Nuisance wildlife is a common concern for most homeowners both in busy cities, as well as in the suburbs. While it’s possible to get unwanted wild guests inside an apartment, you’re more likely to have to deal with them when you’ve got an actual house, with a garden. Which prompts many homeowners to wonder – will a fence keep wildlife away? That’s what we’re here to answer.
First, you want to familiarize yourself with what wild animals are likely to attempt to get into your yard, in the first place. While some animals are common throughout the U.S. (like rats or raccoons), others tend to stick to certain areas. So depending on where you live, you might be more at risk of a coyote attack than a Canada Geese infestation.
But that doesn’t answer our main question – will a fence protect your property?
The short answer is yes, of course. A garden with a fence is a lot more protected than a garden without one. Typically, a lot of wildlife removal companies will advise clients to install a fence around their property, if they wish to secure it against wildlife attacks and invasions. A fence is considered one of the most successful moves you can make to protect your property, so as such, yes, it will protect you. However, the amount of protection you get depends on the type of fence, and the type of fence should depend on which animals you’re likely to encounter.
In order to understand how a fence protects against each animal, you must first look at their behavior, size, and similar characteristics. For instance, while a typical fence may protect against a larger predator like an opossum, it may have spaces large enough to allow mice through. Some fences will be effective against ground bound predators, but not against burrowing animals like moles or skunks.
Different types of fences against different predators
Based on wildlife behavior, we’re basically looking at three different types of fence.
First, you’ve got your normal fence against bigger predators. This is any average garden fence that will keep out coyotes, deer, and other similar animals. These are generally animals that aren’t likely to dig underneath, too big to slide through, and unlikely to jump over. A way to turn a fence against big critters into a fence against small critters is to wrap it in wire mesh. Ideally, choose a mesh with small holes that wouldn’t allow a snake or a mouse to squeeze through.
Next, you’ve got fences against animals who burrow. Skunks, groundhogs, and rabbits have all been known to dig under a fence, and once they do, they are very difficult to get out of your yard. In order to prevent animals from digging their way into your yard, it’s advisable to dig a trench, and install a hard concrete base to your fence. Alternatively, you might also just install wire mesh, curving outward, and dug 3-4 feet deep. This will usually be enough to stop most burrowing animals from getting through.
Lastly, we’ve got hoppers, which are animals who will either jump the fence themselves, or climb a tree and use that to jump into your garden. This also encapsulated airbound predators like birds. Unfortunately, the only way to prevent their entry is to cover the property in a mesh dome, and you probably don’t want to do that. Instead, you might just create such a covering for your garden or vegetable patch, and that’s a pretty good way to protect it from predators from above.
Is a fence necessary?
Yes, any garden, veggie patch, or yard needs a fence to protect it from intruders big and small. Once installed, you’ll also want to keep an eye on your fence, so you can spot damage, tears, and other potential entry points, and repair them swiftly. If you want to protect your garden from small pest than can climb fences, like Raccoons, the you can do it with plants that deter Raccoons. If you’re concerned about protecting your garden from wildlife, you can also ask wildlife control professionals for help. They will inspect your property, spot potential weaknesses and attraction points, and may give you more tailored pointers on keeping out nuisance wildlife. While a fence shouldn’t be your only measure of protection, it should definitely be among the first ones.
