hello
i planted 25 trees last year! with a dream of becoming a pick your own/wine orchard. last year was a good year for growth, no apple till the fall though, everything went so good that i ordered another 100 to plant in april, so how do i control deer, i have a 5 wire fence up around trees used bars of soap last year worked ok but i did lose one tree, so any suggestions, what do the bigger orchards use for protection,,
do the ultrasonic sound devices work,
thanks
I use individual fence rings around each tree, maybe 5 feet in diameter. This works all summer until about mid-September, then I have to supplement the fencing with rotten egg water sprayed from my garden sprayer, weekly. Occassionally the deer will toss my fence hoop aside and stomp the daylights out of it (actaully I think they get it tangled around their neck while sticking their heads thru the holes), and this would likely not be a problem if I would stake both sides of the fence down, using metal fence posts. But I like the easy removal feature because I like to neatly mow up to the trees, so I leave the rings loose. Eggs spray keeps them in place come September. Deer utterly hate the smell of eggs.
It appears to me you either protect each tree individually or run something like the “78 inch†game fence around the entire orchard… I’ve toured too many orchards that attempted to use a ‘replant’ like human hair, blood meal or ‘Irish Spring’ soap that would periodically get nailed by deer. They can wipe out a season’s growth in a few minutes…
4 steel fence posts, wrapped bottom to top, with as much overhang around the top as possible, has worked for me. Plus, you have a wonderful opportunity to train (tie) your scaffold limbs to those posts. I once left my fencing (2X2 inch ‘poultry netting’) a foot above the ground to mow under - until deer rooted up inside a fence and wiped out a Braeburn apple.
In “Wine Country,†the first thing owners do is ring the entire vineyard with a ‘game fence’ – which appears as much a protection from Elk as Deer. It looks (though I’ve never measured) like two ‘rolls’ of 3 foot high hog fencing (one above the other) topped with two ‘smooth wires’ left somewhat loose; I was told deer are scared by things that ‘move’ so they purposely leave the tension off those wires.
I envy such setups; surrounded by forest a good winter storm would cause such havoc I’ve never fenced the 3,000 feet necessary to fully protect my orchard, but then most are out of harms way 
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I have just joined the forum so my reply may be over late.
I live on rural property and I was unable to have any sort of garden because the local deer destroyed all my attempts. I tried everything but the motion detectors and 8 foot high fencing and nothing worked. The deer may leave your plants alone for a period but when deer forage becomes limited, they will seek out your succulents.
Then I got a dog (Holly Bear Airedale from Airedale Rescue). My deer problem was immediately and apparently permanently resolved. The deer completely avoid the area around my residence, garden, grape arbor, huckleberries and fruit trees. It is great to put the fear of dog into the deer.
I have not completely resolved "wildlife" browsing -- I could not figure what was eating my cabbages until I rounded the corner and saw Holly Airedale eating one. This winter I found her digging (and eating) my carrots. Likewise she will eat all my plum windfall and will "sample" low hanging grape clusters. She consumes considerably less than deer and is trainable (as compared to the deer).
A dog with outside access can be an extremely effective solution.
“A dog with outside access can be an extremely effective solution.â€
I agree; dogs put ‘the fear’ into a lot of things! I’ll never forget watching a neighbor’s pair of Airedale’s loping across my yard after a deer with its tongue hanging out -- I actually felt sorry for the deer.
I’ve got a fig and grape eating dog; low-hanging figs are usually gobbled up and it’s up on the haunches after grape clusters. Nocturnal, the dog prefers to patrol at night; perfect. Smart enough not to get skunked, or fear-bark, my deer problem is definitely limited. But the cost, responsibility and liability of a dog are a serious consideration.
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