Fall 2004

Table of Contents

Make your fencing wildlife friendly

Whether keeping livestock or pets in, or wildlife out, fencing should be “wildlife-friendly” – fencing that doesn’t lead to injury of wildlife, that is.

The most important way to keep a large owl, swan, or frightened lead cow elk from running into and getting hung up on a fence is to make it highly visible.

Placing a wood rail as the top layer of the fence works well as a visual barrier. If it’s a wire fence, add four-foot sections of two-inch-diameter PVC pipe to cover the top strand of wire in places where deer or elk are known to jump. Simple flagging can also work to make the top wire more visible. A PVC pipe run along the bottom wire in spots can help animals find these easy places to cross under without injury.

To effectively contain horses or other livestock and allow wildlife movement, a fence need be no more than 42 inches high and the bottom wire or board should be no lower than 16 inches.

If barbed wire is used, consider replacing the top wire with smooth wire to prevent damage to both domestic and wild animals. Over time, as needed, replace all the barbed wire with smooth wire. Always keep all wire strands taut to prevent entangling animals.

Eliminate fencing over rivers, streams or other open waters where waterfowl use stretches of open water for takeoff. Many geese and swans, for instance, have been caught in barbed-wire fencing as they take off for flight.

Remove any unnecessary fencing that poses hazards to wildlife. If it works with your livestock management, take down a small section of fencing in winter that otherwise might be impeding deer or elk migration movements.

Consider planting shrub and small tree species that can serve as a fence line instead of traditional fencing. Many berry-producing shrubs in a hedgerow serve this purpose well and double as wildlife habitat, including thimbleberry, salmonberry, raspberry, blackberry, and snowberry. Wild rose and the taller species of Oregon grape are also good choices. Thorny shrubs like barberry and firethorn can create an intimidating barrier.

If you’re trying to keep wildlife out of a garden or yard permanently, plan to invest what it takes to make the fence functional, aesthetically pleasing to your eye, and lasting. More often than not it’s deer that are being excluded, and that requires a six to eight-foot high woven-wire fence tight to the ground (deer will and do crawl under fences if the food on the other side is tempting enough!)