I've seen deer jump over a 6' fence from a standing position, but 9' should discourage them...at least most of them. This has been a very bad year for deer damage. I used to take it hard when a prized tree was hit, but I've become much more philosophical about the whole thing. Urban sprawl and the insistent removal of their main predator is really the culprit here, so it makes no sense --at least to me-- to get upset about it.

10 ft. has been represented as minimal, I think that is usual for deer netting. They also don't seem to be able to see the netting very well, if at all. Possibly this provides an additional level of deterrence by confounding them. (Although it seems they may sometimes slip under it if the bottom is not kept taught).

Do you mean putting netting around a plant (or group of plants), or around the perimeter of the property? The latter makes sense, but the former would suck the fun out of gardening for me. Many people put netting up before dark, which is when deer do most of their damage, and take it down in morning. Except for nasty weather, I almost always take one -- usually two -- evening strolls. Yes, I'm a it of a night owl.

Viewing plants in the dark is amazing. I find I can enjoy it more because I don't have the guilt of not getting my garden work done. I'm out there just for the pure enjoyment of it. It's enhanced by taking a flashlight to get a mind-blowing view of the parts up close. I was just out admiring the evening silhouette of a giant White Pine and a smaller, but vigorous, Norway Spruce. They're in quite a battle for space and I was thinking to myself how they'll look in 5-10 years. I normally view them looking to the dark north sky -- beautiful!

I would never want to have a bunch of individual trees within a garden netted instead of fencing the perimeter only. And being done with it, except for patrolling the perimeter and keeping the fence up to snuff.

Picture the park in the above photo with tubes of deer netting scattered all through it, instead of just on the outside. Too odd looking, and too much work! And it would allow the deer to still get in there, damage anything that was not kept effectively netted.

The netting will no doubt stop the deer. But that cement cattle guard won't. Unlike cattle, deer are climbers. So if the cattle guard is at the entrance to the park and there is not an additional gate, it will do little to stop deer. They simply walk across the tops of the cement ribs.

Deer can jump high and they can jump wide, They'll just jump the cattle guard.

Better than height sometimes is to erect a double fence 3 - 4' apart or even a slanted fence. Deer have very poor depth perception and they often won't jump something if that they can't be sure they will land safely on the other side.

Cattle grates seem to work here ....the number of deer crossings through openings was reduced >95%.

as Embothrium has pointed out. wrapping ea. tree is a waste of time (i know that's not what you did, but i did). i'm going in the direction of peeler poles w/ wire netting myself. no advice here, just to say i feel your pain. hope it works for you! fingers x'd. (the deer population where i live are major & quite frankly i don't think it's humane to keep them wandering around as they get hit on our main & secondary roads all time. they allow hunting here, and when i am, there's tons of acerage town owned land preservation. imo they should at least control the population for both human and animal safety in yes, urban sprawl areas-ie; where we live)

Decades ago before Internets etc "a slanted fence" was suggested as it was maintained that deer have poor depth perception. GW also has forums called Farm Life and Homesteading where these deer are maligned, and solutions repeated and argued.

We have a combination of deer fences and none are working very well. At considerdable expense we hired a company to install iron pipes and metal netting topped by two strands of wire. The deer have crashed against the nett and bent the iron poles just enough to cause the wire strands to become lax and slip down. Straightening the poles, which were set in concete, and making the wires taut both seem to be a major PITA and maybe beyond this gardener. Elsewhere we have steel stakes and heavy plastic netting. These stakes bend even more and the netting rips when trapped deer get through it. I honestly think our most effective stretchs of fence are the oldest and most jerry rigged -- combinations of picket and nets that are covered with vegetation . The vines eventually pull down the nets so more have to be added. They are all a tangled mess, but deer seem more deterred (or less enticed) but what they cannot see. Our neighbors have simply run high plastic netting from tree to tree and that seems effective. Can anyone suggest a source for 10 ft netting? What size staples?

When I lived out in the country, I had deer run into a barbed wire fence of mine at full blast, stretching the wire and bending metal fence posts. When deer are scared, their main defense is running away. Deer trying to escape a perceived threat: YouTube.

kitasei, I wonder if you might find that the deer are less likely to run into the fence if there are white or mylar flags on it so they can see it well until they are all completely aware of it. I think that may be why the older fences are most effective - the deer know they are there. Perhaps a short net fence farther out in conjunction might save your tall fence in the interim.

Babs, the deer that hurl themselves against the fence are panicking because I am in hot pursuit (although I wonder what would happen if we actually duked it out.) I have concluded that a six foot solid fence is as effective as an 8 foot transparent one. The deer usually can't see what there is to eat or where to land. I say usually, because an apple tree visible in the air on the other side must be sorely tempting. I also believe that it is worthwhile keeping each generation of deer from knowing what lies inside. Once they know, you are at war. We have two deer who spent the winter sleeping inside our fenced property, so I am really at a disadvantage now. That said, I have opted to stick with netting for aesthetics and cost. I do wish I could repeal and replace the honeysuckle tangle that used to reinforce one stretch of fence. I planted elderberries there but so far they are skimpy and have no density of coverage like the honeysuckle plus multiflora and vines. Any suggestions? I think the second lower fence is similar to a thicket against the fence.

I just received this tidbit from my state's Dept of Natural Resources: Maryland hunters harvested 85,193 deer during the combined archery, muzzleloader and firearm seasons (Sept 9, 2016 - Jan 31, 2017)

Deer have no natural predators in Maryland other than humans.

This Acer tegmentosum was nailed by a buck during fall of 2013. I was diligent about puting protection around the trunk the next two years, but forgot to do it this past fall. The result was predictable. It's starting to leaf out, but I'm not optimistic it will survive this last indignity.

Woody stems as thick as a broom handle seem to do the job quite nicely. One buck comes along, rubs his antlers and leaves his scent. Not to be outdone a rival comes along and does the same, and the next and the next. By the time you discover it the damage is done. Nocturnal damage, deer aren't bothered by Fido who is inside.

Another example of cattle grate at the vehicle entrances, in this case Brookside Gardens, Wheaton MD. I should mention in these cases there is an additional metal gate that closes after hours.

Even worse than deer.

Bow hunting anyone? This link gives details of the September 9 opening day for bow hunting. Location is Fairfax County VA. Bow hunting appears to be a popular, cost-effective way of decreasing the deer herd and is supported by the local public.

Buck & Rail youtube is apparently a kind of fencing used in Montana. One of the species planted inside the fencing is the western mock-orange. This must be something for the wide open spaces, not sure that would work in my area.

What if you have 150 linden trees and wanted to prevent buck rubs? These look like bamboo blinds. Maybe they have another purpose but work well here to protect the trunks. I like this idea much more than the plastic wraparound stuff.

I'm a little surprised they are protecting these trees, which seem past the size preferred by bucks. My experience is they target 1-3 inch diameter trees. Could they be protecting these for other reasons?