Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
ABOVE:
New Zealand electrified fence.
The fence is 8 to 10 feet tall with
every other wire electrified, starting with the bottom wire.
Keeping the mesh portion of the fence firmly on the ground provides the
best deer control, but it also excludes foxes, coyotes, and other predators that
feed on mice and voles that can attack your trees. An alternative is to keep
the fence at ground level around the perimeter but leave a few small (1 foot
square) openings in the fence for the predators to pass through and install
a second barrier fence just inside or outside the opening to block the taller
and longer deer. A similar design is often used for schoolyard fences to al-
low people to pass through but block bicycles and other vehicles. Keep the
opening just large enough for a coyote or fox to squeeze through. Deer fawns
are small and remarkably adept at crawling through or under fences.
Figure
Inexpensive nylon mesh fences resembling tall plastic chicken wire are
marketed as deer fencing for orchards and gardens. While they are not
as durable as metal fencing, they are less expensive and for several years
proved surprisingly effective in protecting fruit plots from whitetail deer on
one of my research farms. How well they work against moose is question-
able. These fences are probably best used for home orchards or to provide
temporary protection in larger orchards.
If raccoons or porcupines are a problem in your orchard, use a fence with
small mesh and add electrified wires at the top, angled outward. Electricity
can be produced using solar panels, although this strategy is not always ef-
fective during winter at high latitudes with very short days.
Regardless of the fence you choose, make sure the posts and corners are
strong enough to support it. Keep the fence tight, especially at the bottom.
Watch out for low spots, particularly where the fence crosses over gullies
or water. An Alaska fruit grower that I worked with suffered damage to his
crops when a moose calf fell into a bog at the edge of his nursery and swam
under the fence where it crossed the bog. Once inside the fence, the calf was
