Some quality deer defense youve got there! They are hungry, persistent pests. Im moving to a new property this spring which is fenced all the way around, though one side is only 4 ft. Good enough to keep my dog in though. Curious if 85 lbs of german shepherd mix will be enough to make them think twice, or if Ill have to go to individual tree cages like I have here.
Lovely house Tony. Can I come look at your orchard, and stay overnight 
It would need to be in the summertime when the trees are growing, and coincidentally the pool is open.
Seriously though, the fence does look deterring. I wonder if a deer jumps it, is there a way for them to get out, rather than jumping back over the fence?
People told me my 7.5’ fence would be too short, but it has worked extremely well to keep deer out. I think the key to your six foot fence is that the deer never really try it and succeed. If they figure out they can jump it, and jump back out, then the game is up. The other deer will see a deer inside your fence and feel emboldened to also jump the fence.
If it doesn’t work, you could put up a single strand of electric fence on the outside of the fence. That’s what I did to keep coons from climbing my fence. They make black insulators and black coated electric fence wire, so it wouldn’t take away from the aesthetics of your nice looking rod iron style fencing. You might have to bait the electric wire with some peanut butter to train the deer to it.
7 Likes
I do have a 10 feet shelf lock gate on each side for them to get out if needed.
1 Like
I have a 6’ deer fence that deer never breached in 3 years, and my yard is a deer super highway! The guy who installed it claims that the key to its success is the thin hexagonal wire that deer can’t see.
Can be you share a photo of the electric fence that you added to your deer fence? I have black bears and raccoons, and need to have a solution for them. My house is a 5 minute walk from a state forest, so wild life pressure is very high here…
3 Likes
Here is the thread where I reported on it. It’s a long thread, because it took a long time to make it all. Mine is solar based, but it doesn’t have to be.
There are lots of other useful comments in the thread, if you have the time to read it.
I show the most specific pics on my electric fence around post 82 to 84, but the whole thread is worth reading, or at least skimming, if you are considering an electric fence.
2 Likes
Nice fence! What is your lot size? It looks big. Your neighbor lot size also looks big. What city do you live?
2 acres plus. The fenced area with the pool is 0.85 acre. You don’t want to know how much is cost. I am in Nebraska.
2 Likes
Our Black tail like to get up close to the 5’ fence to launch. Yeah If you can get two wires one energised around the outside about 24-30" away from the fence. Stack em’ about 6-8" apart on the posts (Just cheap fiberglass rods are fine) with hot on top. This spacing along with a grounded wire ensures good contact even when ground is dry. Better grounding = better shock. Helps the animal remember better. Fence chargers are rated for animal type. They will stay away from the whole place once they get “conditioned” but there are always new ones coming along. Put a little bait out so they get bit good by it. Neighbor may be a problem for some. Could pay them off with produce. You can also research “offset deer fence”. Nice job on your fence though! Consider it an asset improvement and save the receipts to deduct from taxes at sale. A hedge may work but that is pretty involved. They do like to see where they are landing.
My cheap “hokie dokie” 5’ 2x4 mesh fence topped with 3 x 12 ga elect fence wires (not Galv. steel $) wire strands on top worked for years without using electricity ( resurrecting orchard after 35 yr). A yearling started jumping btwn the strands believe it or not. The others got with it quick and did big damage. They each shortly ran into a small fast moving piece of lead and stopped doing that. They CAN see these 12ga wires. I added a fence charger and the 2 offset perimeter wires. There are various cost effective designs
for this offset idea. Top is hot on the perimeter and first strand above the mesh fence is hot for small vermin. They all give it a wide berth. Used 12ga strand on the fiberglass rods. Can get cheap pinch on loops for attaching the wires. 12ga conducts better and goes farther than thinner size. Ice build up may be a problem for some. The 2 strands are away from the fence as mentioned above but doesn’t look like it in pic. Just stick the fiberglass rods in the ground every 20-30’ and at grade changes.
2 Likes
In my area (New England) I’ve seen 10-12’ high fence around a broad garden plot. If you do a more narrow run, they won’t jump it. You can also string wire above a shorter fence and hang flags so they see it. Or build a moat around the fence - a wide moat. 
1 Like
Deer deterrent success with fencing comes down a lot to how much a deer really wants inside the fence. If there are other easier options outside the fence you can get by with as little has 5’ high. We have a only a 5’ high fence around one of our nursery plots and I have yet to see evidence that a deer breached it.
5 Likes
I’ve been experimenting with unconventional solutions to deer control.
I installed a radar (just because I’m strange) to track animal (and human) movement in my front yard orchard in late 2022. It would play a sound inside whenever there was unexpected movement so I could run and chase away the deer. Worked plausibly well for 2022-2023 and creates some exercise for me as well.
Late last year, I added a network speaker that plays samples of Austrian yodling depending on where the radar spots movement because, again, I’m weird.
Does it work on deer?
Not sure. Deer pressure was way down so, as best as I can tell from the radar and the cameras, no deer attempted the yard this past year.
Does it work on humans?
Absolutely. Scares the living daylights out of me, my wife, and anyone else who wanders into the yard. (New Hampshire, so no one normally goes to the front door…)
Does it work on others?
I’ve seen some pretty amusing video of coyotes and foxes who trip the radar, hear the sound, and run away as fast as they can. Of course, I’d like them around to help with the deer problem. I also get odd questions from my neighbors – who are fortunately a decent distance away – about the strange singing in my yard. So far, everyone is more amused than annoyed.
(I’ve added 7.5’ fencing around my nearby orchard for deer protection. It’s worked so far but, again, very little deer pressure since it was installed. I just can’t fence in my front yard effectively because of a driveway hence the other creative solutions there.)
3 Likes
I think it depends on the dog.
Part of my little orchard is in a fenced-in back yard with a 5’ fence that the deer are perfectly capable of jumping. The deer are not in the least deterred by two scrappy little 25-pound mutts. I saw them placidly munching on one of my mulberries while the little yappers were circling them and barking their heads off.
But I also have a large male German Shepherd. He has free roam of the property, both inside and outside of the fence, because he is a good boy and won’t run off. When he spies a family of deer, he gives no warning, but flattens his ears and sprints at them, tail straight, as fast as he can run, without making a sound, like a predator. The deer are not fans of these tactics at all.
I’ve no idea what he would do if he caught one, and the deer don’t seem to want to find out either. They usually stay away for quite a while – months, sometimes – after getting chased off.
My GSD’s big problem is that he is a pretty lousy watchdog – he’s bold but not alert. He’s just too chill. If something goes bump in the night, he’s apt to just stretch or yawn and you can almost see the “it’s probably nothing” thought-bubble above his head. It doesn’t help that the little guys yap all the time about everything, because he filters them out as wolf-criers. He has to happen to be outside and personally witness a threat (like deer) before he’ll take action.
I think if your shepherd mix ends up having the right personality – bold, intimidating, and alert – he could be a serious deterrent to deer. In general, though, I think a big dog is only a part of a good layered defense.
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Based on what you said I may cage the most critical stuff. I think based on what you said he will be a good deterent though. He’s a little too watchful - he loses his mind if turkeys walk to close to the house presently. Hes convinced the UPS and Fed Ex guys are sent by the devil himself since they have the gall to approach the front door.
1 Like
Guys around here do 9’ with the top foot or so sloped to the outside.
1 Like
Looks good! Deer are easily deterred with only a 6 foot fence. There are some things i would do asap to make it work. Large trees on the other side of the 6 foot fence will prevent a deer from jumping over. Lets say if all around the perimeter inside you had callery rootstock which grow quickly and taste badly to a deer they not only dont want inside but the large trees quickly block them from making a running jump to get inside the orchard. Another small fence on the outside of the big fence also prevents them making a running jump. Watch how they cross fences and you will see what i mean.
3 Likes
A 5 foot fence will keep the deer out if they aren’t habituated to the fenced area. If they’ve been using and feeding in the area now fenced in, then you’ll need an 8-9ft fence. That’s the major reason why experience varies as to fence height need to deter deer.
I put in a 5ft fence in CA and had no deer inside for three years. Here in Texas, it took 8ft to do the job.
3 Likes
You have any youtube clips with sounds of animals hearing the yodeling and how they react? Would be a funny thing to watch.
Nice fence. With it so open, I dont think it would work where I am. The deer can see forever and I think that gives them confidence. I am putting in a large garden at my parents property that I bought last year. Im going to try a sorta crazy setup. Because its so hard to dig more than a couple feet before running into tons of stones, Ive decided to put up a motion sensor that will turn on an outlet, much like a motion light does. And to that, Im putting one of those crazy tall inflatable dancing tube man things like you see on the road at car dealerships. When the motion turns on the sensor, the air pump will rise this thing up and it will pop up and down for 10 minutes. Apparently deer see Blue and Yellow 20 times better than we do, which might explain why I never got many deer hunting in blue jeans… so maybe one of each color. I will have a 5 ft fence surrounding the area and these guys a safe distance from the fence so they dont get torn. I am curious if anyone has tried something like this before.
3 Likes