ELECTRIC FENCE?!?

[Lycanthrope]

So I need to build a permanent deer proof electric fence that will enclose a square area, with 2 gates, total length will be about 835 meters. I havent done any fencing so it will be a learning experience. I did put in a gate last year and built an H brace to hold it, so thats not totally new to me. It turned out pretty good. Appreciate any input from people who have experience with fencing, especially electric fences. AI recommended making a 7 wire electric, with 4 hot, but it said a 5 wire with 3 hot could also work. I decided to do the 5 wire for now, I could always add more later...

This is what AI suggested:


**835 m (2,740 ft) square · 5-wire electric · 2 gates · 8 ft T-posts on the line · 10 ft T-posts for the high top wire**

You already have the 2.3 mm wire. Each side is about **209 m (685 ft)**. One gate is in a **corner**. One gate is **mid-side**.

---

## How the posts work

- **8 ft T-posts** every **7.5 m (25 ft)**, driven **2 ft** → **6 ft** above ground. These carry wires 1–4.
- **Every third line post is a 10 ft T-post**, driven **2–2.5 ft** → **7.5–8 ft** above ground. These carry wires 1–4 **plus** the high top wire.
- Top-wire span is about **22–23 m (75 ft)**. That is fine on tight 2.3 mm high-tensile.
- Corners, braces, and both gates stay **wood**.

If you want the top wire held more often, make **every other** post a 10-footer (about 15 more 10 ft posts and 15 fewer 8-footers).

---

## Parts list

### Local — posts

| Item | Qty | Notes |
|------|-----|--------|
| **8 ft T-posts**, 1.25–1.33 lb | **80** | Line posts at 25 ft. Skip the holes that get a 10-footer. |
| **10 ft T-posts**, 1.33 lb | **45** | Every third line post, plus extras. Call Runnings for Chicago Heights 10 ft. |
| **8 in × 10 ft treated** (or fat pole butts) | **7** | 4 corners + 1 extra corner-gate post + 2 mid-side gate posts. |
| **6–7 in × 8–10 ft treated** brace posts | **14** | 2 per corner (8) + 2 at the corner-gate end post + 4 at the mid-side gate. |
| **6–7 in × 8 ft** H-brace rails | **12** | One rail per H-brace. |
| Brace wire | 1 roll | Diagonals. Your slickline works if it is not too stiff. |
| Crushed rock | as needed | Tamp the wood posts. |

Do not use 8 ft wood posts for corners or gates.

### Online — wire hardware (order as 12.5 ga)

| Item | Qty |
|------|-----|
| T-post pin-lock / claw insulators | **700** |
| Wood-post screw-in or tube insulators | **120** |
| In-line strainers | **30** |
| 12.5 ga / 2.0–2.5 mm sleeves or vises | 50 |
| Permanent splices | 20 |
| Cutout switches | **2** |

The 700 insulators cover 4 wires on every steel post, the top wire on the 10 ft posts, plus extras.

### Gates (2)

| Item | Qty |
|------|-----|
| 12–16 ft tubular farm gates | **2** |
| Hinge + latch sets | **2** |
| Insulated handles or spring-gate kits | **4** |
| Double-insulated underground lead-out cable | **50–60 ft** |
| Gate / offset insulators | 12 |

Bury cable under **both** openings so the fence stays hot when a gate is open.

### Power

| Item | Qty |
|------|-----|
| Speedrite 6000 | 1 |
| 200 W panel (or 2×100 W) + mount | 1 |
| Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 | 1 |
| 12V 100Ah AGM (better: 2×100Ah) | 1–2 |
| Cooler for the battery only | 1 |
| Dry box for energizer + MPPT | 1 |
| 20–30A battery fuse + 10–15A energizer fuse | 1 each |
| 10 AWG solar cable and battery cables | 1 kit |
| Optional 12V timer | 1 |

### Grounding and extras

| Item | Qty |
|------|-----|
| 6–8 ft galvanized ground rods | **5** |
| Ground-rod clamps | 5 |
| #10 or #12 ground wire | 80 ft |
| Lightning diverter | 1 |
| Digital fence voltmeter | 1 |
| Warning signs | 8–10 |
| Flagging / peanut-butter trainers | 1 pack |

Order fence hardware from **Kencove**, the 6000 from **SpeedriteChargers**, the tester from **Premier 1**. Check one insulator on your 2.3 mm wire before you install all of them.

---

## Wire heights

**Hot – ground – hot – ground – hot**

| Wire | Height | Where it goes |
|------|--------|----------------|
| 1 | 8–10 in | All steel and wood posts — **hot** (winter cutout) |
| 2 | 20–22 in | All posts — **ground** |
| 3 | 34–36 in | All posts — **hot** |
| 4 | 48–50 in | All posts — **ground** |
| 5 | **84–92 in** (7–7.7 ft) | **10 ft T-posts and wood posts only** — **hot** |

Leave **2–4 in of post** above the top insulator. Do not perch it on the last nub.

Wood corner and gate posts should be 10 ft set 3–3.5 ft so they can take that same high top wire.

---

## Corner and gate layout

### Three plain corners
Full two-way H-brace: corner post + 2 brace posts + 2 rails + 2 diagonals.

### Corner gate
1. The corner post is one gate post.
2. Set a second 8 in post a gate-width down one side.
3. H-brace the corner in the direction **without** the gate.
4. H-brace the free gate post back down the line, away from the opening.
5. Terminate all 5 wires on both gate posts. Do not run tension through the gate.
6. Swing the gate inward if you can.

### Mid-side gate
1. Set two 8 in posts, gate-width apart.
2. Build an H-brace on the left of the opening.
3. Build an H-brace on the right of the opening.
4. That side becomes **two pulls**, not one 209 m pull.
5. Bury lead-out under the gateway and jumper both halves so one Speedrite feeds the whole square.

Those mid-side posts take a full end load. T-posts will lean.

You now have **5 wire pulls**: 3 full sides + 2 half-sides.

---

## Build order

1. Square the four corners. Mark the corner gate and the mid-side gate.
2. Set **all wood posts** and build every H-brace before any T-posts.
3. Hang both gates and check the swing.
4. String the line. Drive **8 ft** posts at 25 ft. Put a **10 ft** post in every third hole. Rent a driver for the 10-footers.
5. Insulators: four lower wires on every steel post. Fifth wire only on 10 ft posts and wood posts.
6. Tension **one pull at a time**, bottom to top. Firm, not guitar-tight on 2.3 mm.
7. Bury cable under both gates and jumper the circuits.
8. Drive ground rods in the wettest soil, 10 ft apart.
9. South shelter: battery in the drained cooler well. Speedrite and MPPT in the dry box above ground.
10. Run the fence **24/7** for 2–4 weeks with flags. After that you can use slow-pulse or a night timer.
11. After lasting snow, open the cutouts on the bottom hot wire so slush does not kill voltage on the top wires.

---

## Cost snapshot (besides your wire)

| Group | Ballpark |
|-------|----------|
| 80 × 8 ft + 45 × 10 ft T-posts | $1,200–1,500 |
| Wood corners, braces, and gate posts | $400–800 |
| Insulators, strainers, 2 gates, cable | $600–900 |
| Speedrite 6000 + solar + battery | $1,000–1,500 |
| Grounding, tester, signs | $150–250 |
| **Total** | **about $3,400–5,000** |

That is materials only. The 10 ft posts add roughly **$300–400** over an all-8-ft line and give you a ~7.5–8 ft top wire.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I got a good deal on a ton of stainless steel wire that I will be using in this project...

 

[KDM]

Best deer fence I've seen was built out of 8ft t posts and barbed wire. It was built at a 60 degree angle out. Meaning the posts were driven in leaning outward. Deer didn't jump it because they would be jumping an essentially "wider" fence than they wanted. It had 3 wires. I guess a guy could make one of them hot, but the one I saw wasn't electrified. It worked great and didn't cost an arm and a leg either. Good luck with your build.

 

[Browneye]

I think KDM is on the right track. I have electric fenced for many years but never for deer. I would do some youtubing. Years back I saw a video about deer fence that made alot of sense to me. Same concept as the slanted concept KDM talked about basically instead of making the fence all vertical the guy I watched used at least 5 wires but a couple of them were a couple feet to one side of the rest making the fence wider rather than a single vertical fence they might try to jump. I got alot of my supplies from premier1supplies.com They also sell a type of little bottle caps with a cotton insert that you can dribble apple scented liquid on and then hang on the hot wire. Whether its livestock or deer once they get hit once or twice from a good powerful energizer they will steer clear of the area. Now days there are a lot of good energizers on the market but having enough ground rods and a good grounding system is very important to how much zap you are going to get.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I thought about doing a 3d type fence, or 2 fences parallel, but I really want something I can mow close to and under from each side, thats why I decided to go with a single higher fence instead of an angled or double fence.

 

[Browneye]

Yeah on a 3 wire sheep or cow fence I left the bottom wire dead. But on wet years the broom grass or taller grass will grow up to touch the lowest hot wire and eventually take your voltage down some. The charger will brown the grass up but on wet years the grass grows fast enought to out pace the charger. So yeah mowing under is a good idea. I also have taken a hand sprayer and sprayed about an 18" swath directly under the fence to help with that but that can also lead to other problems. Sometimes without competition from the grass in place of the browned up herbage the next year you can see weeds starting out that you never thought you had on the place. Good luck with Your project. You have a fair amount of fence you are talking about there. Would be nice if you had a small area the deer were getting in now to try the fence you are thinking of doing to experiment on a smaller area before you have all that money, labor tied up in and then you find it doesn't work as well as you liked.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Yeah on a 3 wire sheep or cow fence I left the bottom wire dead. But on wet years the broom grass or taller grass will grow up to touch the lowest hot wire and eventually take your voltage down some. The charger will brown the grass up but on wet years the grass grows fast enought to out pace the charger. So yeah mowing under is a good idea. I also have taken a hand sprayer and sprayed about an 18" swath directly under the fence to help with that but that can also lead to other problems. Sometimes without competition from the grass in place of the browned up herbage the next year you can see weeds starting out that you never thought you had on the place. Good luck with Your project. You have a fair amount of fence you are talking about there. Would be nice if you had a small area the deer were getting in now to try the fence you are thinking of doing to experiment on a smaller area before you have all that money, labor tied up in and then you find it doesn't work as well as you liked.

True, thats why Im looking for some tips from people with experience. I need to get this fixed before winter I think, or Ill end up with a lot more damage than I currently have. Hopefully I get enough rain to get started on this soon, right now I cant even drill holes the ground is so dry.

 

[wslayer]

Do sunflower guns work to deter deer ? Guess I've never asked anyone that has used them if they do or if they get used to them just like the blackbirds do.

 

[Allen]

Do sunflower guns work to deter deer ? Guess I've never asked anyone that has used them if they do or if they get used to them just like the blackbirds do.

They get accustomed to gun fire. I see deer out at the Capital City Sporting Clay range, where they are even likely to get pelted by shot once in a while.

And, during heavy use of my own rifle and shotgun range at my place I have noticed they eventually begin to ignore it.

 

[NDbowman]

So much to say about electric fence. From how to tie it, how to un wind it, Use good cermanic insulators where its tied off to post and insultube over the wire anywere you have to jump the hot wire around posts, a good ground is super important, generally its recommended to use three ground rods spaced like 6 to 8 feet apart. Get yourself a fault finder, it saves alot of time if you have a short and tells you how strong your electric shock is.

I have a love hate thing with electric fences. They are fairly simple and fast to put up and when working well there is no second to what it will keep in or in your case what it will keep out. Shorts in the fence can be maddening. For example, I have a barb wire fence around a 120 acre pasture that has a few cross fences where one wire is hot. last fall when I brought the cows home and weaned calves, I went and checked it and had a few shorts. Some from deer running through it and knocking insulators off and the other really bad short was a tree on the fence. Got that all taken care, weaned calves, took cows to another pasture after a few day. Well like 2 weeks later I need to bring the cows back home, check fence, no power, super short. Found a spot where a deer had went through and tangled hot wire to a non hot wire. Fault finder will point in the direction of where the short is unless its a super short that sucks all teh power out of fence. Got that fixed and went through winter, calving starts and I want to use these small paddocks for calving, check fence, bad short again. One stretch of cross fence I used a cheaper insulator and the pins on those insulators will slowly over time work their way out due to wind or vibrations, I really don't know. but like three of those insulators the pin had worked out and the wire was touching the Tpost. I recommend gallagher insulators and fence products. If you want posts that don't short there are plastic posts called forever posts that you can staple the wire right to post and it won't short as the whole post is plastic, and it'll never rot. downside is expensive. There are some other fiberglass posts and gallagher makes one more for temporary fence but it is also quite expensive.

It may cost alot more but if you're doing this for a long term project which I believe you are. I'd seriously consider interloc woven wire and skip the electric fence. Or you could tell the game and fish your having trouble with deer getting into your hay and get them to build you a hay fence to keep the deer out. I worked for a custom fencer years ago and we built a couple hay fences where the material was provided by the game and fish. I know the one fence we built was used by the rancher to feed his cattle in the winter and never stored hay in it.

 

[1bigfokker]

You can buy Gallagher electric fencing supplies in the Harvey, North Dakota area locally through Lautt's Feed & Supply in Harvey, which provides expert local advice and inventory for cattle and livestock fencing.If you'd like, let me know:What type of livestock you are containing (cattle, sheep, horses, etc.)Whether you need permanent or portable fencing componentsI can recommend specific Gallagher energizers and parts for your setup.Integrity Auctioneers2 Gallagher solar fence chargers - Integrity AuctioneersLive Auction Location: 1613 Elm Ave, Harvey, ND 58341. Item Locations: Multiple Locations across eastern North Dakota Dates: May 21, 10AM with Prebidding Open 1...

These are the guys to work with in my experience building power fences.

 

[1bigfokker]

And I built several of them.