Greg thanks for posting!

Your insight towards the planting in the apple orchard is exactly what I was thinking. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take a look today but will do for sure tomorrow unless the bow shop tells me my bows in!

Barbed wire vs. electric:

I figured this out today and by no means am I a math wiz or farmer so bare with me and if you see significant error please inform me!

Option 1:

3.86 acre field

Cost of electric system: In the ballpark of $130 (this includes system, insulators, and wire)


Option 2

3.86 acre field
1750 feet
.33 miles

1 roll of barbwire: $34
1 roll =80 rods or around ¼ mile

Price of wire needed: 4 rolls at $34 =$136

Before I searched I was sure the barbed wire would be way more $$ than electric. Not so with my figures. The barbwire keeps the cows in his property why wouldn’t it keep them out of the plot? Is it the incentive value? Both of you show favor towards electric fence.

Lets look at barbed wire in both positive and negative views. It would take maybe three times the time to put up. But once up it’s there for a long time. Yearly repairs might take little time. Barbwire lined fields look a heck of a lot better than electric fence fields. You don’t have to worry about shorts in the circuit.

Now Electric fences have a shorter life expectancy. A battery probably need to be bought every couple years at a cost of $20 a pop. Circuit failure is an issue. It wouldn’t take as long to put up. I’m thinking they’re not bear proof.

Please add or alter the two above and elaborate on your beliefs. I’m confused by your choice of fence.



The property the cows are located has a total of about 200 acres. The barbed wire enclosure covers 9/16th of that. Outside the wire at the back end is a thick section of the woods that is figured to be a bedding area for deer along with a steep ridge running along the entire edge of the property (also a possible bedding area.) The 4 acre field is located in the enclosure on the top of the hill surrounded by land and secluded by viewers. If I can make a food plot work in this field it would be awesome. The property with the hay field and apple orchard is located a half mile down the road and approximately 100 acres of private land divide the cow section and the this section. In theory, food plots in both sections would move the herd from his corn during it’s growing (most vulnerable) cycle as well as provide my father brother and I, ideal hunting opportunities. Across the road from the two above pieces of land holds the farmers hay and corn crops. This is situated on the river bottom and forested land is small. Around 70 acres or so. This piece is targeted for crop damage permits by the farmer. I will admit that I don’t know how many deer we are working with here. The farmer addressed this concern and told us he was applying for crop damage permits. I do know that buck to doe ratios in this area are off and doe harvest will be targeted on the property. Our goal is to balance the herd not build it. Do you think putting in two or three crops in the sizes of 1 to 4 acres will build an uncontrollable deer herd? This thought crossed my mind as well and I think it would not. In my original post I mentioned corn. Corn we all know is a major deer attractant when the greens go south. My original fear is that if or when the frost hits my crops are done and the herd moves across the road to his corn. This sounds pretty accurate. This is why I believe I must plant a crop of corn or other winter grasses and weat.




This farmer grows enough corn and hay for his farm. The farmer harvests in the ballpark of 100 acres of hay. Judging by the size of his crops he does not market it. The abandon Hay field is on uneven ground ½ mile down the road. I asked him if he harvested the hay in this piece and he said no. This property is used mainly for gravel now on the lower section and storage in the abandon tobacco barns. It also is lined along the perimeter with barbwire and was probably long ago a cow pasture. Before that I guess the property was used for the growing of tobacco.

You describe this farmer to a T. He doesn’t let anyone push him around and is very independent. He has become a friend to the family. He has a full time job as well and works with my father. One thing led to another after a few years of working together and last month my father tells me about our newly acquired land.

Cows were getting shot, tire tracks threw crops, gunshots to close to the house. A lot of stuff was going on in the last few years of him letting “anyone” hunt the land I guess.


It’s hard to explain and still hard to believe but he approached my father about it and is now giving us sole hunting rights and asked us to post it and do with it how we see fit. I was shooting out my ideas about the plots and he had absolutely no problem with it. Even said I could use his equipment. That’s when I told him we would be more than happy to help around farm with anything he needed. The guy is one of a kind! Seriously the coolest farmer I’ve ever met.



Dan, you should see this orchard! There are deer trails everywhere. It’s not in rows though more natural looking and if I remember was open enough to plant. I’ll check tomorrow! Hey is it ok to trim the branches this time of year?

What else…… O yea barbwire Vs. electric fence. Who will win? [>:]

Deer herd issues....Give me your thoughts!

Please feel free to speak your mind about what you would do in my place. I want this place to glow in a few years.

Thanks for everything![8D]