Deer in garden

[Bill]

Has anyone had success with an electric fence to keep deers out of gardens. If so at what height was your wire. Any other suggestions that have been successful?


Thanks in advance, Bill

[Don McCombs]

Bill,

This information may be helpful.

http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/wildlife/deercont.PDF

But this hardware is the only sure fire solution.

[Billy Fussell]

Bill,

What worked for me last year was dog hair. Went to the dog groomer and got a sack of hair and put handfulls around the edge of the garden and randomly out in it. I will do it again this year.

Billy

[SONNY]

I use a 3 line white electric rope, that came with the new acres!---The bottom rope is about 18" from the ground,--middle rope is 36", and top is about 48" to 50" or so! Last year they came up to it and went along it without jumping it. I think they see the white rope, (the larger diameter size) and kind of avoid it! ---The charger is a small one for 20 miles of fence, so it has a kick to it that you would not believe.
I would love to have a 7 foot high tinsel electric boundary fence, but that is out for now!--Rabbits and robins are our biggest problem right now! thanks; sonny

[JackF]

We have a lot of Deer, but I think the dogs are running them off. I use an electric fence mostly for Coons. I run about two miles one strand about eight in. above the ground and the other 24”. I guess I’m lucky so for not having Deer damage.

I like Sonny’s set up. They probably see the white rope at night.

[markwayne]

I like to keep the fur on the dog I think that works best. If I see deer I let the dogs out to run them off. The deer learn real fast to stay away.

[Bill]

Thanks for the replys. Was in garden today, deer eating our new red rasberry plant leaves, I use an electric fence to keep raccoon out of sweet corn, one wire eight inches one at sixteen inches. Last year I had to put wire mesh over our redbeets , endive, and lettuce or we would have lost it all. Neighbor raises several acres of strawberries, and this year he got a nuiscance permit to shoot 5 deer. The deer are already eating his strawberry plants. This is a big cash crop for him.
I think I am going to try the electric fence first and see if that works.
Bill

[Dale Shaw]

When I was a boy, we had a bad raccoon problem. We put electric fence about 10 inches off the ground and ran straight 110 volts to it. We had lots of bbq coon AND watermelon to wash it down with.

you couldn't even think about doing it today, you would be put in jail.

[markwayne]

Thats funny right off the AC line huh? I had a buddy that had stray dogs digging up his landscaping, he put wire around everything and being cheap he hooked it to a neon sign transformer he had lying around, yee hah! They don't put out all that much more voltage than a fence charger but a lot more current since they don't have the current limiting controls a charger has. he only kept it plugged in at night until one day he went to work and forgot. When he got home he noticed he left it plugged in. Then he hears a slight arcing sound out in the yard. Investigating he finds a neighbors cat with one paw over the wire fried stiff. A swift burial and denial ensued, no he hadn't seen their cat and had no idea where he went, to keep the peace.

I read somewhere that dogs wolfs coyote and such require around 8000 volts to start a shock through their coats. I have a Parmark Mark IV charger to keep the dogs in and it has about 8K volts of "guard voltage", they don't touch the fence a second time at least the smart ones don't.

[Bill]

Put electric fence up today. Hope this will do the job for us. Last night they ate all the leaves off of one of our new raspberry plants.
Bill

[Big B]

If the electric fence doesn't work try any 30 cal. or buckshot might get you two for one. Just kidding.

One time years ago the deer were eating my dad's peas. He had tried things like soap, maybe hair and I think perfume. I told him to try what I did one time to keep the neighbor's cat from using a planter for a litter box. Someone told us to put mothballs in the planter. Worked like a charm. My dad decided why not. He got two boxes of moth balls and we went around the perimeter of the pea patch throwing them out. No more deer from that point on. Give it a try. I don't know how much mothballs cost today, but it would be easy thing to try.

[Virginia Mike]

I have had some luck using a "Scarecrow". It is an irrigation head with a motion detector. anything that moves in the garden get a blast of water.

www.scarecrowinfo.com
Best,
Mike

[Uncle Mike]

I tried CD's on fish string. The had to be high in the garden, and they worked fine until the wind blew them off.
I will be tying them to the fruit trees this year. The other thing that works real good is LUCY TO GREAT GRAND DOG.

[Bill]

Been four nights since I put up electric fence. No new deer tracks in garden. Sure hope this is the answser.
Bill

[markwayne]

Go to Youtube.com and search for scarecrow there are a couple of funny vids there of that water blaster at work.

Also bill how did you rig that fence? Height, # of wires?