Whether you’ve got no fence or a deer fence that isn’t cutting it, it’s time to find out what works against deer and get it installed.
Various types of deer fencing come at a wide range of costs and the best choice for each person is different. In this post, I’ll be covering the most important elements of a deer fence so you can ensure you put together what works for you and the garden.
An effective deer fence deters them either by sight, height, width, or combination. Blocking their sight also blocks your view of the garden. A high fence is the most space efficient, but a “wide” fence (a double fence) can double function as a garden trellis.
We decided to go with a single see-through fence with adequate height. The double fence option was an inconvenient design for maintenance and would have required two gates to get in and out. And with a solid wood fence, we wouldn’t be able to see our garden.
What is the best fence to keep deer out?
It’s tempting to take shortcuts on costs when it comes to keeping deer out of the garden. But you really need a fence that does the job, so investing in the best most fool-proof deer fence is essential. What does that look like?
A tall, unbreakable, lifetime-lasting fence is the best way to keep deer out for good. An eight-foot height, galvanized steel wire, and steel T-posts are a worthy investment for longevity and efficacy.
No matter the material you choose, a deer fence will be expensive. Either in money up front, or in more deer damage.
How do you keep deer from jumping over your fence?
Whitetail deer are capable of jumping the all-mighty ‘deer-proof’ 8-foot high fence. We’ve seen them jumping brush in the woods that high or wide. So, what else can we do?
Aside from a minimum of 8 feet in height, a jump-proof deer fence limits their vision, space, or perception. Deer are less likely to take the risk if they don’t know that a jump is safe. Combine the minimum height with a perception of peril, and your fence will be very deer-proof.
How do you build a double fence to keep deer out?
A double fence deters deer from jumping using width and space limitations.
The thought behind a double fence is that deer can’t tell exactly what they are up against because they have poor depth perception. Since they aren’t sure what they are seeing, they aren’t confident about jumping.
Deer need a good running start to jump their highest or longest. The distance they can jump, at maximum, is either long or high. Therefore, a very deer-proof fence has both width and height working against their abilities.
The biggest Idea of a double deer fence is to save money on the material price. So people are using this tactic with two short fences. Usually around 5 feet high with 3-5 foot spacing apart.
Conclusion
How to cut costs on an effective and lifetime-lasting deer fence
Posts: metal posts are expensive, yes. But I’d argue they are far less expensive than wooden posts.
Wooden posts require holes to be dug, and concrete to be poured, and eventually, they rot.
So, replacement would be even more costly than the initial installation. New posts and hole-digging services are also likely to be more expensive later.
Metal posts might be double or triple per post upfront, but you’ll never need to replace them. More importantly, you can easily hammer them in with an affordable post-pounder or push them into the ground with a machine.
