Winter finally loosens its grip. You and your dogs are shaking off “cabin fever.” However, you are not alone at home. The beasts of the woods, or even the wandering pets in your neighborhood, would love to roam and camp on your property. Solution? Low-impact, environmentally safe and visually unobtrusive perimeter deer fencing.

6 good reasons to install a deer fence this year

* Economically. At just over $1.00 per linear foot, plastic fencing materials offer you a practical, low-cost fencing solution to keep your critters safe…on the inside…and other critters on the outside, where they belong .

* Virtually invisible. Plastic fences, black in color and manufactured in long continuous rolls…individual 1″ – 2″ squares…are meant to be virtually invisible! A deer fence “blends in” with its surroundings. You’ll keep all your natural views…and your neighbors won’t complain.

* Long life without rust. Eco-friendly, low-impact fences can give you up to 20 years or more of reliable fence protection. High density impact resistant plastic fence will not show rust stains like metal fences.

* Simple installation. Flexible, easy-to-use, lightweight rolls of plastic mesh fencing are a doddle for you and your partner to install in a weekend. Even the heavy gauge 200ft plastic deer fence roll only weighs a little over 50lbs…unrolls easily. A comparable coil of chain link fence could weigh over 150 pounds…and think of the “kinks” and unwieldy metal fasteners!

* One Height Solution: How to Install Your Deer Fence. How high or low should your fence be? Here is the simple solution! While you have height options from 5 feet and up, select the 7 foot tall plastic fence. Why? Unless your property is completely flat, it will have natural elevation rises and falls…rocks…shrubs…trees or other irregular features. The 7-foot plastic fence gives you enough “above ground” height plus a reserve of about 12 inches or more “lying in the ground” that you’ll use to stake or secure the fence to prevent animals from digging.

Adds a fun new use for living on your property. Surprise! Your fence creates a new living space. Add a water bottle dish for your doggies…consider building an 8ft X 8ft 1-step platform…fit your family dome tent with bug screens and you’ve just made a great new outdoor room for the whole family.

The “Drawback” Argument Against Deer Fence – 4 Considerations

* Annual maintenance. Your fence requires yearly maintenance…mainly to check that your stakes stay secure in the ground…or that a tree branch hasn’t fallen off and put a big hole in your fence…or that a “beast” digging like dirt hogs, rabbits or dogs have not dug an “access” hole below the fence line.

* Corner bracing and anchoring may “loosen”. While easy to install initially, plastic fencing requires just the right amount of “tension” during installation. Yes, you’ll just nail the plastic fence material to posts or trees… but unless you’ve properly anchored the corner posts, you could wake up in the spring with a seriously sagging fence.

* Tear repair, hole breaks. Unlike metal fences, which can last for decades, your plastic fence is vulnerable to heavy tree limbs or even vandalism. Result? You may have the messy task of cutting sections of your fence… digging out new replacement bracing posts… and then closing the ties to re-tension the fence.

* Passive fenceless solution for real deer. Are you the type who doesn’t want to lift heavy objects and you actually have wild deer grazing on your property? Alternative to a plastic fence? You can always select from the range of liquid fence repellent products, which you spray onto your property… creating a noxious scented fence.

Bottom line. weigh it all Fencing gives you a combination of cost savings, low impact, environmental safety, and protection for your pets… but it will take some work to reap the benefits.