple orchard that is slowly dying out. This summer, my small trees were nearly wiped out by deer. A drought year left little for the deer to eat elsewhere, so they got aggressive even in spite of fencing.

At first, I used two T-posts and a circle of 4' wire fence around the trees. The deer easily defeated that by pushing on the wire. I then tried three T-posts and a wider fence radius of protection. The deer learned to push on the wire mid-way between the T-posts and they could still get to the apple tree leaves.

What are some alternatives to keeping the deer away from the apple trees? I have plenty of T-posts and wire fence, but I either need a better approach or a way to reinforce the upper part of the fence so it can't be pushed.

Any ideas?

A simple 2 deep fence works to keep "hooved rats" out. Attached is a picture of the rope fence I have between my carriage house and little garden behind the garage. It's just 2 ropes on one fence and a single rope on the front one. Could probably do it with 2 ropes at different heights 18 to 24 inches apart. Hooved rats have very poor depth perception.

All you need are the step-on teflon posts from TSC/Lowes/Home Depot. Don't need them that close, maybe 20-25 ft spread between posts.

The pictured rope fence is the top part of the back yard fencing. I've the rest fenced in wire instead of rope. Used to have it electrified, but works fine without.

Got daylillys right behind that rope fence and 3 camellia just down the slope. These are both hooved rat candy.

In the past, I've racked up over 30 kills using a kill permit to control these pests. As long as the carcass is out in the open, buzzards will have it down to bones in 48 hours.