Causes of Deer Damage to Wildlife Protection Nets and Countermeasures | Site Survey and Preparations Before Fence Installation

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 Good morning to all readers.

It is a slightly cloudy early morning here. Seedbed preparation was completed yesterday. From today, I will begin preparations for installing deer deterrent fencing.

That said, rain is forecast for today, so I plan to keep the work short and simple. However, it is an important task, and I will proceed carefully without cutting corners.

First, I checked the surrounding terrain where the garden is located. The gate used to access the lower section already has a high deer net installed. However, I found a round hole at about 1.5 meters in height. I believe it was caused by deer. I suspect they bit through the net to enter.

As a result, I decided to install a wire mesh fence instead of a net-based deer barrier. I was initially unsure, but wire mesh appears to last longer and is less likely to be damaged, making it more reliable for protecting vegetables.

Measuring work to determine required fence and post quantities

I measured distances to determine the number of fence panels and posts required. The fence is planned to be about 2 meters wide per section. It must be strong enough to withstand impacts from deer or wild boar. I also calculated post spacing so that some sections of the fence will be double-layered. This is my favorite part of the work. The new fence will form an L-shape.

Measuring the longer side of the L-shape fence

I will reuse existing installed fencing to reduce costs. Next, I will check the already installed fence sections.

Condition of a fence section requiring repair

The garden terrain slopes gently downward from the public road toward the forest. There are no longer large trees rooted in the soil inside the garden, but repeated rainfall has caused accumulated fallen leaves and soil to move downward and build up. The soil is soft and fluffy, which is one reason why some posts are leaning.

The detached fence sections also appear to show signs of impact from a large animal. This used to be a resting area for deer. From this year on, sleeping here is no longer allowed.

Given the ground conditions, it is possible that deer are jumping over the fence to enter. If the ground were hard, they would be less likely to attempt it. However, the soil here has strong cushioning and is very soft.

In that case, I may need to consider an electric fence as well. Should I use only electric fencing? Or only physical fencing? I am still unsure. There are still challenges remaining.

Clearing tall dry grass and branches

Next, I began what I personally consider to be a basic wildlife countermeasure: removing tall weeds and dry grass. Wild animals prefer hidden places where they are less visible.

Tall grass and dry vegetation make it easier for them to stay hidden, so they may settle in such areas. From March 18, I also started removing tall dry grass. Next time, I plan to cut small branches with a saw as well.

Well then, that’s it for today!