Page 33 - 2025 Premier Digital Fence Catalog

IntelliFence® Solutions for…
Anti-Deer Fences
The only 100% deer barrier is an 8 ft tall woven wire fence or solid wall—expensive
and permanent. An alternative is electrified fencing. These fences rely upon a painful
shock to persuade deer to neither jump nor penetrate them. Because they aren’t physical
barriers, electrified deer fences rely upon key deer behavior aspects.
1. Deer are creatures of habit.
Where they choose to feed, rub, walk
and breed are learned habits—
reinforced every time they safely do
them. And habits are hard to break.
Suddenly fencing a deer herd away
from a well-traveled area forces the herd
to break a habit. That’s why the first days
of denial of use (by a fence) are critical if
the fence is to succeed.
Once a herd’s pattern is broken, the
change in feeding/walking location is
easier to maintain.
2. Deer make risk-benefit decisions
about feeding sites and trails.
Electric fences use pain to raise the cost
(the degree of risk and effort to use an
area) and persuade deer that it is safer
and less frightening to feed, rub or trail
elsewhere. When they are desperate,
they may risk the pain—which is why
you can’t keep out starving deer with
electric fencing if the site is their only
food source.
3. Electric fences work when deer
have time to avoid them.
That’s why it’s important to identify
deer trails entering a new exclusion
area and interrupt them with something
physical (e.g. a brush pile) where the trail
approaches the fence. Do this when the
fence is installed.
Why? The change puts them on alert,
making them move cautiously.
4. Don’t hunt near the fence.
Frightened deer make poor decisions.
As prey animals they easily spook into
leaping over or through fences. Once deer
learn they can jump the fence without
pain, they’re more likely to do so when
not frightened, a hard habit to break.
5. Fence a small area first.
Why? The intent is to first change the
herd’s habits. Install a new fence around
a small area. The deer will encounter and
learn to avoid the painful fence.
Leave it in place for 2 weeks.
Progressively expand the enclosed area
until 100% is protected.
6. Deer interpret fences differently.
Their world is black, white and shades
of gray. Therefore, barriers that contrast
with their view of the world are the most
visible to deer—and likely to get their
attention to slow them down.
We do not recommend using green
fences in heavy deer areas. Green netting
blends into the landscape and are more
difficult for deer to see and avoid.
7. Use scent caps to train deer.
• What are scent caps? Metal caps
attached to the fence that are baited
with apple scent (see p. 36).
• How do they work? Experience
has shown that apple scent caps
encourage deer to have an initial
painful interaction with a new
Keep deer in the
field and away
from the yard!
FIELD GUIDE
TO FENCING
Semi-Permanent Moved Seasonally
PermaNet® Plus.................................................34
VersaNet® 60. ......................................................35
Deer QuikFence® 60. ........................................36
PermaNet® 60.................................................... 37
3D Anti-Deer Fence................................... 38-39
Multistrand Fences..........................................40
electric fence. The scent entices deer
to touch the caps where they receive
a shock at their nose. (Peanut butter
works but it’s not as easy to apply.)
• How many caps? One every 50 ft in
heavy traffic areas (or 100 ft in low
traffic areas).
• Is it hard to rebait scent caps?
Baiting is simple. It involves turning
off the energizer; twisting the cap
upward and applying apple scent to
the cotton inside the cap; and then
twisting the cap downward. When
finished, reconnect the energizer to
electrify the conductor.
8. It’s been our experience that deer
fences that disappoint are:
•
•
Installed at the wrong time.
Managed without knowledge of how
deer interact with fences.
•
Not properly electrified.
WILDLIFE BARRIER FENCES 33