Installing a Deer Fence

[Mike Nolan]

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal:

https://www.wsj.com/style/design/install-a-deer-fence-why-didnt-we-do-this-sooner-d1699343?st=LBGHE6&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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[skeptic7]

Installing a deer fence is a very expensive solution. My neighborhood has a lot of the old fashioned 3 ft chain link fences and that doesn't seem to stop the deer at all. I think the 6ft wooden privacy fence would keep the deer out. The WSJ seems to recommend tall fences made out of a frame and net design. I wonder how long these would last before falling apart.

[BakerAunt]

A lower fence can work if the deer cannot see a way to land. Before we had the backyard fence for the dog, my husband made the garden long and narrow. The only issue we had was a deer once chomped off the top of a tomato plant that came above the fence. So far, the deer have stayed out of the backyard because with the garden and the trees, they do not see an easy landing place.

My husband's real problems with deer are in his woodlands, and those properties are rather large for fencing. It's not so much the eating, although it can be a problem with young trees but the rubbing by the male deer, as they can kill even a larger tree.

[Mike Nolan]

I had similar concerns about the longevity of netting. I doubt deer would eat it, I'm less sure about smaller creatures. It might be something you'd have to replace regularly or possibly take down over the winter, either of which would be a major issue.

The last few fences I've seen installed in our neighborhood used metal posts instead of wooden ones, in large part because of termites and carpenter ants.

I've seen deer jump a 6 foot fence handily.

I doubt you'll find a good way to keep the bucks from rubbing the velvet off their antlers.

[BakerAunt]

My husband uses some orange deer fencing around the house, and also around some small areas of trees in his woods. He has had some success applying "Deer Out," but it has to be reapplied when it rains or wears off.

Those bucks are crazy. Some of it is rubbing the velvet, but my husband thinks that they also want the tree scent--think of it as Hai Karate aftershave for deer!

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