[don]

In mid May I planted a 6 acre food plot and e-fenced the entire area using 1 strand of polytape for the perimeter, then 2 strands of polywire 3 feet inside of the polytape strand, this is often referred to as a 3D type setup, or a Gallagher type but much cheaper than a Gallagher setup.
The charger was a solar powered 6 volt unit (https://parmakusa.com/product/deluxe-field-solar-pak-6/) I purchased on Amazon, $164.99 at the time.

All rows were planted 36 inches apart with an old JD290 planter, the plot was Gly sprayed @2 qts per 25 gallons water, two weeks before planting and again in early August. 100 gallons of mix with a little Dawn dish soap as a surfactant for the first application, 50 gallons of mix for the August application.
T posts were used on each corner with 1 additional t-post spaced every 90ft thereafter. Between the T posts the strands were all supported by fiberglass step in posts spaced at 30 ft apart each.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sunguard-ii-3-8-in-fiberglass-step-in-post

The fence remained intact and in place until 9/8 at which time I re-positioned the entire e-fence to protect only the inner 4 acres of corn and soys. The perimeter rows of forage beans, 2 acres total, were free for the deer to use, and that they have, lol. Each plant in each row, for 570ft in length, has had the tops nipped off. this goes for both the north and south edges.

The e-fence has done an incredible job in my opinion, there have been only a couple of intrusions based on the tracks/evidence seen.
The forage beans will keep growing until a hard frost kills them so there will be plenty of forage available for them to use. Shortly before rifle season begins the remaining fence will be taken down and put in storage.
In my case I feel the money spent was well worth it and would highly recommend anyone seriously interested in protecting their seed investment/plantings to check into it for next seasons plantings.

 

[Luv2hunteup]

Your plot looks great. Congrats.

 

[stickman1978]

Well done.

 

[NonTypicalCPA]

Your first picture looks like the two strands of polywire are outside the poly tape? Plots look great! A lot of work there for sure.

 

[Wild Thing]

Your first picture looks like the two strands of polywire are outside the poly tape? Plots look great! A lot of work there for sure.

Actually, the 2 strands of poly wire are inside the poly tape - single strand poly tape is the outside fence.

 

[Wild Thing]

It looks like Don's inside fence of 2 strands of poly wire has worked great! I have always used poly tape for the top strand of the inside fence, thinking that it would provide a more visual deterrent so they know for sure there is another fence 3' away, but you sure can't tell any difference in this case.

 

[don]

Usually one strand of polytape on the outside and two strands of Polywire on the inside stakes.
Sometimes I have to work with what I have on hand at the time though, lol.
in my first picture the polytape is on the outside with two strands of polywire on the inside, you just have to look hard to see the polywire strands next to the corn.
If you click on the right side edge of the first picture it should enlarge and both inside polywire strands are easily seen.

 

[don]

On another smaller plot I had polytape on all of the stakes because I ran out of polywire and two times all of the polytape was laying on the ground in one particular spot when I checked it, go figure, lol. I blamed it on rambunctious, crazy fawns chasing each other around.

 

[bowjack]

My fence has been knocked down a number of times this year and let the free loaders in. They have learned to just jump it now.

 

[Wild Thing]

Oh Oh! Not good. At least they waited until the beans matured...

 

[bowjack]

Oh Oh! Not good. At least they waited until the beans matured...

They have been having a field day the last month and a half. It's a wonder there is anything left but the beans have withstood the browsing surprisingly well. It's about a two acre field of RR beans planted in 14" rows.

 

[Wild Thing]

They have been having a field day the last month and a half. It's a wonder there is anything left but the beans have withstood the browsing surprisingly well. It's about a two acre field of RR beans planted in 14" rows. View attachment 434269

I didn't fence these beans at all (obviously ). This is a 3.5 acre field and the beans were drilled on 7.5" rows. They were browsed pretty heavily and were maybe 12"-14" tall when we drilled the fall Buffalo Blend into them in mid-August.

Hard to see any beans above the Buffalo Blend today.

The deer continued to browse on the beans while the cereal grains/brassicas were coming up.

The beans are now about 5"-6" tall but, surprisingly, they produced some pods below that level. I am sure the deer will get after those pods in early December before the snow gets too deep.

Did you broadcast any cereal grains into your beans yet? It may help to take some pressure off the beans, although they are probably starting to yellow now so the deer won't be browsing the greens much more anyway.

 

[don]

Is your fence electrified bowjack ?
Just curious, mine has had between 5500/6500 volts running thru all of the strands since it was put up according to the tester and they have always respected it amazingly well.

 

[bowjack]

Is your fence electrified bowjack ?
Just curious, mine has had between 5500/6500 volts running thru all of the strands since it was put up according to the tester and they have always respected it amazingly well.

There is electrical tied in with all strands. I believe once they figure out they can jump in your doomed.


Did you broadcast any cereal grains into your beans yet? It may help to take some pressure off the beans, although they are probably starting to yellow now so the deer won't be browsing the greens much more anyway.

I broadcast brassica into it weeks ago when I thought it would be destroyed by the deer that had figured out the fence. With no sunlight getting between the beans the brassica was a failure. I have rye that I had planned on broadcasting into it at first chance which will be next week. Not really concerned about it for this fall as I have other plots of brassica and clover for them to munch on.

 

[don]

I guess my deer are just too dumb to figure that out.
If that's the case I like it....a lot ! :lol:

 

[Wild Thing]

Is your fence electrified bowjack ?
Just curious, mine has had between 5500/6500 volts running thru all of the strands since it was put up according to the tester and they have always respected it amazingly well.

Actually, those are milli-volts you are reading on your fence tester Don. It is pretty hard to get that many Volts out of a 6 Volt battery - LOL. But even 5.5 - 6.5 volts generally does the job.

Besides....we don't want those deer to disintegrate - we just want to shock them a little to keep them out of the beans.

 

[don]

Correct you are. I took off my shoes and touched the tape and the ground just to remember what that felt like when I was a kid. It hasn't changed, lol.
5000 volts would account for a lot of Crispy Critters lying around.

 

[Plant175]

I’m wondering if you used a few more t post instead of step in post you could get the slack out of the tape and maybe they wouldn’t jump it.

 

[Wild Thing]

I’m wondering if you used a few more t post instead of step in post you could get the slack out of the tape and maybe they wouldn’t jump it.

IDK Plant175. The tape (wire) looks plenty tight to me. I only run T-Posts on my corners and a step in fiberglas post every 30'...and they do sell different types of "tensioners" and splicers which you can use to take up some slack. The posts just hold the tape up to the desired height.

 

[bwlacy]

Don

How did your plot turn out for gun season? If you don't mind, what was your total cost to fence in 6 acres?

I'm in need of a late season food source. I'm positive I have to fence it to make it through the fall. This time of year most of my deer are gone from pressure on the neighbors. I'm working on more cover, but I need some sort of food source for them.