DEER FENCE INSTALLATION: MIDDLE STEPS 3 Middle Steps: Anchors, Supports, and Adjustments 
Finishing Touches, Gates, and Maintenance
MIDDLE STEPS, CONTINUED Monofilament Lines and Tie Wire The top of the deer fencing must be left visually undefined. As noted earlier, the deer have trouble seeing our polypropylene or metal deer fences. They especially have trouble telling how tall these fences are, and so they don’t know how high they need to jump. If you put something on the top of the deer fencing that defines it–like, say, a two-by-four board, then that will lead the deer to think (correctly) that the fence ends there and will present them with an open invitation to jump. Since you don’t want to send this invitation, you should avoid putting anything along the fence top that defines the fence’s upper boundary. However, you do want to provide support along the top of the fence–something that is done with monofilament line or tie wire. See Video: Installing Support Cables Thick nylon monofilament lines (8 or 11-12 gauge) and pvc-coated black 13.5 gauge steel tie wire are used to improve the fence’s appearance and to strengthen it against falling tree limbs, charging deer, or deer that persistently butt against the fence. Tie wire requires less gear to install than nylon monofilament (no special terminators or tighteners are needed). Also, since it need not be placed under tension it minimizes the need for earth anchors (used to counter sideways stress along the fence) and also puts less of a pull upon posts along a curve, and so limits the tendency of such posts to tilt toward the curve’s inner side (see diagram below) 
On the other hand, monofilament line tends to give with the fence. So when placed along the top of the fence it is better at warding off falling branches; and when placed in the "deer impact zone" at a height of 3 to 4 feet it is much better at countering the effects of deer inclined to charge the fence or give it a persistent battering. We recommend using tie wire (1) at the tops of garden fences less than 500 feet long, (2) wherever the fence goes around a curve (apply a series of tie wire lengths about 60 feet long), and (3) at all places where the length of line or wire being applied is very short (less than 50 feet long). Note that the line should be applied in “runs” starting at one end, gate, or corner on the fence and ending at the next corner, gate, or end; and also that if a run is over 300 feet long you need to divide it into a series of smaller runs each 300 feet long or less. |
McGregor Fence Co. 508-888-8305