How high for a deer fence? (Non-electric)

I kept them out of my garden with a 3' chicken wire fence and a single strand of electric fence over the top of the chicken wire using a $20 pet fence charger. I put tin foil smeared with peanut butter on it to educate the deer to fear the fence.

Before the electric fence they ate my peas as soon as they grew tall enough to eat. After putting that hot wire up and educating them they stayed away.

If you put the hot wire 4" over the top of the mesh fence it should be coon proof too. I would attach the mesh fence to the ground of the charger to insure the coon gets a good zap.

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I like the 8foot woven wire....then why not add a cou[ple of smooth wires on top with some cloth strips to dangle?

most people use 6' but 8' would probably be a more sure thing..

myself I feel if you have enough wildlife food outside of your fence or your garden you probably won't have a problem with the deer jumping the fence, but if they are starving cause there is nothing to eat, then they'll find a way in

i provide tons of food outside of my fence for my deer and wildlife to eat and they seldom bother the gardens or even the mixed food forest beds that aren't fenced

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Brenda Groth
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

We have tried many things over the years to keep deer out of the garden. Most deterants only work a short while. Finally we drove fence stakes ; which are made from small diameter trees, limbed and sharpened on one end; into the ground about six feet apart. We used rope to make a fence around the perimeter of the garden a few feet away from the plants.

Where the squash and cucumbers were, which deer love, we put up a few stakes and ran rope slash ways across the top of the plants creating narrow alley ways. We were pleasantly surprised to find the deer will not walk between a narrow rope alley way. They wouldn't jump the perimeter ropes because if they did the would land in the narrow rope alley. We discovered deer do not like narrorw places where there is no room to turn around or be able to jump to flee.

I was a local fisherman/ hunter who suggested this and it seems to work.The rope was free as it was discarded by someone. The fence stakes we cut ourselves. The only cost was fence staples to attach the rope to the stakes.

We do 8 feet almost exclusively for our clients. A lot like DeerBuster's netting.

The deer here eat freely in our pasture and hayfield and get plenty to eat. Still they like the garden too.Must be dessert!

I've also seen a deer leap over an 8' high chainlink fence. Took her two tries but on the last one I down think she even clicked her heels. I've also seen a cow jump a 4' high chainlink fence with no problems.

We put up an 8' high fence provided by the Department of Wildlife here in western Colorado. Never had a deer go near it.....we also have a big black lab that barks at them, I'm sure that helps.

When some cat starts tuning his fiddle, all bets are off on how high a cow can jump....

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

I've heard that deer won't walk through a narrow space or they won't walk on wire laid on the ground.

Well, I've got a space about 2 feet wide between my orchard fence and my berry patch fence. It makes a chute about 25f feet long and there is a double layer of chicken wire laying on the ground the full length, plus a bunch of big rocks.

The deer have no problems going through that. It's on their regular route.

I'm scared one the the big bucks is going to get his antlers wedged in there and he'll be caught and damage my fence, but so far it hasn't happened.

I just wouldn't count on narrow spaces or wire on the ground stopping deer.

When I bought those houses to move last year, the owner was going to put in deer, bought 600 acres, and he was having 10 ft. fences put all the way around the land..

Adding short stakes tipped out to the top of your fence w/wire strung across can help, also internal dividers in the garden area, since deer don't like to get into close spaces. Sue

One thing to remember is that a deer is a "flight" animal. In questionable circumstances, the deer will flee. I know in the Black Hills of SD (where you can get as many deer with your car as you can during hunting season), deer won't jump over a fence they can see through/over. Many gardeners out there are putting up the standard 6 ft chain link then running the plastic lattice strips type stuff through the holes. Or they buy plain old lattice and wire it to the fence. (that is the faster way to go) Those that have done it say they went from growing a deer buffet to actually getting to eat the veggies they grow. One garden didn't know his garden could produce so much once he stopped feeding the deer.

HTHs!

Carrie in SD

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The deer jumped our 8 foot fence with ease. 2 non electric wires were added on top to make the total height 10 feet. No deer have gone over it in 12 years since.
the gates are 4.5 feet high (pallets hung on hinges), but wires strung across at 8 and 10 feet keep deer from hopping the gate, too. the fence posts are made of cedar poles