Electric fence advice needed

[Jstwaiting]

As usual the deer are over running the yard again. I use deer fence spray (smells really, really bad) but they still are taking the tops off the tulips and flowers and the buds off the lilacs.
SO - I am at the point of putting up an electric fence. The nurseries around here use the white tape stuff but I was thinking more of the old type galvanized wire as it makes less of a visual impact.
I'm not looking for a lot maybe 250 feet of three strands.

Any ideas of how big a charger I'll need ? haven't seen any on Craigs list.

The other option is hte old 22 out the bedroom window but it gets pretty quiet around here at 2:00 in the morning.

Any advice would be appreciated.....

[Tex]

Electric fence will just lead to aggravation, I'm afraid. We have had electric fence up for different reasons in the ast and when deer hit it they usually take down a big chunk of it. They aren't tame or docile like most livestock and they have not concept of being confined in small paddocks or pastures. When that fence bites them, all they know is something is out to get them and they are going to go whichever way looks to have the clearest path for retreat. Sometimes it is away from the fence and other times it is right through the fence. When they do that they will tear down a big section for you to clean up.

If you do use it, be sure and tie a bunch of streamers on it so they can see it.

Good luck.

Tex

[Rockntoy]

Electric fence advice needed ; Make sure you pee on it to make sure it is working.

[Jstwaiting]

MA - pls send me one of your tigers. I'll return it well fed.

Rock - I usually grab someone's hand and then the fence. they usually tell me if it's working. Just be sure to let go of the fence before you let go of the other guy.

Tex - your reply makes sense. That is probably why the nurseries use the white tape. Maybe I'll stop in and talk to one of them. I'll go look in the safe for the sub sonic 22's.....

[tk]

My dogs keep them out but they know my dogs wont go over the buried e fence and they walk about 20 yards in the field right past the dogs. I know of a few people that go to barber shops and get bags of hair and put it in there flowers and shrubs. They say it works I never tried it. Another friend of mine has a motion sensor that activates a big dog barking recording . He has it in his camp and when you walk up on the porch it goes off inside the door. I know it made me jump the first time I heard it maybe it will scare a deer. And being from rural PA I have heard that speed beef will go down with one 22 short right between the eyes. Just saying. Chops in butter and onions jerky . Think of it as the grocery store coming to you.

[dangerdan]

Make a snare ,use a pan of corn for bait .
When the other deer see one of their own hung by the neck ,they will run ,
or come back and finish the corn .

Check out Tractor supply for fencing units .
There is a yellow tape with strands of stainless steel wire embedded .
If you or a neighbor use ham radio ,the electric fence will cause interference .

Trip wires connected to cans to make a racket to scare the deer .

You were looking for ideas right ....not all ideas are good ,some are bad...you must choose wisely .

DD

[Rockntoy]

Make deer jerky and steaks-there problem solved.

[Rockntoy]

OK on a more serious note. I agree with TEX, damn, but deer get around those fences and make a mess of things. One way to keep them out is to install a taller deer proof fence. They have them around here and seem to work pretty good. draw back is it is a little more expensive but a one time investment. As far as streamers and scarecrows, the deer get use to them and start ignoring. The trail camera thing would work as long as the deer keep on the same trail all the time or have mutiple ones set out. Might work but I cannot comment on its use. Does seem plausible . I still like the deer jerky idea better. Or with onions and beer.

[W.Lynn]

For problem deer:

Braised, plenty of onions and mushrooms, maybe potatoes too, a few pieces dried tomatoes, some garlic, salt & black pepper, hint of cayenne, and add a beer to the braising liquid. Let sit all afternoon in a low temperature oven, 250°F or so, turn it down to 200°F the last bit, from 4pm to about 6, if you don't give up and devour it before that.

[Tex]

Animals have to be trained to electric fences. I was explaining this in chat lastnight about some goats. For goats you need to put them into a small area and let them get used to the fence and what t can do. They will eventually learn exactly where that fence is and they will eat right up to it. Once they have been trained to it, things will be just fine. Putting an animal around an electric fence who hasn't been trained to it is asking for trouble. We had a good horse once who hadn't been trained to electric fences and when he hit the fence he ended up going through it and over another fence. By the time we got to him his shoulder was laying open and he was ruined.

Deer do one of two things when they touch an electric fence. They run backwards and away from the fence or they run through the fence taking down a big section of it. They never touch it and simply back up.

Sometimes it is damn near impossible to keep deer out of where they want to go unless you build a tall fence.


Tex