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5 foot barb wire, question. #8489621 12/29/21 03:16 PM
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Deer come and go on my west fence line. The 100 year old fence isn't much of a fence anymore. For several ag reasons, I will be tearing it out, and replacing it. I've already built about 4000 feet of fence around my perimeter. The new fences are 5 foot tall and 6 strand. Steel braces every 250', t-posts every 10'.

I know "high fence" is 8 foot tall for a reason. The question is, will my new 5 foot tall fence discourage deer from coming over? I don't know if fawns can clear it.


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489629 12/29/21 03:24 PM
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No they will clear it no problem and fawns will slide right between the wire.

Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489631 12/29/21 03:25 PM
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Deer will still go over it or under it without a problem.

Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489644 12/29/21 03:35 PM
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I just watched this two weeks ago and wondered how the fawn was going to get by the fence. Mom cleared it easy, baby slipped right under the bottom strand

Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489732 12/29/21 04:54 PM
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I have seen some clear an 8 footer


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489742 12/29/21 04:58 PM
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Being 6 strand, they are 10" apart. And I pull wire banjo string tight.


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489746 12/29/21 05:02 PM
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Bruce Jenner, even now, can clear a five foot fence.

Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489761 12/29/21 05:18 PM
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They will come and go as normal, you might find more get caught by the back leg than you have experienced in the past. Place I hunted for years had fences of that height, we usually lost a few deer to the fence but not that many.


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489765 12/29/21 05:22 PM
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Thank you everyone. That's good news!


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489779 12/29/21 05:31 PM
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The ranch I hunt on has similar height but he put barbless wire on the top and bottom two strands. The deer either go over or through it.

Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8489887 12/29/21 07:48 PM
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Many years ago I was hunting a small blind that was 15 feet from a fence line (5’ net wire fence). A few doe, with one fawn, came to the fence and jumped it to my side. The fawn couldn’t seem to work up the nerve to jump that high, so it ran up and down the other side looking for a hole, but there wasn’t one. The does stood right there and waited impatiently for the fawn, who appeared pretty nervous. The fawn backed off from the fence, took off running and lost it’s nerve and didn’t jump. It backed off and did the same thing and chickened out again. The does gave up and started strolling to the grass and the water hole. Finally the fawn backed off even further, took off at max speed and cleared the fence. Cutest drama I had ever watched.

Fawns can jump pretty high, but will look for a gap or wiggle through the barbed wire.

Here at our place, which is surrounded with net wire, my wife has cut small holes for fawns. I spend time fixing fence and she cuts hole in it.


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8490331 12/30/21 03:12 AM
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Originally Posted by FiremanJG
Being 6 strand, they are 10" apart. And I pull wire banjo string tight.


I would be really careful stretching it "banjo string tight". Tight is one thing, but too tight you run the risk of getting wrapped up in barb wire when it breaks. I use 4 point vs 2 point and it would really make a mess of me if it broke. A guy I know had that happen to him. Wasn't pretty!!

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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: J.G.] #8490359 12/30/21 03:46 AM
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Why 60"? It will be a learning curve for the deer if they are not used to that tall of fence. IME deer would rather go under a fence than over it or thru a gate opening. When I bought my place in Goliad County I had to build 6100' of new fence on my south boundary. I opted to go with 12" spacing 50" tall net wire with a barb on top instead of a barbwire fence. It was taller than most of the older fences in that area. I hate hogs and wanted to slow them down or change their travel route with net wire. It took the deer 3 yrs to get used to going over that fence since they had been used to going under all the rest of the barbwire fences. I did find deer hung in the fence during that time frame. I added more net wire fence on the rest of my boundaries over time. The first year in the drought with no net wire fences I had my best fawn crop. Over the next 7yrs it was never more than 25-30% fawn crops with many years below 20%. I slowed the hogs down but fawn numbers suffered. New fences always slow deer movement down IME. Saw the same thing in West Texas on my mule deer lease where they rebuilt about 3 miles of old fence with new net wire fencing. The deer still do not like crossing that fence and the fawns run up and down it trying to find a hole. I did notice this year that a couple of washouts or coyote slides are not deep enough and loaded with deer tracks. If it were my place I would put the bottom wire at least 12-14" off the ground so does and fawns can go under it with ease. I would put the top wire at 52" or 54" max so the deer would be used to jumping fences that high.


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: Frio Town] #8490710 12/30/21 04:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Frio Town
Originally Posted by FiremanJG
Being 6 strand, they are 10" apart. And I pull wire banjo string tight.


I would be really careful stretching it "banjo string tight". Tight is one thing, but too tight you run the risk of getting wrapped up in barb wire when it breaks. I use 4 point vs 2 point and it would really make a mess of me if it broke. A guy I know had that happen to him. Wasn't pretty!!

Frio


Been building fence for 25 years. Especially wire pulled in winter will not be as tight in summer.

4 point is good stuff, but I despise building with it. I would always do it for customers that asked for it, but my place has two point.


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Re: 5 foot barb wire, question. [Re: stxranchman] #8490713 12/30/21 04:17 PM
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Originally Posted by stxranchman
Why 60"? It will be a learning curve for the deer if they are not used to that tall of fence. IME deer would rather go under a fence than over it or thru a gate opening. When I bought my place in Goliad County I had to build 6100' of new fence on my south boundary. I opted to go with 12" spacing 50" tall net wire with a barb on top instead of a barbwire fence. It was taller than most of the older fences in that area. I hate hogs and wanted to slow them down or change their travel route with net wire. It took the deer 3 yrs to get used to going over that fence since they had been used to going under all the rest of the barbwire fences. I did find deer hung in the fence during that time frame. I added more net wire fence on the rest of my boundaries over time. The first year in the drought with no net wire fences I had my best fawn crop. Over the next 7yrs it was never more than 25-30% fawn crops with many years below 20%. I slowed the hogs down but fawn numbers suffered. New fences always slow deer movement down IME. Saw the same thing in West Texas on my mule deer lease where they rebuilt about 3 miles of old fence with new net wire fencing. The deer still do not like crossing that fence and the fawns run up and down it trying to find a hole. I did notice this year that a couple of washouts or coyote slides are not deep enough and loaded with deer tracks. If it were my place I would put the bottom wire at least 12-14" off the ground so does and fawns can go under it with ease. I would put the top wire at 52" or 54" max so the deer would be used to jumping fences that high.



The primary reason for the fence.

#1 Keep stray cattle out.
#2 If I get livestock to keep them in. And 5 foot tall 6 strand pretty much will hold calves to bulls.

Me thinking of the whitetail is third in priority. I do not see them every day as it is. And when I do, 90% of the time it is all does. We have low numbers around here, so even though TP&W gave us two does to kill from one, I still won't kill does. Deer and deer hunting on my land is a low priority.


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