Touch that fence just once and you'll not do it again. By the way, the voltage should be adjustable, to suit a tiny dog or a big-ol-steer.

well by the time it was safe for Romeo it wouldn't phase the deer I am afraid. He only weighs 5 lbs.

Oh - turkey !
We have a wild flock in the back field & woods-maybe 100. I never see them in my garden, but the days after roto-tilling I sure see their tracks in the garden - lots, but they don't disturb my plants. Probably eating insects - wish they'd eat more Japanese beetles!

I never have seen a adjustable electric fence charger. Being a old farm boy I have seen a lot of them.

But unless your tiny 5 pound fur baby is 48 inches tall then can walk under the fence no problem.
Now at 48 inches deer will just give the fence the finger and jump over it. But add a second strand at 6 to 7 foot and they won't.

Can also spread peanut butter on the wire ar 48 inches and deer will not for get it to quick and not go near it ever again till the new crop of fawns grow up.


Al

You haven't seen the deer around here.
Around here, they jump between the wire, electrified or not.
At my house, I watched them jump between strands of barb wire, like the fence wasn't even there... Made sense out of the town deer jumping through the electric fence. Really don't need the strands to be that far apart...

Really depends on how large the herd is. Big enough herd, and they get crazy.

They will crawl down pretty low, that is why it would be ineffective here. By the time I got it low enough to the ground to prevent the limbo, my dog could easily touch it. And that is a no no. It would most certainly kill him. We have SO many close calls with things, hubby and I just talking the other day about how many lives this dog has had!

This is Romeo smelling flowers. Actually think he wanted a drink but was too little to get to it

mikelzz said:

it is sad that so many people are plotting ways to hurt the deer. ...why not a simple double fence around what you want to protect? Or better yet ... move away from them .

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No one wants to disable or tourture wildlife. Where did you get this spikes in the eyes nonsense? We just want to discourage them from decimating all of our hard work. You suggested moving away from them- that's simply not possible anymore in most places where human beings interact.

As the crow flies, I live 3.5 from the George Washington bridge that crosses from the Bronx, across midtown Manhattan and into Jersey. The busiest bridge IN THE WORLD in one of the densest population areas ever. People moving into affordable rural areas IS WHAT CAUSED previously wild species to accomidate to human beings and move further south into the city. In my location during my lifetime, the beautiful phesants are gone, replaced by wild turkeys, feral cats, coyotes, fox, red tail hawks and deer to say nothing of the rodents carnivores feed on.

I have the same house I grew up in the 1980s and my neighborhood hasn't changed in terms of density. Development upstate has made the change for me. None of these species were here in the 80s. People moving into rockland and duchess counties- the woods north of where I live- forced these animals to adapt to humans, so instead of fleeing the city they now feel comfortable. There is no way to move away. Its a silly statement. The only way to do that is to buy a super expensisive midtown highrise condo that doesn't have a back yard- and if we ddn't want a yard we wouldn't be on this forum.

I am just looking for ways to protect part of my garden. The biggest benefit to widlife is the food supply; rodents for carnivors, maintaining green edibles in abundance and for longer seasons for herbivores and omnivores. There is no way to get away.

I agree with the idea we must share our space- but they are evolutionary programed to NOT share- programed to gorge when possible and want to figure out painless ways to insure that happens. Using threatening or unpleasant stimulus to deter them is the right way to do this.

You stated the case perfectly, @Turbosaurus. We moved out to the very east (North Fork) of Long Island after retirement so we could grow our vegetables and flowers and enjoy a more serene setting. The deer put an end to it. Now we have 8' high fencing to protect gardens from the horrid deer. Unless a person has had the deer experience there's no way to know the heartache they cause.

Frillylily said:I am afraid to use the electric fencing because of my two tiny poodles. I am afraid it could hurt them. Otherwise I might try that myself. We have turkey also, but thankfully none of those have been in my garden!

Im a dog super-advocate, fostering NYC mutts for years so I get it, but every dog in America has survived an electric fence- I zap myself to check batteries and I don't like it but it works good because the dogs don't like it either.

Its no where near as reliable as a true fence, no replacement for dog training- but it is a valuable support for people who's dogs are NEAR reliable off leash.

My dog has not survived any zap, and I don't think he ever would. He only weighs about 5 lbs, has to take heart medication and has seizures. So no zapping. I accidentally touched a wireless deer fence stick ONCE, and that was enough. My whole arm buzzed for the rest of the day, and there is no way I would do it again on purpose. ! ?
I am having 8ft fencing put up at the end of this month, I have tried many things unsuccessfully over the course of time, nothing really works reliably.

The 8' fence was also my choice. Some view it as a "prison" for my flowers but I view it as protection and, most of all, peace of mind.

Prison? What do I need to do to get arrested !

How kind of you! Thanks. This is the view from outside the garden.


After so many years of waking up to see what the deer destroyed the night before, it's sweet relief to have the plants intact. Once upon a time it looked like this so I'm glad I have photos and memories of days gone by.

Did the deer start showing up more and more over time? Are the day lilies gone? 😰 I can't see them in the recent pic. And it still doesn't look like a prison.

They went as far as the next door neighbors but dropped in "for a bite" in June of 2009 and never left.

I had upwards of 3,000 daylilies and had hybridized many myself. Seeing the destruction, I gave over 2,000 to the church...on the main road...where the deer chomp on them but at least I don't wake up each day to have to witness what they did. Only three daylilies remain on the scarecrow side of the former vegetable garden. More are in the back and each July is torture so more will leave the property or get deer netting.

I just got nauseous. That truly is torture. For you.

😭 I'm having trouble shaking that off. I'm so sorry that happened. Sincerely sorry.

I'm going out to work in my yard now and give thanks to the gods that the deer were here before we were and not the other way around.

Arlene, you have a beautiful garden ! That red coleus has me contemplating ! It would be beautiful in my shade garden.

You have done a great job of compromising with the deer herd.

Yesterday I walked the bare ground of my vegetable garden and while picking up old plant tags and stones I noticed very large hoof tracks and in places the deer had been digging just where the carrots grew last year. Obviously, no carrots to be found.

Thanks to @Iluvtobake and @katesflowers - it was hard to accept their continuing damage. It's such a huge letdown to see deer have enjoyed the things we planted and wanted to enjoy for ourselves.

@pirl, Thank you for the acorn.