Permanent deer fence building assistance

Hello everyone.

We purchased 7 acres in northern NJ that we will be homesteading. We would like to raise some livestock, grow some vegetables and tree seedlings as part of our homesteading plans but before we can do any of that we've come to the reality that we would need a good property fence.

The property is pretty much wooded with the exception of the house area. The wooded 6 +/- acres have a lot of deer browsing. We hope to fence off the house area initially before fencing the rest of the property because of it being too costly.

We have been doing our research and have been told the best permanent property line fencing we should look into is 8' deer fence which we have decided we would like to have installed ourselves because of the following:

We inquired and received two quotes for different options of fencing which ranges from $12k for just the one acre house perimeter area, all the way to $18k for the whole property.

To be honest, we highly doubt we can afford that or it just isn't something we feel we should spend right now because the property's house has needed a complete house renovation and new septic approved by our lender and we need to stay in budget with our finances.

We would though like to start raising some animals and doing some activities on the property but it doesn't make sense to do so if we do not have a good fence to contain and protect our animals from predators and keep anyone or thing out.

Due to it being cost prohibitive in hiring a company to do the instalation themselves, we were thinking in building the deer fence on our own. We know a source for good black locust posts and would purchase the 8' woven metal wire ourselves.

We just don't know how difficult or well we could build this permanent property deer fence and how to exactly built it. I'm sure we could built it at a much lower fraction of the cost of someone else doing the work and that will defintily help us out to begin well with our dreams.

If anyone has any suggestions, advice and ideas we would greatly appreciate it. We really would like to know how to do this project well and our own if possible.

Thank you very much.

I'm in deer country in Texas, here people use 8 ft fence to keep deer on their property.  We had a one acre fence around our house but took two sides down as they were in our way.  We recently put a three strand electric fence around the garden which we hadn't needed until this year.  I try to plant things deer don't like mainly marigolds among the vegetables.

If you plan to have goats you will need field fence.  With chicken you can use chicken wire.

Planning is the key.  You can use barb wire for a property line fence.  All fencing mentioned is not hard to install. The internet will probably have something to show you how to do it.  You can hire local labor to help and they probably know how also.  The cost of the wire chosen and fence posts are the big expense.

Are you sure 8 feet might not be excessive?

I have what is considered a predator proof fence (for wildlife management purposes) and it is 4 foot high page wire fence, about $179 per 330 foot roll of wire. (fence posts and bracing wire would increase the cost obviously).

But to keep out deer, an 8 foot fence is not required, (2) fences will do the same thing. That is because while a deer can bound over a 4 foot fence quite easily, they cannot do it from a standing jump, they have to get a running start, and thus they have room to land too. You cannot do anything about them having a running start, but if you situate the second fence just where the deer would land, they will not jump over the first fence. Make the first fence a full 4 feet, and the next fence 32 inches high, and you will most likely defeat deer without looking like your inside a county prison farm.

You will have to do the math, but it probably is a lot cheaper too then 8 feet page wire fencing. (You might even be able to get away with cheap step-in electronet fencing for the second fence to stop the deer from jumping)

Hello Travis.

The property line deer fence is not only for deer but to keep away any predator from going in and to keep our animals inside. We also are getting a Great Pyrenees and they require at least a 6' fence in order to keep them contained in our property.

We have two close neighbors on one end so we really don't want any issues with that either in any animal going into their property.

Any advise and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Does anyone have any recommendation for a source for high tensile woven wire for deer fence and how to install them?

Please let me know.

Thank you.  

We looked into this when we first moved onto our place. Mainly as we were considering breeding them!

The standard here is 6ft+ out of the ground, with the same depth "in" the ground....so 12ft star posts (a custom order here)...plus what we call "ring lock". Its terribly expensive just for the components so I can understand the quote you've been given.

....needless to say we're doing other things

I can understand keeping livestock in, and keeping predators out, I have a commercial sheep farm so it is a huge concern for me too, but am wondering if you might be overly concerned. I only say this because Maine has the biggest coyotes in the world, and I have a heavy presence here, but they are turned back by my 4 foot Page wire fences. So far I have not got a LGD because I do have great fences...expensive, but working very well. Considering the cost of dog care, etc...it reduces the overall cost of my fence. I have had one predator kill, but it actually came from a Crow killing a newborn lamb on pasture! Yikes!

If you want a 6 foot fence, and LGD's and all that, it is one thing, but if you think it is a requirement, then I hope I might be able to save you some money. That is all. I know when I got into sheep in 2008 I was petrified of my sheep being eaten by nasty predators, and flooded their 3 acre pasture with lights at night time. Now I have quite a few more sheep, graze a lot more acres and sleep just fine. I am just saying, over time you just get used to life. Coyotes are my biggest threat, and honestly, if there is easier prey, they go for that instead. If you have a lot of deer, they will undoubtedly be dining on venison and not sheep or goats.

In Maine we call High-Tensile Woven Wire; Page Wire...a commercial brand much like you might grab a Kleanex to blow your nose...it is facial tissue, but everyone calls it a Kleanex. Anyway with this stuff, the key is to not overtighten the fence. It has little z-bar kinks so that it is not over-tightened. It is a physical barrier and not a pain barrier like electric fence, so some give actually helps. Also make sure you use BARBED staples. I live on a hill and thus snowdrifts knocked down a half mile of fencing simply because we used non-barbed staples. I won't make that mistake again. And of course there are corners. Make sure they are H-style and well braced. DO NOT use a winding stick, not with woven wire. Over time the frost action plays havoc with the H-Brace and you will need to tighten it up. With a winding stick now covered with woven wire, you cannot tighten it up. Instead install high-tensile tensioners. They look like mini-come-alongs that you put a handle in and crank tight. In this way, if your H-Brace loosens, just crank it tight for a notch or two and it is as rugged as ever. All the braces I install now have them. I space my posts 16 feet on center, but you can do as you wish. They have sagged a bit over the last 10 years, but nothing bad. My sheep do not get out

Overall I like woven wire. Its not really that expensive because once you put it up, it stays up for 30 years. Depreciated over a life span of that length of time and its actually pretty cheap.

Our perimeter fence is designed to keep our animals in and the deer out. Since wire is cheaper than woven fencing, we went with a hybrid approach. The whole fence is 8' high. We covered the bottom half with 4' high "horse fence", that is, woven wire with 2" x 4" openings. We covered the top half with four strands of smooth wire at 1' intervals, that is, the first at 5', the second at 6', the third at 7', and the fourth at 8'. We used 12' long round posts with an 8" diameter for all of the corners and braces. We set these 4' below ground and 8' above ground. We used a combination of 6' and 10' T-posts as line posts, each set 2 feet in the ground. We have one line post every 8 feet with one 10' post to every three 6' posts. This works perfectly most of the time. Except that one time when a panicked whitetail belly flopped over the top of the woven fence and under the first wire. She was a bit stunned, but not hurt. And yes, I did finally coax her out though an open gate. Anyhow, if I had to do it again and I had the money, I would go with 6' high woven wire plus two strands of smooth wire at 7' and 8'.

Here is a tutorial on diy woven wire fence.  It has pictures of the clips and posts and how to attach the clips.

A you tube on this might be better.  I installed a fence like this one with the help of 2 laborers.  I showed them how to do it.

http://diydiva.net/2009/12/how-to-install-a-woven-wire-fence/

While searching for something else, I saw this thread that might be helpful:

https://permies.com/t/44175/time-deer-fence-hard

Doing that type of fence is much too expensive imho.  There are cheaper ways to accomplish the same thing.  Here is what works for me in missouri and we have tons of deer:

Fence:

High tensile electric fence- 4 or 5 wire 4 or 5' tall will keep in all your livestock except the chickens/birds but that can be fixed with electric moveable poultry netting if your really worried about them.  I could fence 20 acres for about $1000 with this and it is MUCH easier to install than a woven wire fence.  Space the line posts way out, mine are 40-50' where it is flat enough.  You just need to keep the wire off the ground, you dont have to stretch it tight at all.  It is not a physical barrier fence, NOTHING even touches the fence once they know what it is.  Metal t posts with plastic insulators work just fine for all the line posts and are cheap provided you space them out good.  I would guess you would be in about $1000-$1500 for your 7 acres with a good fence charger( i recommend a parmak brand with the voltage display in the front).  Set up a physical barrier fence corral area with a couple hot strands inside to train your animals to the electric so they cant escape when they get hit the first couple times(make it a fairly large area because animals tend to freak out in small confined spaces).  Then your good to let them roam once they figure it out.  You do have to maintain a clear fence line though(which you should be doing with any type of fence anyways)

Deer/predators:

Livestock guardian dog-  The first year i planted my apples in the field, every single tree got eaten by the deer.  After i got my Pyrenees, no more deer even come into the field.  Deer can jump over the fence, but they wont if there is a dog in there.  Your 8' tall fence isnt going to keep out coons.  The dog will constantly work to keep all predators off the land.  And the high tensile fence works great for keeping the dog in( dog has to be trained to fence just like the livestock).  Just watch the gates as these are the places the dog will crawl under, not the fence.  I had to make a lot of my gates hot too to keep the dog in them.  I would expect to pay around $200 for the dog and should be able to feed him on $20/ month on the cheap dog food.  You may have to fence off your gardens to keep the dog out  but that is easy as he will respect a single strand of electric just like a cow.  

This solution is under $2000.  A fraction of the cost of what you are thinking about doing.  Dont let anyone tell you high tensile dosent work.  I got a buddy with a goat farm that uses this fence and that says a lot if you know goats.

Thought I should share this cheap and inovative way to keep deer. cats.dogs and people out of your growing areas . It was invented by an 80 year old friend of mine and works well if you have electric power . get cheap plastic conduit pipe -it comes in 8 ft sections . using a drill with a one inch bit- drill holes every 10 ft around your gardens. drill holes in the conduit at 6" 12" ect all the way to the top . install the conduit in the holes that you drilled a foot deep leaving 7 ft above ground . thread electic fence wire through it at each level  . you can unhook it when you are working. install plastic and mulch under the wire to keep weeds or grasses from growing up and grounding it . .I hope this helps you all to grow without such costly imputs . Sharon

I agree with Marissa, above.  You can save money with a lower fence, then "fool" the deer with cheaper wire strands above it.

Unlike her, however, I did not use woven wire but poultry netting, as I could not afford any better.  I did use 12 ft. metal T posts.

Since I only have to keep deer out but no livestock in, my fence need not be super strong.  However, I recognize that poultry wire, although galvanized, will break down relatively soon.  Therefore, I am planting shrubs along the perimeter of the fence so that within several years I should have a decent hedge that deer can't see over.  

This sort of thing may be adequate for your kitchen garden.  Also, you might search on the forum for a thread titled something like "dead hedge". This is something I am testing myself.  It is building enclosures out of dense piles of brush.  The o.p.of this thread is successfully keeping goats in such an enclosure.

Quite a bit depends on what animals you are trying to keep in and out, and how much pressure the outside animals are under.

For years we had only a 4' woven wire ("horse fence") around our garden but had very few deer problems. However as soon as our dog turned 10 yrs old and slowed down some, the deer showed up. What I ended up replacing that 4' fence with is a 6' woven wire horse fence topped with several strands of electric wire. That took some adjustments to get the spacing right on the electric wires, but it now keeps the deer out; coyotes, dogs and foxes too.

I have tried the two fences spaced apart and can tell you they do NOT work for the deer here in the West. I have heard good things about an all electric solution, using a combination of high and low wires spaced over some horizontal distance. But like any electrical solution it requires keeping the wire area mowed and the wires free from shorts.

You can save yourself some money and work putting in a shorter fence or even just an electric fence, but do your research first. Things that may keep mule deer out in Colorado may not be effective on white tails back east and vice versa. Talk with neighbors in your area and find out what works and doesn't for them. And I would not count on any one fence working for all animals, whether you are trying to keep them in or out. Chickens  have different requirements than horses or coyotes or bears.

Heh.
Deer fence. Yep.
We're in the middle of it right now.
1200 feet of fence around ~ 2.5 acres of our total 5 acres.

Essentially zones 1, 2 and a bit into 3 - so we skirt just inside the woods which are the upper portion of our 5 acres, and leave wildlife corridors on both sides. We'll have some wooded shade for our mushroom logs and shady perennial gardens (and also have the fence up there more or less invisible from below as it's in the woods about 30 feet - just below the main deer trail.

We are installing ourselves, using red brand and black vinyl coated hexmesh deer fence - the hex on the wooded eastern upper edge (it's black and harder to see) and topped with 2 plain wires - fence is to 6 feet and wires take us to just under 8 feet. Round wooden posts in concrete for corners and a few H braces - and metal T posts set in the (mostly clay)_soil for the rest - it's not cheap - we saved up for it - ~5K with supplies and some helping labor from a local permaculture school - great helpers!

We started with earthworks in late 2015 - a sloping swale to draw water off the hillside above the house/chickens and garden area and into a basin that flows to a spillway to a lower pond - this spring the entire area is full of water and the frog chorus is beyond amazing. There is a natural pond up in the woods for the wildlife, so they have their own water access.

But our plantings of the first of the food forest, currants and flowering plants for our bees were getting chomped by deer relentlessly - and I was tired of losing my battles to keep the garden deer proof.

We talked a lot about whether to just fence one garden area, but after discussions with other permaculturists who've done their whole properties or at least the larger inner zones, it made sense to us to give ourselves the freedom to really open up what we can do inside a larger protected area.  

It is a lot of work, but we're really happy with our decision.

We also have regular foxes, coyotes, cougar and the occasional bear around here, so the fencing will mean they can't just waltz right up and eat our ducks or knock down hives for honey. This winter we lost 2 of our ducks for the first time, and have nearby bee keepers who lost hives to bears.

We used electric fencing around the garden for the first 2 years here OK but by year 3 the deer were onto us - the fencing doesn't really bother them, esp. in dry summer weather - they don't ground much on dry earth - tiny hooves. So then they just walk through it - basically shoulder barrel it out of the way. They send their kids in under the lower wire and figure out really quick how to negotiate the '3D' style of off setting the lines - we've tried it all.
By last summer (year 4) they just walked through anywhere and took what they wanted.

If you rent a one man auger and only put in wood posts and cement in your main corners, a few H braces and braces around gates you can use metal T posts for the rest - and get a lot of fencing for a lot less money than doing wood/cement posts all around.

We paid $189/roll for 165 feet of 6 foot redbrand deer fence at the local farm supply store - and about $7ea/10 foot T posts (most places seem to be at about $10/ea)

Since you're going 8 feet tall (assuming you want to actually keep the deer out) you need a 10 foot post - 12 foot were too hard to find and too expensive when we did find them, but the 10s are working out just fine.

You can also use 2 4foot fences one on top of the other - we know of at least one place where they did that and like it. We were really looking to keep the visual impact as low as possible -hence the wire on top instead of solid fence to 8 feet.

It might be possible to find better pricing or get used materials for some of this - we just made our budget and planned for it and did our best to hold the line on the expenses once we had it set. If you can wait and plan and take your time, you could gather materials 2nd hand and other ways for more savings.

The best money spent by far was for the people helping us. Find your local permaculture people and hire them. Local fence contractors go for $30 to $50/hour according to our research. But you can pay half that (a decent wage for short term help) and get great hard workers who know their stuff.

PLUS you make great new friends! Best thing we ever did was take the earthworks class at Aprovecho four years ago! It got us the education we needed first, and the team to actually create our vision and get it in motion. Highly recommend finding your local permaculture center!

Earthworks, plantings and fences are just the first parts of the plan, then the real fun begins!

Good luck with your place! Don't forget to think about earthworks ideas first!

We're in Maine and when we bought our land, all the trees in the orchard had severe deer browse damage. We put up 8' fencing around the entire growing area (about half an acre); my husband did the labor along with a local guy who he paid $15/hour and together it cost us ~$4-5K, which wasn't cheap. It could have been cheaper only we used hexmesh wire fencing coated with black vinyl — the effect is that you can hardly see the fence — and he created two fenced-in areas, not one, with a path between them, so we could bring down a wheelbarrow through to another growing area we have beyond. The first winter the fence was up, we got a huge dent in a couple of the fences, as though a doe tried really hard to body-slam her way in sideways and failed. So breaking this grazing habit took a fence that was both sturdy and tall.

This winter we got about 5' of snow and that's the real danger with fencing, that it seems like it's really tall but in the winter when the deer are hungry and you're walking on ice a few feet above the soil, the fence isn't that high at all. However, what mattered is that the fence broke the deer's habit of browsing in our orchard. We have had no problems with deer jumping what is now a low fence. Elsewhere where we planted unprotected apple trees, most of them have been grazed, so the deer are still in the area.

Because we've cut down a copse of pines to make another orchard near those unprotected apple trees, we know we're going to have to fence in that area too. I'm not looking forward to the expense; however, my husband left a ring of pines at the perimeter, and the fence will attach to the pines. This means that the bulk of the work — which is digging the holes and pouring the concrete for the poles — can be skipped. So this fence will be cheaper. If you can leave trees on which to attach your fence, do so.

when we first moved to our 31 acre farm in northern virginia there was a combination of 4ft wire cattle fencing on the perimeter and 5ft board horse fencing in other areas. i wanted a secure garden area and a separate orchard area. we used 6ft deer fencing which was a plastic coated metal on 8ft T posts. the corners and gate entrances were wood. we strung two wires above the deer fencing and it is working very well going on the third year. it did get a little loose over time and we had to pin it down into the ground in a couple of places. we used to see deer all the time here when we first moved in, singles, moms with babes and groups. i once saw 32 deer walking in a line right through our farm. a neighbor told me it was part of the trail they use when they come down from the mountain into our valley.
we have fenced 8 pastures for our sheep and llamas and 3 for our goats and they cut off their trail. we have 3 dogs that are out during the day and in at night. i believe their presence and the fencing have made them try a new path somewhere else. we have only seen one deer and always the same one. we see it at the upper pond with our male miniature horse. apparently they have become friends and we often see them standing together and eating. this is in an area that is wooded and only has the 4ft fence. so i guess i am saying that for us, we just deer fenced the areas that were important for us and what we could afford. i am not sure but i think it was about $1000 to $2000 for all the fencing, wire, t-posts, wood, small gates my hubby made of wood and the big metal gate so we could drive the tractor in. my hubby, son, and daughter did it themselves. i am sure you will find what works best for you. take your time if you can and really think about your options. i have found that as we improve the farm, i have an idea about what, how, or where i want something done and then i change my mind for the better:)

Thank you everyone for your ideas and advice, thank you very much.

I also thank Becky for the information and idea as I might be proceeding with something similar in what we have planned.

What I have in mind to do is the following:

My plan is to build an 8' high deer property fence around the house area and added acreage perimeter which would be a wide square/rectangle around 1-2 acres from our total 7+ that is wooded. Purchase 50-80 4"-6" X 11' (3' dug in) black locust posts,  High Tensile 12.5g Solidlock®Pro Fixed Knot at around $380.00 per 330' roll and set posts every 15'-20'.

Hire a laborer and work together with another friend that has experience with building fences and other things and start from there. I think I will be spending around $3,000-$5000 for this whole plan and it will also include the gates I need to access the outside of the house area road, access to the rest of the property and woodland, and access to a trail that leads down a cliff to the Delaware river.

Keep in mind I was quoting around and 2 fence companies wanted to charge $12k-$18k depending on what layout I had in mind but just at the minimum is way too much for us and we would prefer to learn to make our own fencing for future referencing. They also were only going to use treated pine which we do not want as we want to go organic. If we used black locust with them it would have been an additional $3k!

I have a source for black locust posts in upstate NY but I wonder if anyone near me in NJ or PA might have it at a better price and availability.

The reason I am thinking of doing such a fencing plan is because of our heavy deer population which crosses through our property and home area as well as bears as I've been told bears have been seen in our home area by people working there and seeking their droppings.

Another main reason for this is we have neighbors around surrounding our 7 acre property and a main county Rd and though we have some privacy to some extent, we do not want to risk any of our livestock/animals having access to outside areas, unwanted visitors/animals to enter the property, and deer having access to where we will be growing some nursery stock trees and vegetable/fruit planting. Not to say we would prefer to feel secure that we have a well made 8' fence that surrounds the home from any invader and bears to some extent and help keep inside our guardian dogs because we have heard of them climbing over 6' fences.

We have though about the electric fence/powered high tensile wire and we might put a strand or two on the inside of the fence to give extra security in no animal trying to touch the fence but we have heard stories as mentioned above of electricity not bothering deers, not containing livestock, and definitely not containing guardian dogs that have resistant long coats and stubborn demeanors!

In my opinion and after research a high and strong fence solves all that. We would barb wire or use high tensile powered wire for the rest of the property line fence to make it more economical but for the main house living around it feels better to have a well made physical fence.

Any additional advice and information is greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to learn more on building this fence and how to build well made H/corner braces to support the fence and how we will be able to work with the 300lbs roll of wire we would be using as do not have any equipment but just myself, a paid laborer and a friend or two that would help.

Thank you all once more.

I have 14 acres in the UK, and have suffered from roe deer, which I guess are similar to the US whitetails. After years of seval formats both electric and non, our last and final format is working superbly. We have 7' posts at 9' spacings. From 9" off the ground, we use low tensile straining wire every 4 1/2" - 5", the top wire being barbed. No deer have even tried to get through.

Our previous wires were all at 9" spacing. Although the wires were tight, the deer would take a run, lift their undercarriage and ping through nose first....they left a lot of hair behind. We wasted lots of time on the other formats, even using forestry and US corn growers advice. None of them worked, but our current pattern does, and is a lot cheaper. We've used some reclaimed rabbit wire too, but that was just to save throwing the stuff. We've even planted tayberries, loganberries and blackberries on the inside, so as it can double-up as a trellis. If you scroll down on 'facebook.com/moondawnfarm', you'll find the pics. Good luck!

Edison Avecillas wrote:Hello everyone.
the reality that we would need a good property fence.
If anyone has any suggestions, advice and ideas we would greatly appreciate it. We really would like to know how to do this project well and our own if possible.

Deer cannot judge distance very well, so Travis is right that if you do a double fencing with a space in between, the fence does not need to be as high as 8'. To "stick the landing" they need to have enough room and sometimes a running start. If on the inside you have raised beds that are parallel to the fence, they will be afraid they may not stick the landing, especially at night, which is when they are most active. The other thing is that they will not jump over a fence if they cannot tell what is on the other side (But that thorny fence might be years down the road, so let's think about now.) Armed with that knowledge and a tight budget, this is how I fenced my orchard: I planted a metal post every 8 ft. At the bottom, I placed some chicken wire (2' high)That was for the rabbits, and also because deer will go under if they smell something good on the other side. Besides that, I can keep it cleaner so that grass, bushes, don't create a short and defeat the purpose. (I mow close on both sides, occasionally burn the 6 inch width under. Another thing to know is that if a deer can stick their head through, they will panic and keep pushing. Above that, I used the electric wire that works with a solar fence. The biggest expense is the posts and the solar zapper. Don't go cheap on the solar zapper. It will work for years, day and night. The wire is cheap, so put as many strands as you can afford, and place the strands close enough that they cannot put their head through (like 6"). I cheated: I put 6-7 "hot" strands, and filled to height with dummy wires . Just seeing a barrier with multiple strands is a deterrent. I had to deal with a door, so I made the door high and impassable (2 heights of cattle fencing, cut to length works slick: They come in 16 ft length. One cut in half still gives you a door 8 ft high and wide .With the hot wire, I went from the door all the way around to the other post, then up 6" and come back to the first post, then up 6" and repeat. (or go 12" and place a dummy wire in between. They won't know the difference after they get zapped by one.
Now you have that 8' fence, you can start planting the thorny stuff and you will have several years before you can remove the original and do another area. Repeat at will.
Incidentally, you may want to contact your county extension. they may offer a free zapper to protect a crop if you are a registered farmer, or go to your DNR, they will know who offers this in your area. Good luck with your project.

Reduce the 8 ft woven wire to something more affordable, maybe 4 ft.    

Every foot or 6 inches add high tension wire until desired height.

This is my style for all fencing and it keeps dogs in, chickens in or out and deer out.   The dogs help with the deer.  

I have used a high grade woven wire and large enough posts to keep pigs in one day.  

In my plans I expect to run a single strain of electric wire 2 inches above the woven to keep critters from crawling over the fence around my growing area.  

I've been experimenting with bamboo (of the living kind) fencing.  More permy than wire, less maintenance, but obviously longer to erect, and needs its own protective fencing while establishing.

Depending on your climate you can likely find a species that works suitably.

Thorny hedges may work, but during droughts here (in AU) the local wildlife here will happily spend all night nibbling every single leaf off a prickly tree (roses, brambles, wild citrus, etc).  Plus prickly plants a pain to manage if you need to do any pruning / re-planting, etc.

I've been experimenting with Bambusa oldhamii -- edible, useful as timber, non-thorny, fairly upright, hardy, frost-tolerant, grows to about 12 metres (but can be trimmed to preferred height).  Also good for retaining soil -- if your fence lines align with your contours.  Fodder option, too, of course.  It'd certainly grow tall and thick enough to stop deer, but depending on climate it may take 3-5 years.

Contrary to one responder, I have watched deer jump easily over 4' fencing from a standing position.  Perhaps the deer here on Vancouver Island have more spring in their step, but I had a fence built around my garden last year that is indestructible.  Cedar posts were fixed in holes in concrete, tied together at 4 ' and 8' with fir 2x4s, and covered with two runs of 4' stucco wire, which is cheap.  It is sturdy and my garden looks like a compound now, but it does the trick.  Caps on the posts and a nice door and it's quite decorative.  It will last longer than me.

I used chicken wire turned out 6 inches at the bottom, let the weeds grow through that to hold it down, mow a foot away so any little trails of comings and goings can be spotted.  It's 7 feet high with a wire at 8 feet and colored construction string for the group of quail that go over it, with the last guy not really seeing the top wire.  

But the deer are not the problem.  It's the rabbits, raccoons that climb fruit trees and break branches, voles and gophers.  The foxes push on the chicken wire and have found a few weak spots, have lifted the bottom in places, the rabbits have lifted the bottom in places, dug under it, and there must be smells there because every other critter finds that same spot.  

It's the best kind of fence so far, and doesn't get breached very often.  It is a constant challenge with wild critters who have nothing else to do but get into things, but what else is new in a rural location?

I also leave out a small bucket of kitchen scraps by the gate at night, that if it gets messed with I know something's gotten inside.  Night birds don't tend to go into buckets, or be interested in fruit, at least not where I am.

I have witnessed a deer jump straight up and over 6' fence from Standing on all fours right next to it. like it was no big deal to the deer, just saying.
we had 250 apple trees and the herds of deer would wipe the nearly out as soon as the apples ripened. I guess they have a way of knowing when fruit gets the way they and we like it best.