HELP ! Rabbits eating my trees

[desertrat - 1]

The bloody rabbits have girdled a couple of my trees . They like the fruit tree bark best , but I think they'll start on the rest of the trees soon , as I have just installed a drip watering system and the trees are getting nice and moist . Anybody got a cheap and foolproof way of stopping them . Yep , I use a rifle , but they come in at night when I'm asleep . I dont like the looks of wire , and I dont have a dog anymore. I've heard painting the tree trunk up a few feet helps , and I was thinking of painting on some Henry's roofing compund around the trunk up a couple of feet , but since its petrolium based it may poison the trees ?
I did a google search and lots of different solutions , but what have you had practicle experiance with , and that really works ? The damaged trees seem to have survived OK so far but it looks terrible . Will the bark regrow ? What can I put on the wounds to seal them ?

Thanks in advance ........ Bob

[uncle Will in In.]

Garden centers sell plastic wrap around protecters. They are springie and get larger as the tree grows. Nurserys use them by the hundreds here. All I have seen are white.

[MaineFarmMom]

The trees will most likely die if they're girdled. I never seal wounds. The trees will take care of their wounds if they're going to survive.

[MelissaW]

I use a length of plastic corregated pipe (slit up one side) on the fruit trees. You can take it off in summer if you don't like the way it looks, as the rabbits generally find better fare then. They did in my three rose bushes this winter. There are too many canes to wrap in anything, and by the time I noticed the damage, it was too late. Hope your trees are ok. I've had a few come back from heavy rabbit damage on their own.

[ninny]

Screen wire, the type that you make window screens out of.. One or two wraps will stop the gnawing...