How high does a blockaid need to be?

[BJE80]

So part of my plan is to create a block aid to funnel deer to certain parts. The way my land lays out there is a trail down the center of my property that I will be using for equipment access only during food plot time. I need to block that trail for my funnel to work. Would a 5' green snow fence across that trail be enough? Obviously I can't hinge a tree across my equipment access trail so I need to find a way to block that trail and still have it easily opened up when I need to get through.


Was thinking plastic green snow fence would be the best way but don't know if they will just jump over it.

 

[BJE80]

Maybe I should of asked............. How do you all suggest I block my trail? LOL

 

[wiscwhip]

Top of the line stuff is going to cost you, but it is a long term investment, so do the math accordingly.

http://www.deerbusters.com/fixed-kn...-x-330-fixed-knot-solidlock-12-5-ga-20-96-12/

You could supply the posts yourself from trees on your place.

 

[BJE80]

If you're going to attempt to block where they currently use...you either have to really block it, or provide them with another (more preferred by you) spot to travel. I've got a lot of road frontage on one corner of my place. Deer crossed wherever they wanted...which wasn't making me happy. I snipped the barbwire fence (entire property fenced except for the lake side) in a couple spots where I wanted them to cross and those areas are more heavily used now. I still get random crossings, but not as many as before. In order to eliminate those random crossings completely, I think I'd need to run a few more strands of barb wire and put in 10' t-posts to attach the wire to....or put up 8' deer fence (which I've considered...kinda costly though)

I should of added I will be adding "sidewalks" like Steve suggests as a preferred alternative. I've been around the block long enough to know that if a deer wants to get through something bad enough it will. But I thought a 5' fence was probably enough to deter them enough typically. Especially if you give them an easier way to traverse that area.

 

[bueller]

If they are already using your access trail as a "runaway" of sorts I can't see a fence, hinged tree, or anything in one spot stopping this. They will either go over if they can, or around that particular spot and then back onto your access trail.

 

[BJE80]

Top of the line stuff is going to cost you, but it is a long term investment, so do the math accordingly.

http://www.deerbusters.com/fixed-kn...-x-330-fixed-knot-solidlock-12-5-ga-20-96-12/

You could supply the posts yourself from trees on your place.

Keep in mind I'm only blocking an 8' wide trail. The rest of the area I would just use trees.

 

[BJE80]

If they are already using your access trail as a "runaway" of sorts I can't see a fence, hinged tree, or anything in one spot stopping this. They will either go over if they can, or around that particular spot and then back onto your access trail.

I don't think they are using it now that much. Sometimes? Sure.

But it really doesn't matter because the whole landscape of my land is changing in about 5 months anyway. So who knows what they normal patterns will be.

 

[wiscwhip]

I agree with stu. If you only make it cover a general area in close proximity to the existing road, they will just walk around it at the closest point and right back to the road you want to keep them off of.

 

[BJE80]

I agree with stu. If you only make it cover a general area in close proximity to the existing road, they will just walk around it at the closest point and right back to the road you want to keep them off of.

Wisc,

I have to do this for hundreds of yards. Basically bisecting my entire 80 in half pushing the deer to the outside plots. It just happens that the trail is in the center so it needs to be blocked to

 

[wiscwhip]

I would suggest waiting until your logging is done, your sidewalks are in, and some other improvements are finished to see how the movement patterns change before I worried about blocking an area they might not use anyway.

 

[bueller]

Have you considered leaving the access trail as an open spot in a blockage of trees around the perimeter of your plot? If the trail is too long and straight then add in a nice S curve in the trail about 20 yards from the edge of the plot.

 

[BJE80]

I would suggest waiting until your logging is done, your sidewalks are in, and some other improvements are finished to see how the movement patterns change before I worried about blocking an area they might not use anyway.

Maybe I need to just post the picture. That trail needs to be blocked otherwise I just defeated the entire purpose of the blockaid the way I see it.

 

[BJE80]

I had Steve do a plan for me.

The main trail goes down the center and you can see it in the aerial. The dark green is the thermal bedding. The green line running vertically in the center of 80 is the blockaid between the plot (pink) on the top to the thermal bedding. And then south of the thermal bedding to the south edge of the property. I don't want deer to use that trail because I want them to either walk to the plot to the north or walk south past the stands on the south end.

 

[BJE80]

The goal is to get them to use the sidewalks which are the light green.

 

[BJE80]

I'm slow, so bear with me...

You need to block the entire length of that vertical green line running through the middle of your 80?

That is correct.

 

[MoLandOwner]

I can tell you from years of trying to make deer do what you want, ends in disappointment many times, no matter how good your plan is. If you want a blockade, make it a 10' high deer fence. But you may upset deer to the point they go elsewhere as they don't like the stress of that fence keeping them from going from point A to point B. JMO

 

[kabic]

How about a 16 foot cattle panel, cut it in half and stack the two pieces using trees as your posts, should be stiff enough that it wouldn't needs any extra support.

 

[BJE80]

Just so we are clear. I added a dark maroon line where the blockade needs to go. And then a dark maroon circle where the blockade needs to be along the trail in orange.

 

[wiscwhip]

Here is what you will not be able to combat regardless of what you do if you do not extend the blockade all the way to the farthest extent possible, and it must be at least an 8' fence to be effective. See the red line coming from the southeast corner of your property, what is to stop them from just walking up the first sidewalk and getting on the road until they get to the fence and then walking around at the shortest point only to head right back to the road and straight to the west end of your property, right through the middle where you don't want them to go? Or the purple line coming from the thermal bedding, what is keeping them from walking up the sidewalk until they hit the road and then again turning west up the middle of the property? Maybe you need to keep the areas adjacent to that road as open and undesirable as possible so they do not feel safe on that road and they feel safer on the narrower sidewalks?

 

[BJE80]

Well the that is the point of the sidewalks. Make it more attractive. I can't see how a 5' snow fence would hurt it either. At least they can jump it if they really wanted to and I guess that is fine because most of the time they should take the easier route being the sidewalks.