My wires and posts in the sand are so flimsy I wouldn’t think they would hold the weight of a squirrel walking down the wire. Apparently they must.
Gotcha. Hot-wire baiting might still be worth a try. I’ve got huge herds here that wander through my yard but zero infiltrations for three years with only a 6 foot high fence. I put nose-level peanut butter dealies on all four sides of electric Ft. Knox when I first put it up. I have ground wires near the hots for squirrels, raccoons. No evidence of them inside either.
@forestandfarm Is the Gallagher-style electric fence the one with a single strand and then 5 feet further a double strand (can’t remember the height) fence. I am considering that while I figure out where I want the real fence (or possibly instead of the real fence). If it is the double electric fence, do you know if there is a difference between using electric wire, rope, or the flat tape? Any thoughts on mowing between/around such a fence?
Edit: I just realized this was a really old post. Still figuring things out! Maybe the answer is in here somewhere 
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You can google Gallagher. They used to have something on their web site. It uses a single strand of polytape on the outside. 3’ in from that there is a double strand of polywire. I can’t recall the heights but they have it in their plans.
Deer will first try to crawl under a fence. With spacing keeps them from doing that without getting shocked. The tape which I like to twist a few times between posts flutters in the wind as a visual cue that is associated with the shock. The reason polywire is used on the inside is that deer have poor depth perception. They can see there is something there with the white polywire, but can’t judge the distance well. They generally won’t try to jump it because of that. They can physically jump it easily, but don’t. The times I’ve seen deer get in is when they are spooked and running from danger. When fleeing from danger they take much greater risks than when looking for food.
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When I first topped my horse fence with electric strands, there was one doe who continued to get in. She would jump between the wires. I had run a ground wire too, so she must have gotten shocked some, but she continued to do it. I eventually adjusted the heights of the wires, actually making them lower overall but reducing the space between them. That worked, but I had a few instances of broken insulators and loose wires until the deer learned.
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So, 32" then another strand at 5 ft.?
You can make your own - it’s basically rotten eggs and garlic - yum!
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@alan has made his own, I think. My property line is only about 20 ft from my neighbors’ homes. I like them and can’t subject them to my home made stinky, rotten egg spray 
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In CT we were told LOTS of “liquid” solutions - most of which rely on scent - but they mostly annoyed the deer into trying an easier spot. This might work in some cases where there are more attractive options around but they won’t keep them away from deer candy (flowers, nuts, fruits, and berries).
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I ended up forking out about 10k to fence in 9 acres at 7’ and that was as cheap as I could do it for, plus $1200 for help.
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I hope that works for you. 7’ seems a bit low - did you do a slanted fence?
Oops, I meant 8’. big difference
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shoot them at night with a .22
In most states in the US it is ILLEGAL to use anything smaller than a 30 caliber rifle to shoot deer. Of course a . 22 would be lethal with proper shot placement, but the use of a . 22 while deer hunting is both unethical and unpractical
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I was mostly kidding. Have fun!
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Thanks for sharing a recipe Pam! I just finished reading the entire thread and have read others discussing liquid fence, but had not seen mention of a diy recipe. I’ll certainly be trying this out. All the ingredients are much less expensive than the actual product, so we’ll see how it goes! Once I read the main ingredients were eggs, garlic, and some Thyme, I figured it was worth a shot.
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I hate the creatures unless we are roasting their pieces on the grill, and believe me, my crowd lays waste and fills every tag legally, bow, black powder and rifle/gun seasons.
I have an opportunity to visit many farms in western NC as a land and farm appraiser.
I have inspected a bunch of vineyards, as they became the next great scheme since lammas/emus/ostriches, and god bless people with too much money. I get to appraise the farms twice…when the doe is lent and when the doe is due, haha. (second time around is always less valued under duress)
The post by johnnysapples showing the gallager system is the least expensive/intensive fencing system I can attest to working without going up on a 6 foot high canted single woven wire. And remember, those pesky bstrds get used to running and gunning, launching across the top with a hoof in a rung of woven wire.
The improvement on the gallager system is to use 3 strands with visible tape or woven colored braid on the inside perimeter. Step outward 3 feet and place a boundary braid with metal sent caps filled with doped cotton, honey, or syrup. Homebrew shops offer apple liquids and other fruits concentrates for a few bucks a bottle.
Hang the metal caps on the outside perimeter wire at nose height, electrify with extreme malice (aka joules), and the filthy varmints get a big snort full of DC training. The most important deterrent is the visual distortion between the wire lanes. I swear, walk up to it and see if your eyes tell you where to step/jump. Same thing for the creatures.
I have seen a 3 acre block of vines decimated in a few nights in a young planting block. This system was installed and my inspection was two-three seasons after, NO INTRUSION.
And by golly, I just spent a chunk on scion wood and root stock, the fence will cost 1/5 as much. I also use 6ft fiber square bird/rabbit cloth immediately against the whip nursery rows. Now the last problem will be the voles/moles/bird landings.
But ya’ll don’t want to know what a mean old man I can be, so that’s for later if at all, haha. Used to have a crippled up varmint-heckler-hound dog, but eventually with age he became only good for flushing hummingbirds outta his water bowl. We called him Sneezers, and I miss that stinky three legged arithmetic mutt…he put three down and carried the one.
{Blackrag, your pruning is superb, and the cultivation a croquet player’s putting envy}!
Another thought about deer horning trunks, I used to put a white holed hard plastic sleeve around my new tree trunks in the field, but they are wildly expensive now from Forestry Supply.
There is available from a good plumbing supply, (maybe the big box stores too), a product priced reasonably enough that will work. It is the hole lined black 6" drain line, not slotted drain line in a 100 ft roll, that doesn’t breath enough.
Get them in 10ft lengths because you will never get the bend out otherwise from a roll. Razor knife longways one linier cut top to bottom, spread and pop around the trunk from the ground up.
The structural stability will lend straightness to the developing whip but it can also begin to retard the branch development along the central leader and if making spray applications, one must be mindful to drench the trunk or temporarily remove for spray application.
If you have a sympathetic game warden in your area, make a nuisance call, we used to kill imposing deer by spotlight legally with permit. In NC the deer carcass must remain on the premises or be gifted to the needy. Our warden started a church based food mission for that purpose, but one better be legal with him around.
I’m not sorry if that sounds cruel, but I don’t believe in feeding those pests with my hard work and money, that’s for hunters in rut to waste money on.
Coming to a suburban neighborhood near you? Deer Wars and Death Threats | The New Yorker
Scent caps can be made cheaply and easily to hang nose level on outside charged wire/braid. Walmart, Dollar Tree etc have boxes of 50 pcs Tealights for $13.00.
Pop out the paraffin wax, string a length of small gauge metal tie wire by drilling through the top crossways. Glue in cotton or absorbent gauze…hang upside down so the scent on the cloth stays drier longer and doesn’t collect rain. I get my apple scent from the homebrew shop.
You can buy these from fencing suppliers but at .$70/ea. You can make them for less than quarter.
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