I use a ring of hardware cloth held up by a t post with additional bamboo posts (1-3) to prevent the hardware cloth from shifting in the wind. I’ve recently been moving to fiberglass posts and away from bamboo.
Author michael judd has said that with hardware cloth, the deer cant fit their hoof in like on standard welded wire to reach up higher.
I’ve used chicken wire too but it is more flimsy and I’ve had to double layer the rings to give them more rigidity.
I have found that if the tree gets bigger if it bounces against the hardware cloth, it will tear at the bark, so now I also utilize Tree Pro Tree Protectors in addition to the hardware cloth to help prevent scaffolding too low and to protect the trunk. it also helps prevent damage when I pull the hardware cloth off to string trim around the base of the tree. Accidentally girdling jujube trees that have outgrown deer protection