After watching a few YouTube videos for cheap, DIY fences to keep deer out of our garden, we decided to do a fishing line deer fence. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work.
We constructed the fence using 8-foot t-posts and 30lb test fishing line around the outside. The recommendations said it should be spaced closer together the bottom 3 to 4 feet (we did every 6 inches) and less frequently up to 6 or 7 feet (we did every foot above 4-feet).
The theory of the fishing line deer fence is this: Deer can’t see the fishing line, and when they walk up to it, they are confused or scared by the sensation and walk away.
There was some mention about how hungry and motivated the deer are as to the effectiveness of the fishing line deer fence. However, we have plenty of amazing green and berry options for them to munch on right now. We’ve had a very wet spring and it’s not even July yet – everything is growing quite well. The only problem so far has been farmers’ inability to plant at all because it was so wet.
This last weekend was our third time finding the fishing line broke in the last two months. Deer have chosen to walk in, unimpeded by the fishing line, and have a look around. Up until now, they didn’t have much to eat, but now that the garden is more mature, they have more options. They ate about 10% of our bush bean crop.
It turns out, it does not deter deer, and they can also see it just fine so they are jumping over the 6’6″ top line to get out.
To help ensure we didn’t lose any more crops, we decided to upgrade the garden fence to a 3D electric wire fence.
Read: Cheap Garden Fencing To Keep Deer Out (Cheap Deer Fencing)
For now, just know that if you’re considering a fishing line deer fence as cheap way to keep deer out of the garden, it doesn’t work.
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If done right this definitely works. We’ve done this 2 years straight and there have been no deer in our garden since we started.
I’m not sure how much more ‘right’ we could get it. Perhaps your deer are less clever than ours.
No, it doesn’t. I ran 4 lines up to 5.feet around a small space and somehow they are now getting in again. They did NOT break through it. I can’t get in myself without opening up my velcro’d “gate”, but magically they can get in. So disappointed.
Agreed. We spent a lot of time getting it done properly and they were in there 2x week.
I agree, fishing line does not work. We have fishing line spaced a foot apart up to 5 feet from the ground trying to protect 20 arborvitaes. We cemented 4×4’s in the ground and ran the wire to each post. So disheartening to see the deer inside the fence eating away.
Sorry to hear this! You may want to check out the 3D method – it’s what ended up working for us and was actually easier to construct: https://www.dooleyhomestead.com/cheap-garden-fencing-to-keep-deer-out-cheap-deer-fencing/
With multiple lines it seems that they can spot that there is some kind of obstruction, and jump it. With just a single line, at about 3′, our “stupid” deer in NH seem to be stumped and leave our garden alone.
I agree — it hasn’t worked for us either. Question though: If the deer are “walking in unimpeded” why do they have to jump “over the 6’6″ top line to get out’”?
They don’t have to jump out, but they did in our case. :)