Living fence of sorts?

[Turkey Creek]

Have people planted living fences to try and direct deer traffic? Obviously a deer can bust through or go over most shrub type vegetation if it chooses to do so. With that being said I think I will likely want to build a couple 'living fences" to help steer deer movement a bit. Not worried about screen potential, but enough of a deterrent that a deer will walk another 50 yards to enter a plot/ walk by a stand, than it will want to expend energy trying to go through the fence. A row of closely planted cedars would eventually accomplish this but not necessarily looking for that long of a grow time or want something that tall. I could run a bit of woven wire fence and plant close to that so eventually the vegetation engulfs the fence.

 

[yoderjac]

Well, we planted bicolor lespedeza across the pipeline in our property. The idea was to make a long-wide open area of food plots seem like smaller plots to encourage daytime use. Anytime I talk about bicolor, I need to make sure folks understand that it is a non-native species that can become invasive under some conditions. I have had no issues in 15 years, but do your homework before using it.

Having said that, our strips were about 20 yards wide. Deer uses them regularly to cross the pipeline. They generally walk along the edge using them as back cover. It is very thick and much easier to walk beside rather than through.

I have noticed, deer walk along side it most of the year, but when hunting pressure is on, they have no issue traveling right through the middle of it.

I would think in your case, if you cleared a strip 10 yards wide and plant bicolor along the edge of the field and placed a woven wire fence in th4 middle of the strip deer would be much more likely to enter the field through your openings.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[BenAllgood]

In the deep south, yaupon will do that if cut back to keep it as a hedge. I would imagine there are native shrubs in your area that could do the same if spacing and pruning are right. Maybe plum? Or, if ther are trees to cut along the edge, you could lay them perpendicular. Cedar tree skeletons along the edge could accomplish the same, allowing plants to grow up through them.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Is the area you are considering going to get plenty of sun to promote all sorts of native weed and woody stuff to grow? Have seen a few threads on here where perimeter trails are established on property borders and tree tops and slash get placed in a line inside the new road. That creates a visual barrier of property from neighbors and discourages deer moving so freely off the land and resulting property line hunting. Taking that idea and applying in your case, would guess the barrier gets more effective in a few years after birds perch and do their thing and new vegetation thickens stuff up. Since you don't need it to be very tall should not take too much material to get process started.

Alternatively and being up north have heard of folks using short sections of snow fence to accomplish what you are wanting. Not super tall and could be jumped over easily but the deer tend to go along edge.

 

[rocksnstumps]

Was just checking and if you live where snow fence isn't used much could maybe think about silt fence. A bit shorter as only 3ft tall but cheap as 3ft x 100 ft black is like 50 bucks and has the wooden stakes included. Not going to last years but maybe worth a trial to see results

 

[chaded]

From my experience here, the woven wire fence with thick shrubs growing in it would work the best. I have some places where its just really thick walls of stuff like autumn olive and what they do is they will just create a tunnel in certain spots. But where there is a fence and the shrubs they don’t even bother. They take the path of least resistance.

Even without the shrubs our deer don’t like jumping fences unless they absolutely have to. My driveway is pretty long and snakes up a hill and has clean woven wire on both sides. It is not uncommon when your are driving up or down to have deer in the driveway and you have to drive real slow as they have to walk all the way to one end or the other because they don’t want to jump a fence.

 

[Barndog56]

Serviceberry is the fastest growing thing I've ever planted. 12" seedlings get 8' tall in 2 years time, and could be planted every 6'.

 

[Mozark]

My somewhat feeble attempt at one, pear trees planted close together with chokecherry planted in between. Trying to steer deer toward the post oak at the end of the row, future bow stand. I have arrowood in pots to add in a couple weeks.

 

[Telemark]

Looks like you are not in the native range for beech, but some kind of willow should fit the bill.

 

[Turkey Creek]

Thanks for the inputs thus far, I will check into some of those plant materials.

 

[Bill]

The only place deer cross my miscanthus giganteus screening is where one didn’t take and there is a natural hole in the row.

I would think it would act as an excellent steering planting if you’re in an area it will grow.

 

[goatman]

What Bill said.

 

[Turkey Creek]

The only place deer cross my miscanthus giganteus screening is where one didn’t take and there is a natural hole in the row.

I would think it would act as an excellent steering planting if you’re in an area it will grow.

I would guess it should grow well here. Where is everybody sourcing their rhizomes from? I am not sure I would try plant a huge line of it, but I think I will experiment with at least a couple of different ideas.... because thats how I roll! LOL I could plant a fairly dense stand of taller sorghum varieties, but that would need to be a every year process, not really wanting to have to do that.

I have made a very good contact with one of our state forestry personnel, he is about 20 years younger, but our brains seem to work alike. He enjoys experimenting with different planting ideas and seed sources. We agreed to trial and keep data for him on some things in our nursery. We are going to collaborate on a Eastern Red Cedar project coming up next year.

 

[Bill]

I would guess it should grow well here. Where is everybody sourcing their rhizomes from? I am not sure I would try plant a huge line of it, but I think I will experiment with at least a couple of different ideas.... because thats how I roll! LOL I could plant a fairly dense stand of taller sorghum varieties, but that would need to be a every year process, not really wanting to have to do that.

I have made a very good contact with one of our state forestry personnel, he is about 20 years younger, but our brains seem to work alike. He enjoys experimenting with different planting ideas and seed sources. We agreed to trial and keep data for him on some things in our nursery. We are going to collaborate on a Eastern Red Cedar project coming up next year.

Maple River Farms

www.mapleriverfarms.com

There not cheap but this is the cheapest place I've found and I always get good rhizomes and always more then I ordered show up in the box. Plant them 24 inches apart. If you can water them they will take faster. It's 3 years minimum before they'll steer anything. I hit mine with simazine to reduce competition and they like a little N in the beginning. Neither are necessary but both help with a faster growing plant.

 

[Bill]

When I get to the farm later this week I'll take some pics. no critter is crawling through an established row of this stuff.

 

[somich]

Have people planted living fences to try and direct deer traffic? Obviously a deer can bust through or go over most shrub type vegetation if it chooses to do so. With that being said I think I will likely want to build a couple 'living fences" to help steer deer movement a bit. Not worried about screen potential, but enough of a deterrent that a deer will walk another 50 yards to enter a plot/ walk by a stand, than it will want to expend energy trying to go through the fence. A row of closely planted cedars would eventually accomplish this but not necessarily looking for that long of a grow time or want something that tall. I could run a bit of woven wire fence and plant close to that so eventually the vegetation engulfs the fence.

I don't have pics but, I did what is called a fedge, https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-features/living-willow where I wanted to close off where there was a narrow willow strip (25') to cut down on paths from the neighboring property to one of my food plots.

Its was pretty easy, I pulled the willow to about 45* angle and used ties for concrete rerod to hold the willow.

My property is nearly surrounded with ag so I was just trying to deflect paths.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I don't have pics but, I did what is called a fedge, https://www.rhs.org.uk/garden-features/living-willow where I wanted to close off where there was a narrow willow strip (25') to cut down on paths from the neighboring property to one of my food plots.

Its was pretty easy, I pulled the willow to about 45* angle and used ties for concrete rerod to hold the willow.

My property is nearly surrounded with ag so I was just trying to deflect paths.

That is an interesting idea. A architecturally designed living fence.

 

[chummer]

Hawthorn, nothing walks through those. They will grow as a shrub if you encourage them too. I started a hedge row project a few years ago. I have added spruce, ninebark, and dogwood. The Hawthorne has added itself. I have a ton of mature trees around and they have seeded themselves heavy into my hedge rows. They are a love hate because they will tear you up but they serve a great purpose in the right spot.

 

[omicron1792]

I would guess it should grow well here. Where is everybody sourcing their rhizomes from? I am not sure I would try plant a huge line of it, but I think I will experiment with at least a couple of different ideas.... because thats how I roll! LOL I could plant a fairly dense stand of taller sorghum varieties, but that would need to be a every year process, not really wanting to have to do that.

I have made a very good contact with one of our state forestry personnel, he is about 20 years younger, but our brains seem to work alike. He enjoys experimenting with different planting ideas and seed sources. We agreed to trial and keep data for him on some things in our nursery. We are going to collaborate on a Eastern Red Cedar project coming up next year.

Real World Giant Miscanthus | Food Plot Seed- Food Plots- Deer Minerals- Deer Feed- EHD

www.realworldwildlifeproducts.com

 

[Bill]

Sorry my earlier flight got screwed up. I finally made it though. Here is a single row. I’d say this stand is 10 plus years old.
No one is crawling through here.