Deer Fencing in Boerne, TX That Keeps Deer Out of Your Garden or Your Land

Why Deer Fences Fail

Most deer fences that don't work fail for one of three reasons. We see the same ones around Boerne.

• Too short. A hungry deer can clear a fence most people would call tall. That's why 8 ft is the usual height.
• Gaps at the bottom. Deer, and plenty of smaller animals, will push under a loose bottom edge or slip through a gate that doesn't close flush.
• Slack wire. When a corner or brace shifts, the wire loosens and sags, and a sagging fence is a shorter fence.

That's why the corners and braces get the most care. If they're set solid in the rock, the wire stays tight.

Garden, Yard or Acreage?

Garden and Orchard Enclosures

A fence around your beds and fruit trees is the most affordable fix. The run is short, so you can go full height without a big bill. Young fruit trees are a favorite target, and an orchard fence protects them until they're big enough to handle some browsing.

Whole-Yard Deer Fencing

If you want to fence the whole lot without losing the view, black-coated wire is the usual choice. It's hard to see from a distance, it blends into the trees, and it doesn't block light. A lot of people run it along the back and sides, where a wood privacy fence or chain link would cost more than they want to spend there.

High Fence for Game

On acreage, an 8 ft game fence keeps deer out or holds game in. This is a bigger build with long runs, heavy braces and gates at the entries. Our guide on how high fence for game gets built walks through each stage.

What Wire Should You Use?

The wire decides how long the fence lasts and how well it holds when animals push on it. Three kinds come up most.

• Fixed-knot wire has a wrap at every crossing that locks the wires in place. It stays square under tension and holds up when a buck pushes on it, which is why it's common for high game fence.
• High-tensile wire is stronger for its weight and stretches tighter over long runs, so it needs fewer line posts.
• Graduated spacing puts the openings closer together near the ground and wider near the top, so small animals stay out down low.

Fixed-knot and high-tensile wire cost more up front. On a long run they're usually worth it, because they hold their stretch better than cheaper wire.

Low Spots, Creek Crossings and Gates

Long fence lines cross dips, draws and creeks where the ground drops away, and those are the places deer find first. We fit the wire to the ground at every dip and add posts where the line changes grade, so there's no gap to crawl under. Where small animals are a problem, we can run a tight cable along the bottom and tie the wire to it so it can't be pushed up.

Managing Water and Entries

A creek in a hard rain can wash out a fence, or pile brush against it until it acts like a dam. Where a line crosses running water, we build a water gap: a section that swings with the water instead of holding it back.

Gates need the same care as the rest of the fence. A good deer fence gate is as tall as the fence, closes tight to the ground, and swings without dragging. For acreage entries with trucks and trailers, see pipe and ranch fencing for ranch gates and driveway and automatic gates for automatic entries.

Deer Fence on Hill Country Slopes

Deer around Boerne are used to people and bold about yards. They'll clear a short fence from a standstill. On a slope it's worse: a deer standing on the uphill side has a head start on the jump, so a fence that looks tall from the house can be easy from above. That's why 8 ft is the common standard, and why we look hard at grade before we set the height.

Game fence runs long distances over stony uplands, so the corner and brace posts have to be rock-solid. We drill them into limestone and set them in concrete, then stretch the wire.