What Is A Deer Fence?

That’s simple. A deer fence is a fence designed to keep out deer, or in rare instances (farmers that raise deer on their farm) to contain them.

But in that case, how does a deer fence differ from other fences? What makes it special?

That’s worth asking, because deer fences are special. They are tall, lightweight, low-visibility fences, usually with a special overlap on the ground, and a versatility that allows them to do such things as employ trees as posts.

Fence Height

For starters, deer can jump, so deer fences are tall. How tall they need to be varies from case to case. It’s perfectly true that deer in a panic can jump over an 8-foot fence. However, deer merely looking for something to browse on are unlikely to do that, because a deer with a broken leg has poor survival chances, and so Nature tells them not to.

Well then, how high is tall enough? If one has a small vegetable garden, say 100 feet around or less, then the landing area inside the fence is limited and a height of 6 feet will generally be enough. We also have mounting evidence that deer won’t jump a 6-footer in woodsy areas with lots of overhanging trees, because they have trouble finding the space needed to mount a mighty leap.

In other less forested places, where the fence is over 100 feet long, say between 100 and 400 feet, it’s wise to build a taller fence—one typically 7 to 7.5 feet tall. And for really fences over 400 feet or so in length (especially ones in wide open grassy areas) it’s advisable to install an 8-foot fence. That’s because the deer may find it onerous to go all the way around the fence, and because open grassy areas give them plenty of room to jump.

Low Visibility

It helps if the fence has low visibility. Being prey animals rather than predators, deer have eyes on the sides of their heads rather than in front. So they can’t triangulate like we can, and their short-range depth perception is really poor.

That makes it hard for them to see the top of the fence. And if clever fence designers make the fence black (the least visible of all colors because it is the absence of color) that makes it harder. And if there’s nothing along the top of the fence, no bar or board but only a thin support wire, that makes it harder still. That’s why deer fences are black and why they have nothing along the top or only a thin tensioning or support wire.

There is an added advantage here, because most people don’t want to see a 6 to 8-foot fence. It makes them feel hemmed in. So the low visibility of our black deer fences with their poorly defined tops is just the thing—to both please people and keep out deer.

Light Materials

Deer aren’t elephants, and they don’t come armed with scissors or wire cutters. So it’s perfectly possible to use really light materials (strong plastic, steel web, or welded wire fencing and light steel posts) to make deer fences. That helps keep not just the visibility but also the cost of materials and installation down. So, as long as these lightweight materials are strong enough (the plastic really needs to have a breaking strength of 600 pounds per linear foot or better), the light weight creates a win-win situation.

The Bottom Fold

If a deer fence lacks a bottom fold it may not work. That’s because deer don’t want to leap over a tall fence, they want to nose under it. So they search about the bottom of the fence looking for vulnerabilities, little places where the ground dips below the fencing. If a deer finds a place like that, it will commonly stick its nose into it and raise the fencing enough to allow it underneath. Most deer are very good at that.

To prevent such nosing under, the deer fence people have learned to fold our 6 inches or so of the fencing on the ground and stake it down with foot-long kinked galvanized ground stakes. Stakes made of rebar are also used. here’s some debate about how far apart the stakes should be, but general agreement that a distance of 4 feet between stakes will do the job.

Using Trees as Posts

It doesn’t matter if a deer fence zig-zags a bit. That actually helps it fade into the background. So, unlike other fences, it doesn’t have to run straight.

This opens the way for using trees as posts. Being strong and well-rooted, trees in fact make excellent deer fence posts. The only requirements are that they be healthy; have a trunk diameter of 6 inches or more at the top of the fence; have no branches on the side where the fence will go—or branches that one is willing to remove; and have an owner who doesn’t mind applying fence attachment gear to the tree., In general, woodland trees are well-suited to this purpose, while decorative specimen trees are not. Poly (short for polypropylene, a type of plastic) deer fence is best suited for a deer fence suspended from trees. Metal fencing can be used but strips of wood should be used as an installation buffer between the tree and the metal fence. As a tree grows over time, metal fence directly attached to trees will grow into the tree - hurting the tree - and the fence. 

Conclusion

These are the main features that distinguish deer fences from other fences. They’re not terribly numerous. But they are important. They of course give deer fences their distinctive look (if one in fact sees them). But beyond that, these features are the main things that set deer fences apart from other fences and allow them to do their job.

For more deer fence information and our products please visit our dedicated page: Deer Fence - Do It Yourself Deer Fencing