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I've only heard about living hedge barriers, but would dead stick barriers help keep out the deer so they go around the garden also?

black thumb
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2 Answers2

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Yes, Black Thumb. Dead stick barriers will HELP to keep the deer out. They can also look very nice in a one layer frame or even a gabion type barrier. I would use rock the same color as the weathered branches to add weight at the bottom of the gabion. Save the beautiful branches to make the top part of the barrier, you'll want 8 to 10 feet. There is also a way to angle the fence to the ground so that deer are reluctant to jump.

I would make your bramble fence and use a few other deterrents as well such as a sensored pulse sprinkler. Put out a few bales of sweet orchard grass, as far as you can away from the garden. Leave the bales twined so they have to work at eating the hay, lasts all summer.

Do you have trees? You could also make another layer of protection using deer fencing. Very cheap, it is like black shade cloth with a huge weave. Staple it to your trees.

The deer get to munch, if they are more curious then they would have to negotiate this flimsy deer netting fence that is 12' high, if they get through that then they are blasted by the sprinklers and if they get past that they have a bramble fence to deal with. I doubt you'd have problems with deer or Elk this way. Do you have room?

This shows what a gabion looks like filled with just stone. Great simple inexpensive structures that work. If you've got lots of stone and/or bramble to fill. The bramble makes a more formidable structure but you have to use stone for the weight, too.
Gabbion

an electronic deer frequency gadget for 40 bucks 2 1/2 stars, though

another electronic gadget that got 4 1/2 stars

cheapo deer fencing mesh staple to trees

simple fence for deer using mesh

great inexpensive fencing for small and large critters

I am sorry, Black Thumb. I've not been able to find an example of the 'fence at an angle' I was talking about. I know I've found it on the internet before but not today.

This goes along with what Colin just mentioned; if deer are unable to see food they usually don't bother going over a fence. They must have x-ray vision through solid fences because the deer just hop and fly over from a stand still. Cougars can jump 20 feet vertically from a stand still. 30 feet horizontally from a stand still.

If you have deer you have predators. If you have chickens or other domestic animals the predators already are watching and stalking you and the tasty easy munchies. If you live in the transition zones with wildlife (and that includes developments with 'green ways') you need to always be aware they are most certainly there. Includes bob cat, bear, raccoons (they love chickens) and cougars. We've also seen feral pig track and I've saw my first fisher! You'll never see these predators but start looking for track, scat (raked piles for cats) and tufts of hair on top of barb wire fencing.

Cougar are able to rip apart most sheds. They can rip a car apart!

For cougars and other wild predators I would use an electric fence. Don't forget the bird predators; the owls, eagles, hawks and ravens. Fencing over your chickens is critical and a routine closing up of the hen house every night. Sensors to wake you would be very good to use.

The leaning fence for deer takes up real estate. The biggest downside. I can't remember which side the high side goes; the fence has posts that are leaned either away from the garden or towards the garden. The posts are at a 45 degree angle. I just can not remember which way is more 'scary' to deer.

I like the leaning away from the garden myself because it saves garden real estate. The high end would prevent deer from seeing how far they would have to jump more than how high, it is something about how far they need to jump and etc.

It could be, leaning toward the garden that is more scary for the deer. I've got to find this information again.

stormy
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  • the only problem with building a permanent structure is we don't own the land, but as the neighbor doesn't care what happens on our side of the creek really, we can do anything we want to do. He's been this way for about 30 years as it's less than an acre that he owns on the other side with over 200 acres over all. – black thumb Aug 04 '18 at 14:17
  • I thought that all rivers and streams and creeks even intermittent waterways had buffer zones by the government. To include wet lands. Have you checked? Your neighbor shouldn't be trusted to not do his civil duty of squealing. I am sure your neighbor is very different than mine, tho! Those gabions are not permanent unless you want them to be. This is like building a shed on skids to prove it isn't permanent. When you see those orange or black plastic fences along municipal projects? That is part of the riparian and wet lands regulations that come with big fines. – stormy Aug 04 '18 at 21:05
  • not according to the watershed district that I'll be doing some community service for to set up mycoremediation projects outside of the one in our yard. The one in our yard is being designed to treat ecoli primarily, but may throw some oyster mushroom spawn in it next year to treat things like oil just outside of "the buffer zone". – black thumb Aug 05 '18 at 03:37
  • This is incredibly cool, black thumb! Mycoremediation...just rolls off the tongue. So you do have monitored buffer zones? Just remember, never trust neighbors, never trust a soul if you don't have to. Just sayin'! Grins. Mushrooms are being studied for 'eating' oil? I wish I could remember this 'hard' science fiction novel about petroleum eating bacteria...the title. The bacteria went on to gobble up gas in tanks, plastics, gaskets and and it was a major catastrophe. Just because we thought we were so clever to produce a bacterial eater of oil to clean up our mistakes. – stormy Aug 05 '18 at 06:46
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Layering hedges would work fine if properly done, dead stick approach will not. Unless supported by some kind of structure, in which case it is the structure that is doing the job and you can forget the dead sticks.

I have many years of experience with white tailed deer in Ontario. The only thing they respect is either a tall vertical granite cliff or what is called "game fence" here. It is a springy interwoven galvanized steel fence with smaller openings at the bottom than the top, sold in 300 foot lengths. It has to be eight feet high at minimum and well supported. Seven feet six and if they can get a run at it you will hear the hooves clip the top as they sail over.

I have seen deer break their way through intertwined branches on living trees that you would think were impenetrable. If they can barge and they know there is a reward for the effort then they will put their shoulder to the wall. Stags in particular are very powerful.

It is very helpful with whatever arrangement if the deer cannot see what is on the other side. That way you never get added to their memory map. Once you are on it, watch out for trouble.

Colin Beckingham
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  • If the deer are hungry almost nothing can stop them . As noted by Colin , a fence that they can not see through , even 6' high will stop them.. – blacksmith37 Aug 04 '18 at 15:37