U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Date of this Version
2010
Citation
Journal of Wildlife Management 74(6):1378–1381; 2010; DOI: 10.2193/2008-463
Abstract
There is a need for insight into fence heights required for impeding white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We evaluated the ability of wild-caught deer to jump progressively taller fences and documented deterrence rates of 0% for fences ≤1.5 m followed by increasing deterrence rates of 14% at 1.8 m, 85% at 2.1 m, and 100% at 2.4 m. We documented 100% deterrence rates during 5 additional experiments with different deer and the test fence at 2.4 m, a common height of fences at captive deer facilities. Our results will be valuable to those managing spread of wildlife diseases, deer–vehicle collisions, and agricultural damage.