Yes, You CAN Erect Your Own Deer Fence!

You’re furious.  You arrived home after a long weekend at the lake, and can’t believe what you were greeted with. Ransacked. Destroyed. Like a group of college kids wreaking havoc during Mardi Gras. But, it’s not New Orleans or even your house. It’s your garden. Your beloved hydrangeas, hosta, impatiens and dahlias are demolished beyond repair. The neighborhood deer left their calling card and the insanity has to stop.

I’ve been there, and  I’m here to help. I’ll take you though the process of erecting a deer fence step by step.  

Step one is to get in the car and go to the nearest hardware store. You only need three items and they’re not very expensive. The first is a roll of twisty-ties. The second is a package of wildlife netting. The third, lots and lots of plastic- coated metal stakes.

You are going to use these materials to build a temporary deer fence. It doesn’t take very long  to construct and you can do it with minimal help.

Estimate how long the area is that you’d like to fence in. You’ll need one stake for every 5 running feet. The stakes come in varying height. Personally, I buy the 6-foot variety. The stakes you’re looking for are green. There is a flat end and a pointed end. Obviously, the pointed end goes in the ground. Place a stake every 5 feet, sinking them about 9 inches in the ground.

Next, open the wildlife netting. Most netting is sold in rolls 7 feet tall by 100 feet long. This will allow you to bring the netting up to the top of the stake and have extra netting at the bottom of the stake. The excess netting will keep the dreaded bunnies out of your garden as well. Grab your netting, some scissors and the roll of twisty-ties.

I find it best to have a helper with this part. Cut the twisty-ties into 9- inch pieces. Begin at the top of the fence and affix the tie. I usually will do the tops of 6 stakes before I go back and affix the ties to the center of the stake and the bottom of the stake. Continue in this manner until you have attached twist ties to all the stakes. Once you get the hang of it, it goes very quickly.  

Trim the excess netting at the last stake and save it, you may need to make more deer fencing or repair a section that gets ripped.

Now stand back and take it all in. 

The deer can look, but not eat. The fencing is nearly invisible and a great insurance policy when you forget to spray Liquid Fence.  

Apparently deer are bewildered when they touch something they can’t see. On occasion, you may find one or two of the stakes amiss, which just means that the deer tried to do some grazing, but were frightened when they touched the fence.

Straighten the stakes and revel in your success!

If you still have questions, feel free to post a comment.  I’m happy to help!