warring with the dear...

[Maschil]

Hey guys basically i have a little garden patch... and I have fence that is about 6 feet high but the deers are able to jump into it...(they really want me to become a hunter and start shooting them at night). but anyways... i have a frugal/ do it yourself job... i was going to use some tall branches and tie them to the bottom fence and run barb wire around normal fencing via the tall brances that i will have, (beginning where my 6 feeet high fence ends)... thus adding 2 to 3 more feet of height of fencing....

im thinking about buying one of these 3 types of barb wire...

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/cat...=None&Ntpr=1&Ntpc=1&selectedCatgry=SEARCH+ALL


im planting my greens now so i would like to find out soon, if there is any other method i could do to keep them out...or im buying a shotgun and doing some hunting.... (not)

THANKS a buunch guys and gals

 

[doc_gonzo]

i would deffinatly reccomend a rifle,bow, or crossbow as oposed to a shotgun, no point in busting a tooth on a pellet over a nice roast. i prefer a crossbow, nice and quiet in the middle of the night. neighbors and game wardens don't become alarmed. barbed wire, above the hard fencing on "sticks" sounds like a good way for a deer to become ensnarled in barbed wire and suffer until you finally find it and dispatch it. relaxed bambi grazing and browsing tastes way better than stressed out bambi trapped in wads of barbed wire.

doc

 

[Marianne]

Bar soap, especially Irish Spring (from what I read), hung on the fence will help them stay away.

Also, start whizzing around the perimeter of your garden. Mark your territory. Seriously.

Urine is high in nitrogen, so don't whiz on anything priceless. Diluted urine (1 part whiz to 10 parts water) is actually great fertilizer!

 

[Beekissed]

One strand of electric fencing about 2 ft. off the ground, no baiting it with bad smells or even good ones...they will find the fence, or making it "more visible"...just the one strand of wire. This has worked effectively for us for the past 36 years as we live smack dab in the middle of deer heaven. Never had a deer in the garden, even once. Don't forget to turn the fence back on when you leave the garden each time.

Deer are naturally curious about any new object and will put their nose on it to explore...ZAP! They can jump anything they can visualize but they cannot visualize that one little strand of fence in order to leap it, but will often blunder up against it in the night...ZAP! They are no dummies...they will avoid the ZAP. Trust me on this.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Lot's of good advice, the solution you choose will need to be tailored to your situation. An un-powered fence is no defense (accidents or forgetfulness), and chemical-based solutions need refreshing after rain events.

The soap 1/2 bar every 4-6 feet, worked very well to protect my fruit trees/bushes. There are also a number of concoctions out their to provide a possible solution, including the urine approach!

doc_gonzo's solution has the added benefit of free meat, too!

 

[Maschil]

ha... i think i will try the soap... im not a meet eater so i have no desire to eat them... just to see them gone/die (unfortunately).... thanks guys

 

[Corn Woman]

I used an electric wire it was easy to install and it has kept out the deer all season long. Before I put it up they were having an organic salad every night and got so bold that they were hanging out all day. We have mule deer here and they do major damage. Before I went electric I tried everything and I mean everything. Dryer sheets, urine, blood meal, cougar urine, lights, radio, shiny mylar ribbon, wind chimes, bubble wrap, liquid deer fence and soap. Everything worked for a short time and then they would come right back after they got used to it. Now a good zap keeps them out.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, yep. Cheap, easy, effective.

 

[Hinotori]

I put up very thin bird netting on thin posts around my garden. The deer didn't get in. Had some elk blunder into it a couple nights ago and take down a section. They were so freaked out they took off and didn't come back. My suicidal german shepherd chased them off the front of the property and down into the marsh friday. They have not been back at all.

I do need to get a permanant fence up around the garden and anything up around my cherry trees since the deer like trimming those.

 

[Maschil]

I put up very thin bird netting on thin posts around my garden. The deer didn't get in. Had some elk blunder into it a couple nights ago and take down a section. They were so freaked out they took off and didn't come back. My suicidal german shepherd chased them off the front of the property and down into the marsh friday. They have not been back at all.

I do need to get a permanant fence up around the garden and anything up around my cherry trees since the deer like trimming those.

bird netting? ah say more.... i cant risk the soap not working im about to start my farming business!! ah