Plot Fencing: Elec vs. Non

[kc22]

I’m leaning toward an electric fence with a solar fencer for my 1.5ac bean/corn plot. But curious to hear from anyone that’s went the poly fence route, example being the critter fence below.

Reasons for considering non-elec are:
1. In corn years, the poly fence would keep out coons as well as deer.

2. I live 3 hours away and would be nice not to have to worry about weeds/crops shorting out my elec fence.

Am thinking of something like this. 6-8’ tall and even having an outer ribbon similar to elec fence setup to mess with their depth perception.

Again, plan is to go electric but curious to learn from this group if the poly option might work better.


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[Smokegobbler]

My experience with coons is that they'll dig under or chew a poly fence if there's food on the other side. I'd go electric and try to control the coons by trapping if possible.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

I used the polyfencing to fence in our orchard at one time (before we found the cages popular on this forum). It was an area about 1/4 acre. It works for keeping critters out. Since you are going to want the critters to get access to the area at some point you are going to have to take it down, which is a lot of work. Too much work for a one time use, because that is all you will be able to use the fence for that year or any year after. I also just feel bad throwing away all of that plastic. I'd say it works really well if you want to keep it up for a few years like we did, but that defeats the purpose of a food plot.

 

[SwampCat]

I used the polyfencing to fence in our orchard at one time (before we found the cages popular on this forum). It was an area about 1/4 acre. It works for keeping critters out. Since you are going to want the critters to get access to the area at some point you are going to have to take it down, which is a lot of work. Too much work for a one time use, because that is all you will be able to use the fence for that year or any year after. I also just feel bad throwing away all of that plastic. I'd say it works really well if you want to keep it up for a few years like we did, but that defeats the purpose of a food plot.

The polyfencing kept the coons out?

 

[swat1018]

Coons would scale that like it wasn't there.

 

[Hoytvectrix]

The polyfencing kept the coons out?

Not really. But it did deter them enough to leave some apples. We took the fencing down because it was too much of a pain with breaking down from sunlight and eventually animals kept finding their way in.

 

[Bill Loser]

Go electric if you can, run 1 strand about 12" off the ground and that will keep out most of the coons. I did that around my sweet corn garden last year. It was fun the first couple nights listening to the little bastards squeel when they hit it the first couple times!

 

[Brian662]

You could spray ground clear or something similar around where the electric fence is to keep weeds from shorting it out.

I haven't done it yet, but that's my plan for my property that is 2.5 hours away and the electric fence I plan to try.

 

[Hideaway Acres]

I have used the 7 foot poly fence around a 30' x 50' garden for about 4 years now. Works great to deter deer, and I haven't had coons bother it either and we have a lot of them here. Rabbits are another story, they chewed through and I had to run chicken wire around the bottom to stop them. For you're application, I think electric is a better solution, too much work to take down poly on 1.5 acres.