In the last 15 days the dedication of three of our men has gotten eleven miles of perimeter skirting aligned at the bottom of our fence in response to having found a bear in our preserve. We came to the conclusion that the most effective way to protect our preserve from predators would be this wire skirting on our fence to prevent digging through as well as 2 high tensile hot wires.
We used a 26" mesh skirting fastened to the base of the preserve fence on the outside. This will be a barrier to keep black bears, coyotes and wolves from digging through. All while being easily coverable, for both aesthetics and functionality for purpose. This mesh runs the entire eleven miles of fence surrounding the Apple Creek Preserve because all it takes is one weak point and time for predators to start finding their way in.
The second layer of protection against predators here at Apple Creek is high tensile hot wire, two of them. The first of the wires is to encompass the preserve along the top of the fence, the second of which is to encompass the preserve roughly four feet from the ground. The decision on this height is a compromise between staying low enough that an animal trying to tear through the fence is sure to hit it, while keeping it high enough that no vegetation should start growing to it. Before the hot wires go up, we'll be sure the preserve is completely clear of bears. We'll be baiting them out just to ensure we aren't trapping them in. With the hotwire, there will be copper ground rods every five hundred feet to protect against lightning strikes.
We also want to thank Gary Nelson from Wild River Whitetails. He spent a Saturday afternoon here consulting and presenting some great ideas to legally control predators. Scott was very impressed with the wisdom imparted and the success that Gary has had in the hunting and breeding operation.
Here are a few photographs taken while laying the fence. Photographs of the fence, the process, and the beautiful spring fed Apple Creek flowing through our preserve proving a great source of fresh water for all of our wildlife.
What do you think about all of this? Comments, criticism, creative ideas? We'd love to hear them, and if you feel like borrowing ideas from us... well, that's what this post is for. Best of luck out there.
We used a 26" mesh skirting fastened to the base of the preserve fence on the outside. This will be a barrier to keep black bears, coyotes and wolves from digging through. All while being easily coverable, for both aesthetics and functionality for purpose. This mesh runs the entire eleven miles of fence surrounding the Apple Creek Preserve because all it takes is one weak point and time for predators to start finding their way in.
The second layer of protection against predators here at Apple Creek is high tensile hot wire, two of them. The first of the wires is to encompass the preserve along the top of the fence, the second of which is to encompass the preserve roughly four feet from the ground. The decision on this height is a compromise between staying low enough that an animal trying to tear through the fence is sure to hit it, while keeping it high enough that no vegetation should start growing to it. Before the hot wires go up, we'll be sure the preserve is completely clear of bears. We'll be baiting them out just to ensure we aren't trapping them in. With the hotwire, there will be copper ground rods every five hundred feet to protect against lightning strikes.
We also want to thank Gary Nelson from Wild River Whitetails. He spent a Saturday afternoon here consulting and presenting some great ideas to legally control predators. Scott was very impressed with the wisdom imparted and the success that Gary has had in the hunting and breeding operation.
Here are a few photographs taken while laying the fence. Photographs of the fence, the process, and the beautiful spring fed Apple Creek flowing through our preserve proving a great source of fresh water for all of our wildlife.
What do you think about all of this? Comments, criticism, creative ideas? We'd love to hear them, and if you feel like borrowing ideas from us... well, that's what this post is for. Best of luck out there.
