Protecting Your Fruit Trees From Deer (Inexpensive Effective Method) 

thanks for the great advice. I bought a beautiful apple tree three weeks ago. I asked the young man who sold it to me if I needed to do anything to protect it from dear. he said no adding that next spring they might come and eat some of the buds off of the branches. but I didn't have to do anything until next spring. weeeelllll. he was wrong. I went to check on it a few days ago and the poor little tree was leaning side ways. a dear had used it to rub it's antlers on. he ripped up the bark all the way around the trunk. there is not much I can do to save my little apple tree now. wish l had seen your video before the dear came. I am so discouraged. I spent a lot for that tree and two days of digging to get just the right environment for it to grow in. all so a dear could use it for a scratching post

Hello from Michigan. If you were speaking about the test site in Romeo, I worked there for a construction company building a new test track sometime in the early otts. I had 3 radios, 1 being security for the site. Deer sightings were immediately reported and all cars stopped. At that time, they were still culling them. Thanks for your advice. We're planning on planting fruit trees soon. Best wishes.

Irish springs soap hanging from the trees and motion detected sprinklers are useful too

I’ve got same problem with deer. Keep us posted and thanks for the idea!

Thanks for the video. I will surely try this out.

We tried this, the deer used it to climb on and reach higher up on the apple tree. We ended up using 2 layers of 4 foot metal fencing this same type with them separated slightly so that there's not enough room for the deer to jump into.

My problem is my dog is tearing apart my peach tree to get the unripe fruit. Today he pulled on a beach so hard he split the trunk. I am at my wits end and so upset. I lashed the trunk together and hoping Mother Nature does her thing and the tree survives.

Hi had all this -a battery operated electric fence did it for us within a very short time they avoided all our fruit trees keep moving it about we used six old car batteries two we reclaimed all were no longer used in cars a fast 12 volt charger a long lead and your in business Good luck keep safe paul.

I finally (after I had a reason) used a similar system at 10 feet away 7 foot long T posts and with four foot chicken wire. I soon learned that I should use barbed wire also at the top and bottom. Now thinking 12 foot distance a bit better as filled out trees get damaged rubbing the chicken wire. They got my leader on a full sized Stark Lodi. I'm still crying about it and that was almost 30 years ago. Then an intense hail storm ragged and striped the living bark off, then a bark removing operation by pack rats and past two years in a row the porcupines have developed the same bad habit. It's a wonder if they remain alive thru all that.

I'd love an update on this. How did it work and what if anything would you do differently?

This orange plastic net is not good, it starts deteriorating after a year and then you have microplastics all arround the garden.

For new fruit trees, I am putting up an 8 foot fence around each one…plus bird netting on top and mesh on the sides! It is more than I wanted to spend but I’m hoping it will be worth it… As they grow, I think I will have to put up a 10-12 foot fence around the orchard (or maybe 14 after watching this a video) And I’m really curious to try planting some shrubs that give off an unpleasant scent or are too prickly for the deer to eat…but I don’t want to attract the deer 😅

What I do is put a metal fence around it but it has pretty big holes around it that the deer can fit their head in. So then I put that orange plastic thing you put but with smaller holes and they can’t get to it at all

I had a large orchard in the middle of a large deer population with no fencing. I had zero problems with deer eating my fruit trees because I used field fence wire in about 6-7 ft. strips laid down one on each side of the fruit tree. It was a pain come mowing time but the deer wouldn't touch my trees because they couldn't see and didn't like stepping into the fencing on the ground. Just a thought.

I planted 4 apple trees and 2 peaches last year, cows and deer destroyed every single one. New plan this year, running a fence around perimeter for cows but I may try this for the deer too.

Funny, here I sit in Michigan near the Ford proving grounds and am looking how to stop those darn deer from eating off my trees. I just planted two apple trees a week ago and all the bottom half of the branches with leaves have been eaten. I will try this.

I lost 40 trees due to deer. The deer ate all the branches that grew out of the wiring. Also deer bite "burns" tree branches.

How do you keep grass from growing inside and outside the fencing. We had to do put up fencing around our peach trees for the same reason, now I have to deal with fire ants in the tree hole and grass. Any suggestions? I don’t like chemicals and that is what my neighbors are using.

I have a large fenced in area for my golden retriever to run freely. It's 80 X 110. The fence is goat fence four feet high. Can I put my fruit trees inside that fenced area and expect the deer to stay out, or will they jump inside if there's fruit on the trees. I want to grow peach trees, and apple trees because I am finally sick and tired of buying crappy fruit in grocery stores, picked green that never ripen, and is junk.

I tied little bars of soap at different places on the tree that are getting nibbled. It seems to work for me but I didn't have limbs taken down by deer. Some animal climbed up my tree and got all of my unripened pears and broke a decent size limb which resulted in the tree dying. I am still trying to figure out what kind of animal that was. Maybe a fat raccoon or opossum.

I have 20 fruit trees near my home. My long term plan is to share the fruit with the wildlife. So for now i have 5 ft page wire around each tree to keep the deer from eating the buds and rubbing. However the worse threat is in Sept, October, November when the bucks love to rub tender younger fruit trees. The page wire is a ugly eye sore but is needed if i want my trees to mature. I hope i live long enough to see the day when the trees are big enough so that the bucks leave them alone and the page wire can be removed. The fence makes it a real pain in the a$$ to mow around!

Have you used Sepp Holzer's bone sauce? I have 25 fruit trees without netting, all have bone sauce and no deer problems anymore. My orchard is on the edge of the woods and I see deer out there on a weekly basis walking past my fruit trees.

Me, in MI dealing with those darn deer. However NWF backyard habitat accomplished so it is give/take.

Man I have a lot of deer on my property. I can’t keep them off my apple trees, pear trees, and even lemon trees but they don’t touch my banana trees. I’m going to try the fence thing but these deer actually reach down inside my homemade fence wrapped with screen

Good job

Woke up this morning, found our cherry tree leaves all completely chewed up.

So is this fence going to be permanent?

Can you give an update on how this has been working?

What is that animal in the background around 2:37?

My friend put 4 ft solar electric fence and then on the inside 3 ft in had a second electric solar fence 2 ft high & no more deer problem

So did it work?

Tape razor blades to the branches? I'm guessing they won't be back.

Like your idea. Do you have any idea for coyotes.?

Is this better than using chicken wire?

We’ll, did it work?

Deer destroyed mine last night. I am devastated!!!!!

If in season, protect it with lead. Venison is delicious.

I saw a couple videos about hanging a bar of irish spring soap to a branch. Apparently this is the cheapest and a safest way to repel deer.

To much off subject talking

I think that's a great idea but my wife would never allow that to stay in the yard oh my God it's on sightly she would say

W

we need to re release wolves bears are just to slow

From the perspective of a Navy veteran and former long term scoutmaster, while I highly applaud you for flying the United States flag, the flag in your intro is torn. It is only respectful to retire and replace it.

you have a cow or goats they are worse than deer

*lol - this is laughable. I tried that. my vegetation was all gone in a day.*

Not interested in u fill in stuff just get to the point