Fencing Deer From the Garden

— Written By Peg Godwin and last updated by
en Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

Gardeners often consider deer to be a major hindrance in growing plants because they browse on young tender plant growth. Employing a combination of four management techniques can help gardeners manage deer feeding damage. With frequent tweaking of deer management strategy, deer prints and droppings may be common at a location without feeding damage.

Limiting the choice of highly palatable foods or plants is one approach to manage deer. The second step is to address fencing an area to exclude the deer. Fencing deer out of a garden is easier said than done. Here are some of the facts to consider. Deer can easily jump over an eight-foot fence and are strong animals. Deer do not like to jump over something they cannot see through, nor into an area where they feel trapped. Since deer browse mainly on tender foliage perhaps only a small area of your garden needs to be fenced.

Sometimes public places use a wide border on the ground of large irregularly shaped rocks or a cattle guard to prevent animals from crossing into a designated area. Creating a six to eight-foot bed of unstable material can prevent hoofed animals from crossing.

There are many options in fencing. Consider height, strength and placement if planning for the addition of a fence. Invisible deer netting can be made from black mesh netting fastened to wooden 4 by 4 wooden posts or to metal T-bar garden posts. Colorful streamers tied to a new fence helps to keep deer from accidentally running through it.

Electric fences can be a useful way to keep deer out of the garden. Check local zoning laws to understand regulations and prevent hazardous conditions. Electric deer fences are not recommended around small children. If properly installed and maintained, they are very effective in keeping deer from an area.

Two other tactics added to plant selection and fencing are needed to increase deer management in the garden. Deer repellents and scare tactics can decrease the deer traffic in specific garden areas.