Volume 30 Issue 2, Spring 2025

by Nan McCarry

Everyone’s experience and property is different. In my case, there are things I’m glad I did and things I wish I’d done differently. We’ll start with the big one: the deer fence.

I wouldn’t be able to do this project without a deer fence, and for the most part, it serves its purpose. That said, I did not make the best choices in fence type (I had no idea what I was doing) and would do things differently today.

Deer Fencing

Most experts agree that an effective deer fence must be either:
•7-8 feet tall (this was what I went with).
•Two spaced fences that are shorter.
•A single shorter fence for a small space (it is said that the deer know they can’t get a running start to get out if they jump into a small area).
•A “psychological deer fence” (I would take this route if I had to do it again): https://growfoodwell.com/build-a-deer-fence/.

Material:
I went with coated chicken wire held up by metal stakes set into concrete.
Pros:
•The fence itself is not very visible. •The posts do not rot.
Cons:
•The black metal posts are visible and less attractive than wooden posts.
•The chicken wire sags from snow accumulation or drifting. Also, on the rare occasions deer have gotten in, they then hurl themselves against the fence in attempts to jump out again, stretching the fence out of shape.
•The plastic ties that attach the fence to the posts break due to weather or UV light.
•All of this leads to a fair amount of maintenance.

Wildlife:
I hadn’t considered that by fencing out the deer, I was fencing out some other critters as well. I could swear the vole, mouse, and tick populations skyrocketed after I put the deer fence in, perhaps because the foxes were fenced out? And if our overall goal is to provide more habitat, it’s worth considering who else you are excluding. If I had it to do over again, I would look for a fence that allowed small mammals to creep underneath. (The groundhogs are doing just fine, however!) I would not recommend to anyone that they install a deer fence solely to avoid ticks, since the Whitefooted Mice are the hosts of the ticks.

Unpalatable Native Plants
I still have about an acre outside of the deer fence. Here’s a list of the things deer don’t eat at my house. Every gardener you talk to will have a different list; I guess deer herds have their own preferences.
•Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
•Mountain Mints (Pycnanthemum spp.)  (Some people find that deer avoid other things in the mint family. The deer eat my bee balm, though.
•Amsonia species
•Grasses
•Ferns
•Plants with fuzzy foliage

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