Margaret Holm
Agricultural holdings are most often on the edges of populated regions and therefore in wildlife interface zones. Attractants are an unavoidable part of agriculture and, coupled with little or no wildlife mitigation effort, will drastically increase the possibilities of conflicts. The first solution after experiencing crop damage by bear or deer, is often fencing.
Costs for new fencing may be too onerous to take on all at once and might require a prioritized, staged implementation. To save money and time, while ensuring an added level of safety to humans and wildlife, consider the following for existing fences:
- Regular maintenance, including complete physical inspections;
- Make sure all wires are taut and broken or damaged sections are repaired;
- Fill in where wildlife have dug underneath or bury a wire mesh skirt under the fence;
- Add a smooth wire section atop an existing fence to add height. Low fences augmented with higher strands of barbed wire are not recommended for deer fencing; this most commonly causes wildlife injury;
- Emphasize height with a top rail, using PVC pipe sections or flagging tape;
- One or two strands of electric wire outside and along existing fences adds effectiveness;
- A trench filled with large rocks can prevent wildlife from digging underneath the fence;
Consult the “BC Agricultural Fencing Handbook”, available online, for guidelines on deer and elk exclusion fencing. Cantilevered smooth wire top with flagging tape are the best deterrent to prevent fence-jumping and injuries to wildlife.
If you are considering electric fencing, make a plan before you contact a contractor. Consider the project: What are you most concerned about keeping out or inside the fence? Decide which is best: solar or electric power, fixed or mobile – perhaps both. Make a sketch to lay out boundaries and to calculate the actual footage of the fencing required. Ensure the fence loops back to itself to maximize energizing potential.
Consider all conditions under which the fence must operate and identify potential hazards and barriers, such as cables, hydro lines, roadways, large boulders, and terrain challenges. Mark out distances for brush clearing on each side of the fence to improve line of sight and ease fence maintenance. This also removes cover and shelter for predators and allows wildlife to see the fence.
Calculate annual losses, in dollar figures, resulting from wildlife predation. Consider actual crop loss and time spent removing the wildlife. Calculations should include the annual costs of labour and materials to repair property damage and fences. Obtain at least two quotes for a professional installation – on a cost per foot basis showing gate and driveway options. Discuss what role you will play in the installation so the quotes reflect your participation. Lastly decide how much of the preparation work you can do. Brush clearing, line marking and terrain modification will save you money.
Yes, you want to keep out wildlife but you want to cause the least amount of harm and disruption to wildlife outside your property. Use smooth, solid galvanized wire, not barbed wire, and make sure the top fence wires are highly visible to birds and mammals. Consider whether you want to allow non-target wildlife safe passage through your fences.
If possible allow wildlife to easily move past or along the outside perimeter of the fence. With a safe corridor for travel, wildlife will not be crowded onto roads where they are at hazard.
For domestic sheep or llamas, double the lines to prevent “nose to nose” disease transmission between domestic and wild bighorn sheep.
Even with good fencing, wildlife do get into fenced areas –most commonly from gates left open. Install one or more manual gates at the opposite end of the property so that they can be opened if wildlife is trapped inside. The larger the fenced property, the greater need for one or more gates besides the main vehicle access gate. There is little extra cost involved when gates are installed as part of a new perimeter fence. For large remote properties adjacent to wildlife travel areas, one-way wildlife gates can be a good investment to prevent wildlife damage.
The preceding was adapted from the wildlife guide series Living with Wildlife in BC, Conflict Reduction Techniques Guide, written by Zoe Kirk and Margaret Holm. They are available at www.osca.org - Living with Wildlife pages or www.rdos.bc.ca WildsafeBC-Bear Aware page. ■