Keeping deer out

[Tigershark]

We own around 43 acres and are planting 25 acres of soy beans this year. A few acres of corn and for the first time we are planting about an acre garden. Tons of deer around and trying to decide between a solar electric fence or deer netting around the garden. Any recommendations ? Thanks for any input.

 

[CalG]

I put out motion lights on stakes in the garden.

We have a small herd in the area , 6-10 animals. So far the lights have kept the browsing down.

'keeping my fingers crossed...

 

[hosspuller]

NC extension did some research. A double fence... two low fences separated by 36 inches seemed as effective as a 8 foot deer fence. Do an internet search for more details.

 

[CalG]

I'll buy my veggies at the farmers market before I'll double fence the gardens. $$$$

 

[robstaples]

I have 3 fence chargers running to protect young trees. Tee posts litter my yard but I spray paint green the white tips and yellow insulators and that helps. Deer learn and stay away. I use 2 strands aluminized poly wire for hot and a bare ground for some strength against pesky bucks. I spend a couple hours per year repairing lines. But check monthly. Occasionally, Stampeding deer will break through. They walk my yard and regularly turn on motion lights, never have noticed the lights have an effect. But my garden is fenced and my protected areas are small compared to an acre. I planted trees in a deer run and left a fenced path through the trees rather then try to break their habit. Some surrounding fences are hot and some are not. ( never ran the connecting feed) So far, it's been effective. Note though, my young trees, mostly hemlock, aren't the dining attraction that your garden will be!

 

[RNeumann]

We have thousands of acres of wine grapes around here. The folks that fence use the 8' no climb. Never seen an effective electric fence. It's a huge upfront investment and then it's virtually done- very little maintenance. I know that makes for an expensive garden and probably not what you wanted to hear. Good luck.

 

[sam5570]

I put out motion lights on stakes in the garden.

We have a small herd in the area , 6-10 animals. So far the lights have kept the browsing down.

'keeping my fingers crossed...

What we do is close to this. My wife goes to yard sales and find these motion figures used at Halloween and we put them on stakes around the garden and we have no problem with deer and there are plenty of them around. After years of trying lot's of different things this works far better than any.

 

[rekees4300]

Any recommendations ? Thanks for any input.

This works for me. Available from Amazon.

View attachment 507565

 

[Thomas]

High fence your best bet if not electric fence,one hot line high and one low which also make other critter think twice...good luck.

 

[Tigershark]

Thanks for all the suggestions and information

 

[tbzep]

Electric fences don't work for me. They tear my cattle fences (normally two hot barbed wire strands) down on a regular basis. They even tear down my older woven wire fences. I finally quit having a garden. I had 4 strands around it about 5 ft high and they'd tear through or jump it. I finally started running a strand between each row of peas (their favorite area) that I'd disconnect before picking. It worked for a week or two but I'd have to repair it every day. The bastards eventually started sending in an advanced expeditionary force that would tear it down and ground it out, then they'd come in and eat every pea pod in the garden. F'n bastards. I hate 'em.

 

[Sonny580]

tbzep!!!!---- Know exactly what you are going thru!! We got same problems here and the red strobe flashers kinda slows most of them down, but the others that don't pay any attention come thru, and it only takes one to destroy your gardens!---I have tried a lot of chems., fencing, ( other than the 8' stuff), and they still come in!---Only thing that works is HOT LEAD!!! set up trail camera to find out what time of the night they come in and be waiting!---Noise will keep them away, for sure, but neighbors might get upset!---I put up lights and put a radio up full sound, and that helps in my sweet corn keeping other varmints out! thanks; sonny580

 

[Sonny580]

Gittin' bout the same way around here!!---crackpot crazies have a lot to do with the "less hunter" population!!---Hunting fees are cutting down on guys actually going hunting.--DNR here has been trying to get black bears to survive in this area,--(got lots of them in Southern Illinois), ---they even dumped out some bobcats just down the road here about 3 miles from us!----None lasted for a week or more!---(I didn't do it but someone in the area did!!!!
The vehicle/deer crashes right in our area are staggering, but the deer population just keeps growing!---saw an old doe with 3 little ones the other night, but they were faster crossing the road than my diesel truck was, so they got away!
Wish I had a helpful answer for the problem but I don't at this point! thanks; sonny580

 

[rgr33]

I have a commercial vineyard, and about mid summer, the grass is brown, and grape plants start looking pretty tasty to the local deer.
I have tried just about everything listed in this discussion, but the only thing that was ever successful was an 8 foot tall woven wire fence. Early on, I tried plastic fencing, but the deer went through it or under it. I also incorporated a deer pass through to allow formovement through the area, which helped prevent testing of the fence line.
25 acres would be cost prohibitive, unless soy beans pay more than I think. I used the double fence method in my mother in laws large garden, and it worked well, deer apparently won't jump a fence if they don't have a clear landing spot.

 

[Tigershark]

So I elected to go with a double fence made of fishing line. So far the first week it has worked. The inside fence is 8 ft tall with 100lb line and the outer fence is 3.5 ft from the other one and has 30lb test. The theory is they run into it and it spooks them. So far nothing has been broken or eaten yet. If this doesn't work we will go electric

 

[Kentuckyfarmer]

Where I am we have lots of deer and last year I didn't get one ear of corn. They tore it all up. This year I plan on putting my electric chicken fence along with the chickens and coop right beside the corn patch and hope that will keep them away from it. Right now I would almost rather have that problem than the one I have now. A skunk took up resendents in my barn about two days ago. Have a couple bales of straw and about 20 bales of hay stacked in there and he has a spot picked out for homesteading. I'm going to move the hay and straw and stack it on my trailer and clean out the barn tomorrow and turn on the lights at night and see if I can't get him to maybe seek homesteading else where. Last night I thought it was a possum and the security cam pick him up and alerted me so I head out with the 410 and was getting ready to level the bead on it about ten feet away and hit it with the flash light first and backed away from that encounter real quick. But I still feel your pain on the deer but at least you don't smell them the next day and the next day and the next ............

 

[nickmags]

We too are overrun with deer! All my big farmer/rancher neighbors have put in food plots and or feed stations. It's not uncommon to see ten to fifteen deer near our property. Over a two year period my wife and I built woods cedar cribs, filled the cribs with some of the billions of rocks and stones that seem to grow out of the ground. Then set six foot metal t posts in the stone and ran five foot welded wire fencing. Each of the cribs are three foot tall and three foot wide and between ten and twelve feet long, they encompass our half acre garden. Total fence height right at eight feet. No deer in the garden save one time I forgot to shut the gate. Coons are not deterred however, had to put in electric fence wire, ran two strands, one about six inches off the top of the rocks and one anther two feet up. Used four inch plastic standoff insulators. Seems to have worked. No coons the last two seasons in garden.

We own around 43 acres and are planting 25 acres of soy beans this year. A few acres of corn and for the first time we are planting about an acre garden. Tons of deer around and trying to decide between a solar electric fence or deer netting around the garden. Any recommendations ? Thanks for any input.

 

[Wsmitty]

What we do is close to this. My wife goes to yard sales and find these motion figures used at Halloween and we put them on stakes around the garden and we have no problem with deer and there are plenty of them around. After years of trying lot's of different things this works far better than any.

I had to laugh when I saw this. We have a bear problem and they are forever screwing with my trash can. I just saw this video demonstrating the Halloween figure trick. I might give this a try.

Bear Problem Solved - YouTube