Solar powered offgrid Electric Fence

[Jeff]

I decided to try and put a Garden in for the first time at our Eastern, U.P. cabin. We need to protect it from critters, so with the donation of a solar fence charger activator thing-a-ma-jiggy dealy-bob from my friend Harold, and the recovery of some old t-posts from around the property, we made it happen! Now if stuff will grow in this clay![/size][/color]

This is your invite to join me as I figure this project out, and bring it to it's shocking conclusions!

ALERT! Alternative ending is included due to a mind malfunction.  I lost the whole last part of the video, so went out there and recreated that content, which included some sketchy activity on my part, only to come back in to immediately find the lost footage! D'OH! I DID DA SKETCHY STUFF FOR NUTTIN!!!   And then, while not covered completly in this video, my fully planted new garden was attacked from above!!

Off Grid Solar Electric Fence Install. - YouTube

[Magicman]

My Deer would jump over dat fence. 

[Jeff]

The practise here, according to successful neighbors, is low. They dont recognise it as a fence, and bump into it, and are gone. We will see.

[JD Guy]

 We have a good bit of experience with Solar fence chargers and they do work...as you found out  :D :D :D. If I hadn't been zapped before myself I couldn't laugh so hard at your experience!! Get yourself a fence tester, they are inexpensive and you will save yourself from finding a new religion 🤣🤣. The other thing that we found out is that without at least a 7 foot tall fence (8 is better) the deer will simply jump it. You will come out one morning and all or most  of what you nourished in your garden will be mowed completely down! They will also learn how to slide under the bottom wire if it's 2-3 feet off of the ground. To critter proof gardens around here we have to use woven wire fencing with the smaller square holes to prevent coons, possums and other small animals from entering. Coons especially know the night before you are going to pick your sweet corn and will clean you out. Ask me how I know 😬. With the 48"wire fence around the bottom and 3 or more hot wires above that to get to your 7-8 foot mark you may have built a Fort Knox to dissuade the garden thieves😁. Best of luck, let us know how everything works out👍🏻.

[Hilltop366]

My neighbour has been trying to keep deer out of her fields along with help from the department of agriculture with very little success, she has a regular cattle fence which at one time was electric then added a visible (looks like white tape) low wire around the inside of the fence that kept them out for a few days then a second low wire a few feet inside of that, it kept them out for a week or two. Now they have taken the extra wires out and are back to the regular cattle fence. While the wires were up I counted 16 deer in the field one evening.

On the other side of my house my sister use to grow strawberries she had a 7 foot fence with high tensile electric wire spaced about a foot apart but the deer would still go through it between the wires. She use to raise goats which are notorious break out artist and got thinking about watching them go through an electric fence and figured out that if they got shocked in front of the ears they would back up but if they stuck there head in between the wires and then lifted it and got shocked behind the ears they went through the fence. Thinking about she came up with a deer solution by making sure they got shocked in front of the ears, she did this by folding some heavy duty aluminum foil over a wire and putting peanut butter on it for the deer to bite. It worked quite well but she had to keep replenishing the peanut butter and trimmer the grass under it to keep it consistent.

[Jeff]

Well, this is all new to me here, so im using local advice to get started. Not many gardens in these parts, so im told early education is key. Next year, after seeing this soil turned over, will be raised beds. We shall see how this first go goes. The nearest garden to me is a mile away.

[Hilltop366]

The low hard to see wire is along the same lines as the peanut butter as it gives them a unexpected jolt, hopefully it will work but you could add a square of foil with peanut butter to try if you find it does not.

[Ljohnsaw]

We had a horse ranch and had probably 2,000' of hot wire to keep them from chewing on the fence boards or leaning on the fences and knocking them over.  There were a lot of "leaks" so the shock wasn't so bad.  Enough to make the horses respect it but not so bad when I would occasionally touch it.  So I didn't have a healthy respect for it.

Well, we went to look at a horse for sale.  Cold, misty day.  (makes for a good earth ground...)  My wife is looking over the horse (I'm not a horse guy) and I'm standing over near their fence.  I swayed a little too far and made contact with my shoulder (with a heavy jacket on).  I could have sworn that someone took a baseball bat and hit me as hard as they could, my muscle contracted so hard and fast.  At first I looked around, after I let out an expletive, to see who hit me.  Then I saw the wire.  Wow!

[Hilltop366]

A guy who use to have a small farm was telling me how while in the barn he over heard his son BS ing some friends how he touches the electric fence wire and it do not hurt just a little tickle so the guy turns the fencer off while his kid talks his friends into touching it, they finally try it and say that it didn't hurt at all then his son is going to try it to see what is wrong so he turns it back on and .

[Magicman]

I've had deer to get tangled up in the wire and then carry half of it back with them. 

[GAB]

Jeff:
Set up a radio and a motion light/sensor system such that if the critters do get in they can harvest to the music and see what they are gnawing on.
To keep deer out of the beans I've used fishing line.  Supposedly the deer do not see it just back off when they feel it.  It worked when I did it but plan on putting it back up frequently.
Good luck with your gardening and hope you have a bountiful harvest.
No, I do not want ANY summer squash! 
GAB

[21incher]

Never seen anybody test a fence like  that before ⚡⚡. When I was a kid  we would get an unknowing friend  to pee on one and laugh for days at the reaction.  My dad taught  me that trick and I was mad at him for a long time after he had me try it. He said it didn't  kill me but made me smarter. I learned  many lessons  the hard way growing up.
  I have a 4 ft fence  around  my garden area and it worked for years. Then this rogue  deer came along 2 years ago and found how easy it was to get a tasty snack with  a little  jump. Went up 4 more feet with fiberglass  poles and the white electric  banding that fixed that. Deer don't like anything  white that moves in the wind because  it looks like a tail moving when escaping a threat. Actually  my biggest  problem is woodchucks.  I found out they can climb good and the only way to stop them is a hollow point. Not being there everyday could be trouble also as that keeps a human scent in the area.
  Good luck with  your garden and hopefully you have a great harvest. Start a compost  pile to help keep future gardens fed. 

[Jeff]

When sawyer was here, I was brushing him everyday and taking the hair and tucking it in the trees around the field. No idea if it makes a difference. I've not seen a deer this spring, but something is eating around here. Even porkies. I found a hollowed out one this morning.


 

[Sedgehammer]

heard tell go to the local hair salon and get the cut hair . spread it around the outskirts of the garden . Deer think you're there , ( well not you , as the hair prolly smells better ) , but to a deer , that stinks and there's a human abouts

The other thing to do is run chicken wire , say 18" or 2' high and then put a hot wire 2 " above that . climbing critters lose the desire to climb anymore

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff, you might have a fisher up there hunting the porkies. I've always been told by the old trappers that fishers will bite a porcupine in their face to kill it then go for their bellies to feed on it.

[Jeff]

Donk, this look to me like it was attacked via the head. I know there are otters, so fishers probably too.

[kantuckid]

Our garden in a pasture far from the house had a Zareba solar charger on it for many years. I replaced the battery once but when it got electronic board issues i went to a 110v charger 2 years ago. Deer sleep near our garden area in the summer when they know it's safe, then leave when I bush hog it come fall and hunting season.
 They have very rarely jumped that 3' tall fence in spite of the reality that it's barely any effort for them to do so, as we all know. Effective deer fences are 7-8' I think. The new garden is below the old one which I seeded in and the deer walk around in it not the new garden. 
We had one around our home as well but I removed it after many years last fall. It was a PITA to keep going even though that charger is very hot and supposedly weed proof it edges the woods and always had stuff on it. Grandkids were another thing and we'd turn it off for them. The deer honored that fence too. It didn't cover our drive road so one side of house area was exposed. They eat everything in sight in late summer, even stuff that's called deer proof. 
Our main pests that the garden fence doesn't cover are crows who snip off anything that grows, pull up young corn, etc.. Groundhogs, coyotes, racoons rabbits, all easily go past an electric fence or climb a barrier fence in some cases, not rabbits of course. Living in KS, I never saw a coyote eat or bother corn, now here they drag it into the edge of a clearing and eat the stuff? Maybe too few rabbits, etc. to make a living?
 
The bottom line for gardens: its a war zone.
 
Lately we've had tomato plants snipped off, bean plants coming up snipped off and yesterday we put Sevin dust on everything green that had emerged or been planted. Since we moved the garden onto new soil I tied pink plastic marking tape on the top wire to hopefully guide the deer. 
From my workshop up to our home is about a 150 yards and I built a hand split oak rail fence along one side years ago. The deer continue to kick it down. I've tried wiring it at the layovers but they head for the pond and mess it up often. They are lazy and drag their feet behind them as I've observed. 
I'd shoot a crow and hang it in the garden but the local HS is below my pasture within rifle range. 
Years ago we took bounties on KS jack rabbits, crows, foxes and coyotes to make ammo bucks.  
 

[kantuckid]

heard tell go to the local hair salon and get the cut hair . spread it around the outskirts of the garden . Deer think you're there , ( well not you , as the hair prolly smells better ) , but to a deer , that stinks and there's a human abouts

The other thing to do is run chicken wire , say 18" or 2' high and then put a hot wire 2 " above that . climbing critters lose the desire to climb anymore

My wife has always cut my hair which is piled around plant bases near our house. Maybe it works but for sure it's not fool proof. They eat our azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, you name it here bouts with hair nearby. 
As for a hot wire, good luck with that low or high for climbers. A chicken house is only real safe if you bury the wire well into the ground as a fox, etc, digs under them. Guess how I know this.    

[SawyerTed]

Based on the fences I've put up around food plots and gardens, a single line run 3' outside of your fence will keep the deer out.  I've used a double fence for 20 years with excellent results in keeping deer out of my food plots and garden. 

On my current garden I have 6 strands of high tensile wire 7' tall with a single poly cord strand outside of that.  Keeps the deer and bears out.   The dogs, the 22 and the 12 gauge take care of raccoons. 

[SwampDonkey]

Jeff is probably less likely to get deer trouble than some of you guys. He hasn't the deer population. Where I lived in Grafton, they hung around there like cattle in a field. Up here in Royalton, they never touch the garden. It's the coons, ground hogs, pheasants and turkeys you watch out for. :D

[bitternut]

I had a deer problem when I first planted my small orchard. I had several trees completely stripped right after leaf out that actually died. As this small orchard is across the road from my house there is no electric available so I tried a solar fencer. I purchased a PARMAK SP12 fencer that is rated for 30mi of fence. It has worked well for over 3 years now and the only time I have noticed any deer damage is a couple of times I have forgot to turn it back on after working in the orchard.

I ran a single wire about waist high for quite a while until early one morning I spotted an adult doe near the outside of the fence and two fawns on the inside of the fence. That led me to drop the height of the wire to below knee height. Since that time I have not had any sign of deer being inside the fence even though they leave tracks around the outside. On occasion I have seen signs that a deer has walked up to the fence and apparently touched the wire. Pretty obvious that they exited with great haste. :D ;D

My orchard is next to the road in a 2 acre lot that is maintained as lawn. Deer wander around the area just about every night. The surrounding area is actively farmed with field crops, orchards, alfalfa, etc. so our deer never lack for food.

[JD Guy]

Jeff:
Set up a radio and a motion light/sensor system such that if the critters do get in they can harvest to the music and see what they are gnawing on.
To keep deer out of the beans I've used fishing line.  Supposedly the deer do not see it just back off when they feel it.  It worked when I did it but plan on putting it back up frequently.
Good luck with your gardening and hope you have a bountiful harvest.
No, I do not want ANY summer squash!
GAB

Yeah, I read about the fishing line thing from someone up east and well north of us. Tried it one year and it was an epic fail for us. Sitll have a part of a roll of 60lb test monofilament around somewhere 😂

[Sedgehammer]

heard tell go to the local hair salon and get the cut hair . spread it around the outskirts of the garden . Deer think you're there , ( well not you , as the hair prolly smells better ) , but to a deer , that stinks and there's a human abouts

The other thing to do is run chicken wire , say 18" or 2' high and then put a hot wire 2 " above that . climbing critters lose the desire to climb anymore

My wife has always cut my hair which is piled around plant bases near our house. Maybe it works but for sure it's not fool proof. They eat our azaleas, rhododendrons, hydrangeas, you name it here bouts with hair nearby.
As for a hot wire, good luck with that low or high for climbers. A chicken house is only real safe if you bury the wire well into the ground as a fox, etc, digs under them. Guess how I know this.    

it's important that the chicken wire isn't too tall , as they think they can easily climb it , then ouch

[kantuckid]

Based on the fences I've put up around food plots and gardens, a single line run 3' outside of your fence will keep the deer out.  I've used a double fence for 20 years with excellent results in keeping deer out of my food plots and garden.

On my current garden I have 6 strands of high tensile wire 7' tall with a single poly cord strand outside of that.  Keeps the deer and bears out.   The dogs, the 22 and the 12 gauge take care of raccoons.

Back in KS I used to hunt racoons with a friend who kept dogs for that type hunting, which was not my favorite type of hunt really. We'd be out at all hours of the night as they are a nocturnal critter. We have quite a few here in my area of KY but nowhere near as many as was true in KS. Coon hunters here actually go out there to find more hunting. Thats said, I have a serious love for sweet corn but not interested in all night sit-ups near my garden plot to fend off racoons. I'll add that the firepower's no problem, it's the hours the coons keep that bothers me! :D
It's a weird thing really with sweet corn. The coons seem to sort of cruise the region around us until they happen onto some corn. We planted 10 rows 1st planting 2 weeks ago tomorrow and talked about how they seem to hit the 2nd and 3rd plantings the worst. This year it two plantings, two weeks apart, that's it.
In the past I've tried all night lights, all day & night radios in a bucket and electric fence down low-coons and groundhogs get in easily. If they find it, your lucky to get even one ear of corn in an entire planting. Corn seed costs are no longer trivial either! Beans & maters we save seed, corn can't be done.  Rabbits are easy to live trap and I just haul them off to a rock quarry 2 miles up the road and let them out.
Squirrels are my current main enemy! They breed like rabbits and we have plenty to prove it. No fence ever built (well maybe some?) can contain them. I have a Remington model 1100 shotgun & box of shells on my dining room table as we speak.
 Given they feed two times a day, I watch early and late out my picture window. They eat all my apples, all my pears and if that's not enough they chew on one specific area of out log house, each log corner of the picture window room extension. It's their dental festival location. I try to sneak out the far end and catch them as they head for the deep woods. Lately they've been all greys but saw one at my sawmill with a red tail, grey body. No fox squirrels past few years here.  

[kantuckid]

Jeff:
Set up a radio and a motion light/sensor system such that if the critters do get in they can harvest to the music and see what they are gnawing on.
To keep deer out of the beans I've used fishing line.  Supposedly the deer do not see it just back off when they feel it.  It worked when I did it but plan on putting it back up frequently.
Good luck with your gardening and hope you have a bountiful harvest.
No, I do not want ANY summer squash!
GAB

Yeah, I read about the fishing line thing from someone up east and well north of us. Tried it one year and it was an epic fail for us. Sitll have a part of a roll of 60lb test monofilament around somewhere 😂

One year I tried the bird netting on our corn plot-talk about a mess... 
Our critters seem to like country music. with the sound and light thing, I've found their hunger trumps all fences and other stuff too.