Game Fence Installation

Game fence is the tallest and most demanding wire fence we build. At eight feet, on long runs, through timber, under the tension that high-tensile wire needs, it is a different job from a pasture fence, and the corners and braces have to be built to match. Hunting properties and exotic operations around Lake Livingston build it to hold deer in, to keep neighboring deer and hogs out, and to manage a herd. We build game fence through cleared and timbered ground, with the gates, water gaps and cattle guards that a working high-fenced property needs.

What goes into a game fence

• High-tensile fixed-knot wire, 12½-gauge, in rolls tall enough for eight feet or stacked from two rolls where the ground calls for it. Fixed knots hold the wire spacing under a hit.
• Tall posts. Ten- to twelve-foot treated wood or pipe line posts, set deep, so the fence stays plumb along its full height.
• Heavy corners and braces. Double H-braces or pipe corners set in concrete. An eight-foot fence under proper tension puts a serious pull on every corner.
• Stretched in long pulls with the right stretcher, evenly top to bottom, and tied off at every brace.
• Water gaps and crossings built to let a creek through and swing back, so a flood does not take the fence with it.
• Tall gates and cattle guards at the entrances, with openers where wanted. See driveway gates and gate openers.

Clearing the line

Most game fence in this part of Texas goes through pine and hardwood, and the line has to be cleared wide enough to set posts, unroll wire and get a truck down it for the life of the fence. We walk the proposed line with you, talk through clearing and where the fence can follow an existing road or cut, and price it honestly. Clearing fences and fence rows explains what is involved.

Game fence for smaller properties

Not every deer fence is a mile long. Orchards, large gardens and food plots get the same tall wire on a smaller footprint, and a yard that backs up to the woods sometimes needs it on one side. For those, see deer fence, which covers the lighter versions and the alternatives.

Repairs and additions

Trees come down on game fence more than any other kind, because of where it runs. We cut out the damage, splice new wire and re-tension the run, and rebuild corners and braces that have pulled. We also tie new fence into existing high fence when a property grows. See fence repair.

What affects the price of game fence

Footage, obviously, but on game fence the corners and the clearing move the price more than on any other fence. Every corner and end is a double brace set in concrete; every mile of line through timber has to be cleared to a working width; every creek crossing is a water gap. Tall posts and high-tensile wire cost more per foot than pasture materials. Gates and cattle guards at the entrances are their own line. We walk the proposed line with you before we price it, because the ground decides most of the number.

Planning the line

Follow existing roads, cuts and property lines where you can, so the fence is reachable for its whole life. Put gates where you already drive. Plan water gaps at every drainage. Decide early whether the fence is meant to hold animals in, keep them out, or both, because that changes the bottom-edge detail and whether a low strand of hot wire goes outside it for hogs. Farm and ranch fence covers the rest of what we build on hunting and ranch land.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is a game fence?

Eight feet is the standard for whitetail and most exotics. Shorter fence does not reliably hold deer; a motivated deer clears six feet without trying.

What makes game fence different from tall field fence?

The wire is high-tensile fixed-knot, which stays tight over long spans and does not stretch out when an animal hits it. The posts are taller and the corners are much heavier, because an eight-foot fence under tension pulls hard.

Can you build game fence through timber?

Yes, and most of it around here runs through pine and hardwood. The line has to be cleared wide enough to work in, and we talk through that as part of the estimate.