Fence height needed to prevent deer?

I have just purchased a new property of 5.5 acres with some timber that adjoins some woods. As with most of rural (and even urban) Iowa, there are a lot of deer in the neighborhood. I am used to gardening in a more urban environment and have a 6 foot wood fence (solid) right now. Although I've seen deer in my area, none have ever entered the yard. I have read that 6 foot fence will not keep deer out in the more rural areas. But, I have also read that if it's a solid fence, and if they don't know what's on the other side of it, they will be less likely to try to jump it. I don't want to fence all 5.5 acres, but I do want to fence a portion for my greyhound, and also for the protection of plants that deer want to eat. If I put a 6 foot solid fence with 1 or 2 foot high lattice on top, will that be sufficient deterrent? Any thoughts?

I plan to do landscaping in the rest of the property with highly aromatic plants (lavenders, sages, other such things) in the hopes of deterring deer. There are some yucca plants there now that seem to be doing very well and haven't got signs of deer damage. They also don't seem to eat the oak trees.

Thanks!
Claire

Hi Claire - I have 1 1/2 acres, and there are plenty of deer around here.
We put up a 6' fence years ago, & no deer have come over the fence.
I was told that deer will jump into an area if they can see what's on the other side.
I took care of that by planting shrubs along the chain-link fence on the one side of my property. This is the side most frequented by deer. They look in between the shrubs, but don't bother to jump.

I was also told they can jump a short distance "high" and a long distance "low" - but can't jump long & high. I suppose that they will do whatever it takes to get out of harms way, or to survive. I know they have other sources for food in the area & frankly, i was tired of their idea of "sharing".
I believe a 6' solid fence with 2' of lattice will work fine.
The best to you! Kate

Thanks Kate! Great advice! There are lots of corn and soybean fields in the area so I hope that the deer will have other food options, which will perhaps make my fenced area less attractive to them. I never knew that about the long/high jumps, but it does make sense. Very useful information. I was told not to plant anything before putting up the fence. If they know there is food on the other side, they may be more inclined to jump it, but if I wait and plant things after the fence, they'll just be content with staying outside the fence. Seemed to make sense also.

Do the deer try to eat your shrubs? If not, what kind of shrubs are they? I am learning all I can about deer-resistant plants!

Thanks,
Claire

Katye,

I planted before I had fences, and I used a product I bought at Home Depot (Don't know if you have those) that smells like coyote urine! It works!

We have milions of deer here in Texas, and in a drought year, they will stand up on their hind legs and eat leaves off a tree, then they will eat the bark!!!

I don't have a lot of love for deer eating my plants, either. The sad fact is that people in my neighborhood feed the deer (even though it's against the law!) and that causes too many of them to be born, then they become sickly, etc.

My brother lives right in the woods. He had a terrible time with deer. He built a solid fence only about 5 ft high. Never a deer in his yard since. Like someone else said, if they can't see it they won't come over.

We string an electric fence around our carrot & red beet patch. That keeps them out. One wire is at 16" & the other about 40". You must have a big fencer. Ours is rated for 8 miles.
Lesser ones won't do the job.

Good luck,
Bernie

Thanks Connie - We have Home Depot here so I can look there. Another product I have read about is called Plantskydd and supposedly it works really well. I think it is supposed to smell like dead deer or something (but only the deer can smell it). I think there are a lot of deer here because of all the corn fields. They eat the kernels that get missed in harvesting all winter long. Same with the soybeans. It's a huge food source for them. I don't plan on feeding them but I don't have the heart to shoot them.

Bernie - the electric fence sounds like a plan too. I will have to see if it is allowed. Even though it is an acreage property, it's got a homeowners association, and they have some rules (covenants) for the area. I know they allow horse fencing but I am not sure if they would allow an electric fence. Probably they would worry about kids or something, although personally I think it would be a great way to keep kids out of my yard too!! They are one of the main reasons I am moving out of my current neighborhood. I will read the rules again and see if it is in there.

I got a bottle of Plantskydd from Iowaron at Round-up last spring. Sprayed my tulips & bleeding heart. They were never bothered again. He had a good price, it's rather expensive at a garden center.
Bernie

Plantskydd has had mixed reviews up here, but I wouldn't discount it. Best to try first, then do the analysis. It is my understanding that what Deer like can vary from region to region. They completely cleaned all top growth on about 20 dahlias one year. But i was told they don't like dahlias. well, they liked mine! And when i caught them munching, they looked at me like "so, what? what?"

There were plants existing in some of the areas where the fence went. Now they don't bother with anything that close to the fence.

Connie - we have the same issues with neighbours feeding the deer. We live near a very large lake & lots of raw land for them to browse. Because people provide food, they hang out in the bordering Blueberry farm & guess what else hangs out there? Coyote. Very Sad. It's a death sentence for the deer.

Electric Fences: well, after the expense & trouble of purchasing & installing, the first 2 deer that happened upon it sniffed a few times, walked back towards the woods & turned around. I would not have believed this unless I saw it with my own eyes:
The first one ran at the fence & dove between the top 2 wires. The younger one ran up to the fence, then stepped back & belly crawled under the lowest wire. that's when i gave up & decided solid was the way to go. Expensive, but so was losing fruit trees, roses & anything else they mowed down. I love my fence.

Claire - contact you local extension office to get a list of what is supposed to be "deer resistant" in your area.