Fishing for Deer, what lb test?

[sassafraspete]

Ok, my neighbor who has an even bigger deer in the garden problem than I , is trying out some monfiliment fishing line this year...to suppliment his usual fence.

I happened to be gone a couple days last week and the deer paid my beans a visit. In lieu of constructing an electric fence, I hastily strung up some fishing line around one of my gardens.

Having some success with that, I visited wally world and picked up some cheap fishing line for my garden that is in my back field. I put in my electric fence posts, and strung some a couple of lines. In a couple of days, I found a breach in the top line. To my surprise, looks like the deer was spooked and just ran thru ( by distance of prints )...and didn't browse.

On my garden close to the house, I saw where a deer visited, but just at the edge. Looks like it started browing on the beans at the edge, but pushed against the fishing line, and went no further.

So will fishing line work? My neighbor says the theory is they can't see it, and it spooks them when they feel it .

So then the question .... is what lb test do I use to catch a deer? I think my first garden has 14 lb test....a good bass line. I went with catfish line on my second garden... 50 lb test. Is smaller better or bigger better?

Just fishing for deer in Brown County, Indiana.

I have attached a picture of my fence.

sassafraspete

 

[PineRidge]

Being a fisherman for quite a few years I have never heard of using mono-filament line to catch deer. Maybe you should change your technique just a bit and try trolling for them. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

In all seriousness I have also considered putting up an electric fence to deter the deer. If your fishing line works for you maybe I'll use the combination myself.

 

[JerryG]

<font color="blue"> My neighbor says the theory is they can't see it, and it spooks them when they feel it .</font>
Yes, it works. It needs to be line that you can hard see. It is great when you see them start in the garden and they hit the line. They flip out. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif It looks like, they think that they have been grab by something, but don't know what. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Egon]

I made a fence around some hazelnut bushes using baler twine. It did work.

Egon

 

[anthonyk]

have ya'll ever thought of those motion sensored sprayers?
I had a real problem with crows tearing up my newly laid sod, looking for bugs. Tried everything from scarecrows (they landed on them and got a better view of the bugs) to shiny CDs hung on strings (they used them as mirrors after they had dinner /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif). Nothing worked.
Then I saw an ad for what basically turned out to be a high powered oscilallating sprinkler head, equipped with a motion sensor. When the birds would land in the front yard, it would turn on and sweep back and forth for a few minutes, with that powerful impact sprinkler effect. Then it would turn off and wait. I really loved watching the crows freak out when it hit them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif. Worked like a charm. Don't know if it'll work for deer, but it seems like it could. Probably would spook 'em, and you could water your garden too!
Think I paid about 55 bucks for it. It just attached to a hose.

anthony

 

[Nasty135]

Pete, I was talking to a Gentleman from church and he suggested just that (fishing line) which was my first attempt at garden protection, It kind of worked at first because of the spook factor (deer can't see it ) but I think they got used to it pretty quick because of its stretch factor, not sure but it didn't work for long at least for me... /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif BUMMER for sure. So for now we have a 5' fence up (only because I couldn't find a 6') and it seems OK so far.... But it won't keep out a "HUNGRY" deer.

Next year I want to do twice what I have this year /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
(gluten for punishment /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

 

[PineRidge]

If one was to use an electric fence for the deer can anyone say how high the wire should be to be effective?

It's nighttime and I think that I can hear them chomping on my vegetable plants. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[sassafraspete]

Nasty, I think you are probably right. I may have deterred them temporarily, but when the crops really get tasty... I am thinking the deer will be hard to stop.

Mike, I've seen some guys put as many as 4 electric wires up a post for deer. Several people have been touting a 2 wire fence that ...eg 2 runs separated by a few feet. Not sure why this would work any better.

As for corn.... we seem to be fixated on the deer, but the racoons can be a far worse problem here. Once they get a taste, they come back with all their relatives. I suppose putting a wire close to the ground might stop them...but you would have to put roundup down or something to keep the weeds/tall grass out of it.

My problem is that my garden in the back field will probably have to have a solar/battery powered shocker....since it is so far away from the house. Most of those seem to run $100 or north.

$100 would buy some pretty good produce at the farmer's market.

 

[PineRidge]

<font color="blue"> $100 would buy some pretty good produce at the farmer's market. </font>

Pete a hundred bucks is cheap insurance in my opinion. If you factor in the cost of a tractor, cultivator, tiller, seed planter, and the like we have some serious money invested with getting a few fresh veggies out of our gardens. But is the expense any different with a boater, golfer, or the like?

 

[SPIKER]

Hey all:

this is what works for me, I used (last year) some WHITE high visablilty string, not fishing line, as I figured deer already KNOW what a electric fence is and it worked like a charm, maybe ONE time I had deer in ther garden AFTER stringing one lenght ~4' high around the garden. prior to that they wipped out several rows of veggies... /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif anyhow it was knocked down once after installing it and it was simply cotton chaulk/block layers string. the High Vis white was due to having enough yard light to make it shine. they SEE it and know better to stay away as the hole area haselec fences around all the pastures.

MarkM

 

[sassafraspete]

I just wanted to update the latest on this. I purchased a battery powered electric fence controler....but it still sits in it's box.

My small garden that is loaded with beans now is protected with only a few strands of 14lb test monfilament. Deer love beans...but so far this has worked. I have a large buck that is bedding down right by our house...so I know he stays close. We came face to face the other day when I was taking my garbage out.

My 2nd garden spot in the back field has to strands of 50lb test on 4 foot plastic poles. It is highly visable. At first it worked, and I could even see where it spooked the deer. Lately however, the deer jump it and have been sampling my sweet potato tops and some corn tops.

Last night I tried another experiment. I have stretched one 14 lb line about 6-8 feet out from my 50lb test line. It is streched tight, and hard to see. I figure the deer will be looking and knowing about the 50lb fence...and when they fell the 14lb line, it will spook them. I am holding out on the electric fence until this fails.

At this point, my conclusion is that 14lb works better than 50lb test. We'll see how this latest test works.

sassafraspete