Guides / Deer
How high does a deer fence need to be?
Eight to ten feet, per every extension service we could find. Every mesh deer fence sold online is 7.5 feet. This page is about that gap and when you can live with it.
Michigan State University Extension puts effective deer perimeters at 8 to 10 feet and identifies woven wire fences or walls at least 10 feet tall as the only sure barriers. Penn State Extension notes deer can jump 8 feet and suggests considering 10 to 12 feet. Polypropylene mesh sold online is typically 7.5 feet.
What the sources actually say
| Source | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| Michigan State University Extension | Perimeter fences need to be at least 8 to 10 feet tall to be effective; the only sure deer barriers are woven wire fences or walls that are at least 10 feet tall |
| Penn State Extension | Deer are capable of jumping over an 8 ft fence; consider using a fence 10 to 12 ft high |
| Colorado State University Extension | Invisible mesh barriers are polypropylene fences of various mesh sizes, typically 8 feet high, with high tensile strength |
Three sources, one range. Eight feet is the floor, ten feet is where confidence starts, and woven wire is what gets called sure.
So why does the market sell 7.5 feet?
Partly because a 7.5 ft roll is what handles, ships and installs without professional equipment, and partly because it is genuinely enough in a lot of situations. Deer jump what they can see a landing for, and effective height is not the same as measured height.
When 7.5 feet is enough
- On a slope. A fence on rising ground presents a greater effective height to a deer approaching from below. This is the most common reason 7.5 ft holds.
- In or against woodland. Deer are reluctant to jump into a space they cannot see into. A fence line backed by vegetation reads as a wall rather than a hurdle.
- Where the landing is obstructed. Shrubs, beds or a second low fence inside the line removes the clean landing zone. This is the principle behind double fencing.
- Under low browse pressure. A garden that gets occasional visits rather than a resident herd working it nightly.
When it is not
- Flat open ground with a clear run-up and a clear landing. This is the case the 8-to-10-foot figure is written for.
- Heavy, sustained browse pressure, particularly in a hard winter when alternatives are scarce.
- A high-value crop where a single breach costs you the season.
If you are in one of those three, the honest recommendation is woven wire at 8 to 10 ft, which is a fencing-contractor purchase rather than an online one. We would rather say that than sell you a mesh fence that fails in March.
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Quick picks
Ranked, with the trade-off named. Tap a row for the full write-up; the price button goes straight to Amazon.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tenax Select Deer Fence, 7.5 ft x 100 ftPolypropylene mesh at 7.5 ft with a published breaking load, which is the only spec on a deer fence that actually predicts whether it survives a deer hitting it. | The full-height barrier | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Tenax Reinforced-Edge Deer Fence, 7.5 ft x 100 ftThe reinforced edge is the interesting part: the bottom of a deer fence is where it gets trodden, pushed and chewed, and a plain mesh edge is the first thing to go. | Ground-line durability | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Tenax Premium Deer Fence, 7.5 ft x 164 ft164 feet in one roll, which matters because every join in a deer fence is a place a deer eventually finds. | Long runs without a join | Check price on Amazon |
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The picks in full
Top pick The full-height barrier
Tenax Select Deer Fence, 7.5 ft x 100 ft
Polypropylene mesh at 7.5 ft with a published breaking load, which is the only spec on a deer fence that actually predicts whether it survives a deer hitting it.
Published specifications
- Height
- 7.5 ft (published)
- Length
- 100 ft
- Material
- UV-stabilized polypropylene
- Breaking load
- Certified 600 to 650 lb (published)
- Life expectancy
- 10 to 15 years (published)
- Origin
- Made in USA
Trade-offs
- A certified breaking load is a real, checkable spec in a category full of adjectives
- UV-stabilized with a stated 10 to 15 year life, so it is not an annual replacement
- Black mesh disappears at a distance far better than wire
- 7.5 ft is below the 8 to 10 ft that extension services recommend for a flat-ground perimeter
- Polypropylene will not stop a determined animal the way woven wire does
Who it is forA garden perimeter where you want the fence to vanish visually. Read how high a deer fence has to be first — the height is the whole decision.
Skip it ifYou are fencing flat, open ground with heavy browse pressure. Michigan State Extension puts the perimeter figure at 8 to 10 ft, and 7.5 ft is a deliberate compromise you should make knowingly.
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No. 2 Ground-line durability
Tenax Reinforced-Edge Deer Fence, 7.5 ft x 100 ft
The reinforced edge is the interesting part: the bottom of a deer fence is where it gets trodden, pushed and chewed, and a plain mesh edge is the first thing to go.
Published specifications
- Height
- 7.5 ft (published)
- Length
- 100 ft
- Breaking load
- 600 lb (published)
- Warranty
- 10 year (published)
- Material
- Reinforced polypropylene, rounded tensile
- Origin
- Made in USA
Trade-offs
- Reinforced edge addresses the failure point rather than the middle of the sheet
- Publishes both a breaking load and a warranty term
- Costs more per foot than the plain Select for a benefit you only see at the edges
- Same 7.5 ft height limitation
Who it is forA perimeter with rabbits or dogs at the base as well as deer at the top, where the ground line takes real abuse.
Skip it ifNothing works your fence line at ground level. The reinforcement is money spent on a problem you do not have.
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Where these specifications came from
No. 3 Long runs without a join
Tenax Premium Deer Fence, 7.5 ft x 164 ft
164 feet in one roll, which matters because every join in a deer fence is a place a deer eventually finds.
Published specifications
- Height
- 7.5 ft (published)
- Length
- 164 ft (published)
- Color
- Black
- Part number
- 1A120229
Trade-offs
- Fewer joins on a long perimeter, which is a structural advantage and not just convenience
- Better value per foot than the 100 ft rolls on a big enclosure
- A 164 ft roll is heavy and awkward to handle alone
- Overkill, and wasteful, on a small bed
Who it is forA perimeter over about a hundred feet, where joins would otherwise become the weak points.
Skip it ifYou are enclosing one bed. Buy the shorter roll and do not store the surplus for three years.
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Where these specifications came from
Two ways to get effective height without ten feet of fence
Double fencing. Two parallel fences about four to five feet apart, each considerably shorter than a single barrier would need to be. Deer are poor judges of a compound jump and generally will not attempt one. It costs more material and more space and it works.
Slanted fencing. A fence leaning outward at an angle presents a horizontal as well as a vertical distance to clear. It is more effort to build and takes more ground, and where space allows it is effective.
Both exploit the same insight: what stops a deer is the combination of height, width and an unclear landing, not height alone.
The bottom edge matters as much as the top
Deer go under fences far more often than people expect, and the ground line is also where rabbits and dogs work. A fence pinned at the top and loose at the bottom is a curtain.
Secure the bottom edge continuously — ground staples every couple of feet or a tensioned bottom wire — and walk the line each spring, because frost heave and washouts open gaps exactly where they do most damage. If rabbits are also a problem, Colorado State University Extension's spec of 2 ft of wire buried 4 to 8 in applies at the same time; see rabbit fencing.
Gates
A gate is the weakest point of every fence, and a gate left open is not a fence at all. Build it to the full height of the run, fit a self-closing hinge if the gate is used often, and check the gap underneath. Most of the deer-in-the-garden stories that end with a fence involve a gate.
Questions people actually ask
- How tall does a deer fence need to be?
- At least 8 to 10 feet, per Michigan State University Extension, which also says woven wire fences or walls at least 10 feet tall are the only sure barriers. Penn State Extension suggests considering 10 to 12 feet.
- Will a 6 foot fence keep deer out?
- Not reliably on open ground. Penn State Extension notes deer are capable of jumping an 8 ft fence. A 6 ft fence may hold on a slope or against woodland where the effective height is greater and the landing unclear.
- Does 7.5 ft deer fencing work?
- Often, on sloping or wooded ground and under moderate pressure. Less reliably on flat open ground with a clear run-up, which is the case the published 8-to-10-foot figure is written for.
- Is double fencing better than one tall fence?
- It can be. Two parallel fences four to five feet apart present a compound jump that deer generally will not attempt, and each can be shorter than a single barrier would need to be. It costs more material and more ground.
- Do I need to bury a deer fence?
- Secure the bottom edge continuously at minimum. Deer go under more often than expected, and the ground line is where rabbits work too. Burial is required if rabbits are also a problem.
Sources
Read next
- The best deer fencing
Every mesh deer fence sold online is 7.5 ft; extension services say 8 to 10. What that compromise buys.
- How to keep deer out of the garden
Fence, repel, deter, replant — in that order, with the published height that decides step one.
- Rabbit fencing
Two feet high, buried four to eight inches, one inch mesh. The one garden problem with a published answer.
- Spray vs fence vs device
Exclusion, mitigation and startle are three different jobs. Which method does which.
- Deer Deterrence
Fencing at the height extension services publish, plus the repellents that fill the gaps around it.