Deer and Your Garden: A Shocking New Way to Keep ‘em Separated
By Miles Merwin
They’re out there, waiting. Waiting for the tomatoes in the garden to perfectly ripen. Waiting to chow down on the all the other tasty veggies and flowers. They’re so tame they come into the garden right next to the house, even in the daytime. They’re beautiful to behold and we’re happy to share the land with them, but we’re greedy when it comes to home-grown tomatoes and other garden plants.
After regularly losing plants in our home garden to the deer, we finally decided it was time to try to exclude them. We wanted a relatively low cost but effective barrier, not visually obnoxious, and easy to put up and take down during times of year when it’s not needed.
There are many different types of deer fence to choose from, e.g. the usual 8 ft. high field fence. Solid slat fence can be lower since deer won’t jump when they can’t see where they’ll land on the other side. They tend to jump straight up and down over barriers so a wide barrier like the slanted 7-wire electric fence can also be effective. See the references below for lots of other deer deterrence ideas.
For our home landscape and garden, we chose a combination of electric and non-electric fencing along the perimeter on three sides of the house. There’s a tall, wide hedge of western hemlock around part of the landscape. Although the deer could crawl under it, they can’t jump over it, so we put up 4 ft. high field fencing in that section.
To protect the rest of the garden, we researched lots of different designs and hit upon a 3-wire offset electric fence. It’s less common but reported to be effective for small areas with low to moderate deer pressure. It has a low profile and is less visible than a tall fence.
The 3-wire fence consists of two parallel fences that are set 38” apart. The outer (deer side) fence consists of two wires at 15” and 43” above ground. The inner fence has a single wire 30” above ground.
For deer, it’s more a psychological deterrent than a physical barrier. Apparently the three dimensional nature of two parallel, offset fence lines makes them think twice about trying to jump over. And they’ll get a shock if they try to crawl under. Also it’s important to train the deer to respect it. A recommended method is to bait the fence with concentrated apple scent so if deer touch it, they will quickly learn to avoid it thereafter. Once installed, the fence should be kept on 24/7 since deer will visit any time of the day.
Components
Unless you already have an electric fence system installed for livestock, selecting the right components takes some time to research and shop. An online search for “electric deer fence” will yield lots of information. The references listed below are a good place to start and cover many different fencing designs including the three-wire fence we chose. I recommend a local farm store, such as Coastal in Hillsboro or Wilco in Cornelius, as your best source for everything you’ll need to put up electric (and non-electric) fencing.
As with any electric fence, selecting the right energizer is perhaps the most important decision. Look for more powerful ones (e.g. more stored joules) that are rated for deer. Energizers can be powered either by built-in solar panels, batteries or 120V mains power.
With any type of electric fencing, a good ground system is essential. In our fence, all 3 wires are hot so an animal (or human) needs to be standing on the ground to complete the circuit and get a sharp but safe jolt. We pounded four 8 ft. long metal ground rods in the ground that are wired together and connected to the energizer.
For a permanent electric fence, you’ll use wood posts to anchor the ends and metal T-posts spaced in between. Or for a temporary system, substitute plastic “step-in” posts for the T-posts. They are more expensive but easily removed in the off-season. With any type of post, good quality plastic or ceramic insulators are important to isolate the hot wires from the ground.
Most deer fences use solid aluminum, high tensile or poly wire. Poly fence wire or wider poly tape contain multiple thin metal strands that are braided together with plastic filaments. Plastic wire tighteners keep the lines rigid. Double insulated cable that can be buried in the ground is used to connect both the hot wires and ground rods to the energizer. Lighter gauge aluminum wire connects the hot wires together at both ends of the fence. Tight electrical connections are important. of course. Bait the three wire fence with concentrated apple scent applied to cotton balls set in small metal caps that are wired to the fence.
You’ll need gates, of course, to allow you pass through your fence, but not the deer. We used wood posts and boards to build an 8 ft. tall Japanese-style Torii gate to support a 5 ft. high chain link gate panel. The gate posts also serve as end anchors for the electric fence. If your gate is in the middle of the fence line, bury insulated wire or conduit under the pathway to connect the two sections. Depending on the location of your energizer, a shut-off switch is handy to install at the gate.
Once you have your fence built, use a tester designed for electric fencing to measure it’s performance. Digital or LED meters indicate the voltage between hot wires and the ground. Test the voltage for each wire at the beginning and end of each fence section. Testers can also be used to find faults in the system (e.g. open grounds, loose connections, etc.).
Maintaining an electric fence is necessary to insure its effectiveness. Check for faults periodically with a tester. Be sure to keep the hot wires and all connections clear of vegetation, especially tree and shrub branches.
Electric fencing is just one of many different ways to discourage deer from grazing in your garden. To learn what other neighbors have tried here on the Hill, check out the new Deer Fencing thread on the Skyline Ridge Forum under Wildlife / Deer & Elk. Share your experiences on all manner of deer exclusion methods that have worked, or not, for you, e.g. fencing, cages, repellants, plant selection, etc.
So now that our fence is operational, we can pause to reflect. Will it work? Was it folly or hubris to imagine we could keep the deer and our garden veggies apart? The proof will be harvesting ripe tomatoes and, so far at least, we’ve got them all to ourselves.
References
Control and management of deer http://icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/deer.asp
Reduce Deer Damage in Your Yard (OSU Ext.) http://extension.oregonstate.edu/4hwildlifestewards/pdfs/deer.pdf
Living with Wildlife: Deer (Wash. DFW) http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/deer.html
Gallagher Power Fence Systems https://am.gallagher.com/us-en
3-Wire 2-Dimensional High Tensile Anti-Deer Fence (pdf) http://www.anr.ext.wvu.edu/r/download/51669
3D Anti-Deer Fence https://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?fence_id=31
They’re out there, waiting. Waiting for the tomatoes in the garden to perfectly ripen. Waiting to chow down on the all the other tasty veggies and flowers. They’re so tame they come into the garden right next to the house, even in the daytime. They’re beautiful to behold and we’re happy to share the land with them, but we’re greedy when it comes to home-grown tomatoes and other garden plants.
After regularly losing plants in our home garden to the deer, we finally decided it was time to try to exclude them. We wanted a relatively low cost but effective barrier, not visually obnoxious, and easy to put up and take down during times of year when it’s not needed.
There are many different types of deer fence to choose from, e.g. the usual 8 ft. high field fence. Solid slat fence can be lower since deer won’t jump when they can’t see where they’ll land on the other side. They tend to jump straight up and down over barriers so a wide barrier like the slanted 7-wire electric fence can also be effective. See the references below for lots of other deer deterrence ideas.
For our home landscape and garden, we chose a combination of electric and non-electric fencing along the perimeter on three sides of the house. There’s a tall, wide hedge of western hemlock around part of the landscape. Although the deer could crawl under it, they can’t jump over it, so we put up 4 ft. high field fencing in that section.
To protect the rest of the garden, we researched lots of different designs and hit upon a 3-wire offset electric fence. It’s less common but reported to be effective for small areas with low to moderate deer pressure. It has a low profile and is less visible than a tall fence.
The 3-wire fence consists of two parallel fences that are set 38” apart. The outer (deer side) fence consists of two wires at 15” and 43” above ground. The inner fence has a single wire 30” above ground.
For deer, it’s more a psychological deterrent than a physical barrier. Apparently the three dimensional nature of two parallel, offset fence lines makes them think twice about trying to jump over. And they’ll get a shock if they try to crawl under. Also it’s important to train the deer to respect it. A recommended method is to bait the fence with concentrated apple scent so if deer touch it, they will quickly learn to avoid it thereafter. Once installed, the fence should be kept on 24/7 since deer will visit any time of the day.
Components
Unless you already have an electric fence system installed for livestock, selecting the right components takes some time to research and shop. An online search for “electric deer fence” will yield lots of information. The references listed below are a good place to start and cover many different fencing designs including the three-wire fence we chose. I recommend a local farm store, such as Coastal in Hillsboro or Wilco in Cornelius, as your best source for everything you’ll need to put up electric (and non-electric) fencing.
As with any electric fence, selecting the right energizer is perhaps the most important decision. Look for more powerful ones (e.g. more stored joules) that are rated for deer. Energizers can be powered either by built-in solar panels, batteries or 120V mains power.
With any type of electric fencing, a good ground system is essential. In our fence, all 3 wires are hot so an animal (or human) needs to be standing on the ground to complete the circuit and get a sharp but safe jolt. We pounded four 8 ft. long metal ground rods in the ground that are wired together and connected to the energizer.
For a permanent electric fence, you’ll use wood posts to anchor the ends and metal T-posts spaced in between. Or for a temporary system, substitute plastic “step-in” posts for the T-posts. They are more expensive but easily removed in the off-season. With any type of post, good quality plastic or ceramic insulators are important to isolate the hot wires from the ground.
Most deer fences use solid aluminum, high tensile or poly wire. Poly fence wire or wider poly tape contain multiple thin metal strands that are braided together with plastic filaments. Plastic wire tighteners keep the lines rigid. Double insulated cable that can be buried in the ground is used to connect both the hot wires and ground rods to the energizer. Lighter gauge aluminum wire connects the hot wires together at both ends of the fence. Tight electrical connections are important. of course. Bait the three wire fence with concentrated apple scent applied to cotton balls set in small metal caps that are wired to the fence.
You’ll need gates, of course, to allow you pass through your fence, but not the deer. We used wood posts and boards to build an 8 ft. tall Japanese-style Torii gate to support a 5 ft. high chain link gate panel. The gate posts also serve as end anchors for the electric fence. If your gate is in the middle of the fence line, bury insulated wire or conduit under the pathway to connect the two sections. Depending on the location of your energizer, a shut-off switch is handy to install at the gate.
Once you have your fence built, use a tester designed for electric fencing to measure it’s performance. Digital or LED meters indicate the voltage between hot wires and the ground. Test the voltage for each wire at the beginning and end of each fence section. Testers can also be used to find faults in the system (e.g. open grounds, loose connections, etc.).
Maintaining an electric fence is necessary to insure its effectiveness. Check for faults periodically with a tester. Be sure to keep the hot wires and all connections clear of vegetation, especially tree and shrub branches.
Electric fencing is just one of many different ways to discourage deer from grazing in your garden. To learn what other neighbors have tried here on the Hill, check out the new Deer Fencing thread on the Skyline Ridge Forum under Wildlife / Deer & Elk. Share your experiences on all manner of deer exclusion methods that have worked, or not, for you, e.g. fencing, cages, repellants, plant selection, etc.
So now that our fence is operational, we can pause to reflect. Will it work? Was it folly or hubris to imagine we could keep the deer and our garden veggies apart? The proof will be harvesting ripe tomatoes and, so far at least, we’ve got them all to ourselves.
References
Control and management of deer http://icwdm.org/handbook/mammals/deer.asp
Reduce Deer Damage in Your Yard (OSU Ext.) http://extension.oregonstate.edu/4hwildlifestewards/pdfs/deer.pdf
Living with Wildlife: Deer (Wash. DFW) http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/deer.html
Gallagher Power Fence Systems https://am.gallagher.com/us-en
3-Wire 2-Dimensional High Tensile Anti-Deer Fence (pdf) http://www.anr.ext.wvu.edu/r/download/51669
3D Anti-Deer Fence https://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?fence_id=31