Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Deer Proof Garden

We are about finished with our deer proof garden. Thought you guys might like some picts. All the holes for the pipe corners and even the T post had to be drilled with a rock bit.
Drive through gate


Walk through gate to be installed

good job heybud. they run free here much to my attempted plantings distaste. they even try cactus....once...

That is a nice place heybud. What about the long ears going under the gate? They can and will belly crawl to get to those veggies.

Next week we will be installing a strand of barbed wire around the bottom of the fence. I'm sure at some point a 22 rifle will be involved with veggie protection. Thanks for the compliments.

heybud, can you explain a liitle bit how the rock "drill" bit worked, and also did you buy one, rent one or hire it done. I'm starting a project that will require this done in some rocky areas.

Thanks, Cody

I think that cage is just a place for Fatty McB. to rest up when he visits the Rockin' M.

I notice that there is no wire "roof". Aren't you worried that the new super-jumper deer mutation will violate your Garden?

CS, the guys building my garden rented an air compressor and rock drill. It wasn't really that expensive. Maybe all of it was 150 bucks and we drilled all of those holes plus a bunch of others in one day. I have been told by my contractors who build deer proof fence for a living, that a deer if on the inside might try to jump it, but no self respecting deer will ever try to jump into it. If one tries and makes it, I guess there will be venison for supper.
While being deer proof, I did not build it to be Fatty McButterpants proof. I have seen the guy in action and I don't think this garden will hold him.

think Bodacious

Fatty should be proud, that is a wonderful compliment!

Heybud,

I sure hope your deer are less energetic and agile than our West Virginia deer. This past year I installed a garden fence that looks very much like yours. I was very proud of it when I got done. I used 8-foot wooden posts, sunk about 18-inches. I put in an 8-foot gate for the tractor.

Things went along real good until about mid- to late-August. One morning, on the way to work, I decided to drive through the field, past the garden. There were four deer inside the fence, eating my sunflowers, beans, and cucumbers!

Hah! Maybe I got the last laugh. I feel like a vegetarian. I recently took two deer out of my garden and put them in the freezer.

Ken

As deer have become more numerous around here,our garden has evolved to just things they (and the squirrels, coons, etc.) won't eat.

We're down to potatoes and earthworms.

Theo,

You don't know how lucky you are. Our happy free-range chicken flock discovered my worm bins and garden. The chickens ate most of my worms.

Potatoes! Hah! I don't even know what to say. Something ate most of mine up before I got to them. They only left the yellowed tops and the "buttons." They also ate my beans down to the roots.

I'm sure glad we have supermarkets that can manufacture eggs, potatoes, and steaks.

Having a few deer, squirrels, rabbits and pond fish in the freezer hasn't seemed to slow them down one bit.

Ken

Have any of you guys tried using an electric fence? I've been thinking about using 4 strands, one low for rabbits, one about 8" higher to get high jumping raccoons and then the next two at 4 & 6' for the deer. THis type of fencing is used all of the time around here for cattle, but was wondering if my configuration would work for garden thiefs. I'm about to the point of using trip wires and claymore mines......and don't get me started on the moles.

I've tried vibrating gizmos you stick in the ground (keep it clean Brettski), spring loaded spears and poison peanuts. I think the poison makes the moles stronger and increases their fertility. I got so mad at one point that I fired up the garden tiller and followed their raised tunnels through my yard. I got two of them and a pretty good chewing from my wife. I bet I have over 30 mounds in my backyard right now. Maybe I should call Bill Murray??

I have tried electric fences for cows and the deer just don't seem to get it. I have found that the deer lunge forward when they hit the fence instead of backing away. I also found that they are really slow learners.

IME deer knock down "hot" electric fence only a little less often than "cold" electric fence. I haven't ever bothered to try it around the garden; our biggest problem was not deer but little pygmy squirrels eating perennial root drops over the Winter.

The garden fence was built by guys who build deer proof fences around exotic game ranches. The corner post are 2 and 7/8 in oilfield tubing. The T post are 10 feet driven in the ground 2 feet. It is a true 8 feet tall. The guys have told me that have seen a guys prize breeding buck get crowded into a corner and go over a deer proof fence, so while it is possible it is a rare occurrence. A friend of mine had one similar and he kenneled his dog in it and nothing left there alive if old "Roscoe" got to it.

Hunted the Fall Creek Ranch close to Tow years ago. They had their vinyards setup inside a high fence. Not sure it was a full eight foot. We saw a few deer inside the fence when we first pulled up. Ranch manager talked like it protected the vinyard pretty well, but some deer would come and go as they pleased.

Very nice workmanship on the fence..du

Wow, Great looking fence Heybud!

Ricki wants to plant a garden at our place eventually and because of the deer in our area we will definitely need a fence like that.

Our neighbors vineyard has an eight foot fence like that. According to him, deer still get in on occasion but it definitely reduces their numbers.

My recommendation would be: corn, potatoes, fruit and all the other good stuff to eat = inside the fence.

Brussel Sprouts, lima beans, Cabbage, Cauliflower, and the other undesirables = outside the fence.

My dad used some parts of some of my fish cages and some fish cage material to protect a few fruit trees the deer kept eating the buds off of. Seems to work. They're high enough I don't think the deer can get into them even though they are open in the top. (My parents live with me on the property in an apartment above the garage when they are not in Florida. My dad is one of those guys that can solve any problem and build anything.)

Nice fence.

For additional protection try a hot pepper tea sprayed on the plant this will help repel most animals. Injected into mole runs it will also repel Shawn's mole problem.

I use a handfull of Habanro peppers ground into a paste added to a gallon of water. Use a blender you never plan on using again and do it outside or you can evacuate the house for long periods of time.

The only problem we found with this is it has to be reapplyed after a rain.

We used to spread hair clippings from a shair salon around grain piles. A grocery bag would go about 100' This works for deer and might work for others animals. We also had mole traps and would catch one or two a day between the two traps.

We do something similiar to Chuck. A lot of your commercial deer repellents have capascin (the stuff that makes peppers hot) and putrid egg whites. Last year I mixed in a one gallon glass jar, 3 egg whites and half a bottle of Cayenne pepper to a gallon of water. Punch a hole in the lid and sit it in the sun for a few days. Strain it (use cheesecloth or coffee filters). Don't do like I did and do this inside with a pair of your wife's pantyhose or you'll never hear the end of it. Trust me. Apply it with a hand can and a coarse spray. You can apply it right to your crops, just make sure you wash them well before eating. We soak ours a few min in a sink full of cold water and 1 tablespoon of bleach. Doesn't stink as bad as you think but their noses are more sensitive. I applied it about once a week. My boys taking a leak around the fruit trees worked pretty good too. Don't think the wife would let me have them piss in my deer repellent.

OK Chuck, what is an asterperious?

Hey that's about what we do for hog bait. Get a 5 gallon bucket about 80% full of corn. Put some diesel in along with beer. Diesel will keep the coons off. Use Lite beer since it's not good for anything else. Garnish with 7 or 8 eggs(maybe more) and some Vodka or Gin(I hate vodka and gin). A little bit of urine doesn't seem to hurt it. Stir it all up and leave it in the sun for a couple of days to kinda "set". Get your buddy to carry it to the hog trap and don't get downwind. If he sloshes any on his britches leg, burn the jeans.