Don’t cut lower limbs too close. Leave a few or 6 niches on them. Only a theory, but if you leave 5 or 6 inches on tree limbs when you cut them you can dissuade deer rubbing in that area. That is how it worked out for one of my apple tree after 17 years.
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In terms of tree health, this is a poor horticultural practice – with or without the deer. A close-in circle of mesh is a better approach.
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I agree with Richard.
I’ve used plastic tree guards for years in a nursery I managed. Also started to use them in my personal nursery. I got feed up with the bucks wading them up in a ball and abusing my trees. I started using wire mesh baskets a 2"×4" mesh 3 to 4’ high. I prefer 3’.
I have yet to have a deer rub on the trees with a wire mesh tree guard. I have 120+ trees with them in the past 3 years. I think they look at it and think its does suit their needs and move on. Plastic guards just look like a tree with a black or white trunks and they have at it.
We ended up building a deer fence around the nursery. 600 acres.
I’m a avid deer hunter, and my wife laughs at me whenever I complain about them since I plant food plots for them too.
Leaving the branch stubs just isn’t a good practice for healthy trees to heal from the pruning process.
A hundred foot roll of wire from Rural king is $99. For me it makes about 33 tree guards 12" in diameter. They work great to prevent rubbing.
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