Deer Fence Installation

Deer fencing is a different job than fencing livestock. With cattle or horses you are keeping animals in; with deer you are keeping them out — out of the vegetable garden, the orchard, the flower beds, and the young trees they will browse to the ground if nothing stops them. That distinction, called deer exclusion, changes the whole design. A fence that comfortably contains cattle will not keep a deer out, because a deer will simply jump it. Here is what actually works around Lake Livingston.

Height is everything with deer

The single most important fact about deer fencing is that height is everything. Deer are strong, athletic jumpers, and a standard-height fence is no obstacle to them at all — they clear it without slowing down. To reliably keep deer out, an effective deer fence generally needs to be tall, in the range of around 7 to 8 feet, or built with an angled or offset design that defeats the jump. If you have tried a short fence and the deer are still getting in, this is almost always why. There is no shortcut around the height requirement.

Tall woven-wire and mesh fencing

The workhorse of deer exclusion is tall woven-wire or mesh fencing. Run to the right height, a woven-wire fence forms a physical barrier the deer cannot jump and cannot push through. We build these tall wire fences for gardens, orchards, and planted areas where deer pressure is a real problem, and we size the height and mesh to the situation. Where the ground is uneven, we make sure the fence follows the grade with no low spots a deer could slip under.

Angled and double-fence techniques for problem areas

In spots where deer pressure is especially heavy, height alone can be reinforced with design. An angled or offset fence uses the deer's poor depth perception against it — the animal will not commit to a jump when the barrier is both tall and wide. A double-fence technique, running two fences a short distance apart, works on the same principle: deer are reluctant to jump into a narrow space they cannot judge or land in cleanly. For a stubborn problem area, these approaches can succeed where a single straight fence struggles.

Protecting a garden vs the whole property

How we build depends on what you are protecting. If it is a single vegetable garden or a small orchard, garden fencing built tall enough for deer is often the most sensible and economical answer — you enclose the planted area rather than the whole place. If you want to exclude deer and other wildlife across large acreage at the property scale, that is what game fencing is for: it is the tall, high-fence version built to ring an entire property. We also build field fence options and full farm & ranch fencing where those fit the plan, and we help you decide which scale actually matches the problem you have.

Feral hogs often come with the deer

Around here, deer pressure rarely shows up alone — feral hog pressure often comes up in the same conversation. Hogs work from the bottom, rooting and pushing under a fence, while deer come over the top, so a property fighting both needs a fence that handles the ground line as well as the height. When you tell us what you are dealing with, we plan the fence for the actual mix of animals hitting your place, not just the deer.

Local and straight with you

We are based in Onalaska and serve the Lake Livingston area across Polk and San Jacinto County. Deer and wildlife pressure is a normal part of rural life out here, and we build fences that account for it. We are insured and locally owned, and the same people who own the business do the work. Fence contracting does not require a state license in Texas, so we do not claim one — we carry insurance and stand behind what we build. We will give you an honest read on what height and design your situation really calls for during a free, on-site look.

Frequently asked questions

How tall does a deer fence need to be?

Generally tall — in the range of around 7 to 8 feet — because deer are strong jumpers that clear standard-height fences easily. An angled or offset design can also defeat the jump. We size the height to your deer pressure during the estimate.

Will a normal fence keep deer out?

No. A standard-height fence built for livestock or a yard will not stop a deer, because a deer will simply jump it. Effective deer exclusion needs real height, around 7 to 8 feet, or an angled or double-fence design that defeats the jump.

Can you protect just my garden, or the whole property?

Either. For a single vegetable garden or small orchard we build tall garden fencing around just the planted area. To exclude deer and wildlife across large acreage we build game fencing, the tall property-scale high fence. We help you match the scale to the actual problem.