Understanding electric fencing for bears

Since a bear has a wet nose, mouth, lips, tongue etc a strip of cured bacon securely wrapped around the hot wire will light Yogi up like a jack-o-lantern when he tries to eat it off the fence.
Why's it always gotta be bacon that has to suffer the collateral damage with these bear fences?
Someone needs to stand up for the rights of and be the voice for bacon. Bacon is one of God's top ten greatest creations. H£ll chickens even love bacon. Can you image an egg wanting anything else next to them on the breakfast table?
I'm as much for saving our chickens as anyone but where's the love for bacon?
Save the bacon !!!
Strips of cat meat works just as well and cat tastes like cr@p no matter how you fix it.
 
Why's it always gotta be bacon that has to suffer the collateral damage with these bear fences?
Someone needs to stand up for the rights of and be the voice for bacon. Bacon is one of God's top ten greatest creations. H£ll chickens even love bacon. Can you image an egg wanting anything else next to them on the breakfast table?
I'm as much for saving our chickens as anyone but where's the love for bacon?
Save the bacon !!!
Strips of cat meat works just as well and cat tastes like cr@p no matter how you fix it.
::Snort:: bwhahahahaha :gig
 
Good call on the electric fencing. As you are finding out, putting the theory into practice takes some thought and effort.

How big of an area are you enclosing? Square feet or acreage?

On the wire, I have found the 17 gauge aluminum to be as effective as the 14 gauge steel, and a whole lot easier to work with. At least for small areas. On solidly braced corners, I end a run with donut insulators tied to either steel posts or wood posts with a wrap of wire. Hot wire just gets a couple turns around the donut and a few turns back on itself.

IMG_0094.JPG


To tension your runs, use ratchet style tighteners (correct term is strainers). Anyplace (TSC, etc) that sells E fence supplies should have them. How many depends on how long of a run you have. I have these on one end, and another set out in the middle and they will keep my runs from sagging over distances of about 400 feet total length, and that is through two turns at the corners. (This fence is only 3 sided......so two terminal corners and two turning corners). For long straight runs, a single strainer located in the middle of the run should tension up a few hundred yards with no problems. For long straight runs, I'd go back to 14 gauge steel, as there is no need to turn the corners and it will stretch less and be more durable.

For straight runs in the range of several hundred feet and longer, I also like the notion of using barbed wire. It is pretty cheap (cheaper still if you buy used on Craigslist) and not so tough to work with and is durable. When fencing in acreage sized fields of corn stalks for cattle to graze in winter, that is all we used. I hadn't considered the advantage of the barb tips getting through the fur, but it would certainly do that. Tension those with regular fencing wire stretchers.

For smaller areas, polyrope or polytape will also work, and even longer runs of several hundred feet of that can be tightened by hand. Polyrope or polytape are also more visible for bears, who apparently don't see as well as some predators do.

I don't have any gates, but the simple way would be to isolate an insulated electric grid on the gate itself that you can shut off with a throw switch or spring loaded gate connector. Or, if you think you can manipulate the gate latch without getting zapped, just leave it hot.

As for grounding in dry conditions, I think you are on the right track as far as using your voltmeter to test it. If you have good ground rods at the fencer, your voltmeter out on one of the runs should tell you if you getting a good zap. Do put something down that would mimic a bear's paw......say a small can with water. Touch the ground part to the can's edge and probe to the fencer. If you get nothing, bear wouldn't feel it either. If you do find good voltage, he would too.

BTW, there are lots of ways to enhance your grounding other than pounding in a bunch of ground rods. You could also connect your ground wire to a chain link fence or even a long run of livestock fence built with barbed or woven wire. That way each steel post becomes part of your grounding system. Also, if you already have an existing wire fence, and the E fence is going to be hung outside of it, can you also ground the existing wire fence? It is probably already grounded to some extent, but you can hook up to it too? In really dry conditions, the more grounding the better.

Hope this helps!
 
Why's it always gotta be bacon that has to suffer the collateral damage with these bear fences?
Someone needs to stand up for the rights of and be the voice for bacon. Bacon is one of God's top ten greatest creations. H£ll chickens even love bacon. Can you image an egg wanting anything else next to them on the breakfast table?
I'm as much for saving our chickens as anyone but where's the love for bacon?
Save the bacon !!!
Strips of cat meat works just as well and cat tastes like cr@p no matter how you fix it.
Holy cured bacon, man. You're as screwball as me! Hahaha!!!!

Long live the bacon. LONG LIVE THE BACCCOOONNNNNN!!!!!
 
I've decided to do a hot-cold system and some grounding rods. In this climate it'd be nuts not to do that, although people I've talked to look at me weird when I ask how they're grounding their hot wire. They don't seem to know there's another option.

As for connectors, the ones I bought for wood posts hold the wire too close to the fencing. I'm concerned about arcing and wire that's not taut and getting pushed inward. I know I need to test it regularly, but the small space between the fence and hot wire would have me constantly walking the perimeter and worrying the whole thing will fail.

Zareba makes 5" insulators, but when you bring the hot wire over to a gate, it has to angle close to the post because of how low the screw-in hooks sit. They don't extend out much. And the 5" ones seem more vulnerable to breakage, although I know even the best insulator can break.

I'm also concerned about all the extra holes in my redwood posts from running five hot wires. The corners would require two insulators for each wire. I've already seen some splitting and don't want to make it worse.

So, I've decided to surround the entire dang chicken yard and coop with a T stake fence just for the hot wire. If I'm going to use plastic extenders and risk splitting good wood, I may as well just pound in some T stakes and place them a foot or two out from the main fencing. That way I won't have to worry about any of this stuff. It won't look bad because I spray T stakes a matte black, and with flat black connectors (easy to use) and no baggy wires on the corner posts, there's no need for heavy duty screw-in anchors for gates.

It'll be a quick and easy setup, and I like the idea of keeping predators away from the main fencing.

We have some T stakes already and the driver. With an adorable baby bobcat bouncing around the property, I do worry she'll be able to climb under the hot wire. With the hot-cold system, she would need to touch a hot and a cold wire at the same time to get zapped, so I guess some wires closer together down low would be a good idea.

As for the wire to use, the polyrope would be an easy, tidy solution. But I'm not convinced it can deliver the power needed to scare off bears, and for the long haul it costs more to maintain, whereas galvanized steel should last indefinitely. But I do know lots of Fish & Wildlife types and researchers and campers use portable fencing all the time, and it's made from that same stuff, so it out work. I'll have to give this more thought.

Overall a hot wire-only fence seems like a good option for me.
 
Good call on the electric fencing. As you are finding out, putting the theory into practice takes some thought and effort.

How big of an area are you enclosing? Square feet or acreage?

On the wire, I have found the 17 gauge aluminum to be as effective as the 14 gauge steel, and a whole lot easier to work with. At least for small areas. On solidly braced corners, I end a run with donut insulators tied to either steel posts or wood posts with a wrap of wire. Hot wire just gets a couple turns around the donut and a few turns back on itself.

View attachment 1569789

To tension your runs, use ratchet style tighteners (correct term is strainers). Anyplace (TSC, etc) that sells E fence supplies should have them. How many depends on how long of a run you have. I have these on one end, and another set out in the middle and they will keep my runs from sagging over distances of about 400 feet total length, and that is through two turns at the corners. (This fence is only 3 sided......so two terminal corners and two turning corners). For long straight runs, a single strainer located in the middle of the run should tension up a few hundred yards with no problems. For long straight runs, I'd go back to 14 gauge steel, as there is no need to turn the corners and it will stretch less and be more durable.

For straight runs in the range of several hundred feet and longer, I also like the notion of using barbed wire. It is pretty cheap (cheaper still if you buy used on Craigslist) and not so tough to work with and is durable. When fencing in acreage sized fields of corn stalks for cattle to graze in winter, that is all we used. I hadn't considered the advantage of the barb tips getting through the fur, but it would certainly do that. Tension those with regular fencing wire stretchers.

For smaller areas, polyrope or polytape will also work, and even longer runs of several hundred feet of that can be tightened by hand. Polyrope or polytape are also more visible for bears, who apparently don't see as well as some predators do.

I don't have any gates, but the simple way would be to isolate an insulated electric grid on the gate itself that you can shut off with a throw switch or spring loaded gate connector. Or, if you think you can manipulate the gate latch without getting zapped, just leave it hot.

As for grounding in dry conditions, I think you are on the right track as far as using your voltmeter to test it. If you have good ground rods at the fencer, your voltmeter out on one of the runs should tell you if you getting a good zap. Do put something down that would mimic a bear's paw......say a small can with water. Touch the ground part to the can's edge and probe to the fencer. If you get nothing, bear wouldn't feel it either. If you do find good voltage, he would too.

BTW, there are lots of ways to enhance your grounding other than pounding in a bunch of ground rods. You could also connect your ground wire to a chain link fence or even a long run of livestock fence built with barbed or woven wire. That way each steel post becomes part of your grounding system. Also, if you already have an existing wire fence, and the E fence is going to be hung outside of it, can you also ground the existing wire fence? It is probably already grounded to some extent, but you can hook up to it too? In really dry conditions, the more grounding the better.

Hope this helps!

Howard, those ratchet things are a good idea. With polyrope I may not need them. As it turns out, bears have excellent night vision. I read a list of bear myths yesterday and their vision was one of them. Since hot wire is considered a psychological deterrent, it makes sense giving them a visual reminder.

The concern is the zappage. Tractor Supply sells a roll that says it's 20x more powerful, but Zareba (the manufacturer; it's an American Farmworks brand) says it's not recommended for bears. Of course, I've discovered they're paranoid about making any bear related recommendations. That's why you won't find a picture of a bear in the lineup of predators their products can protect against. They told me research shows electric fencing can make bears angry and unpredictable.

Basically, it comes down to liability and fearing lawsuits.

I'm thinking of having my husband test the zappage power. Hahah! Actually, with his vertigo being worse at night, that boy would do well with the yellow woven poly wire. But the whole thing could end up looking like a roped off crime scene, and I like the idea of never having to replace the wire, so I'm still leaning toward galvanized steel. Aluminum is bendy but easier to work with.

Henry and his hens need me to get this done and stop nitpicking details. One more question, though. The insulated connection wire (hot wire to the box, ground to the box, etc.), the roll I bought at Tractor has a very stiff black outer layer. I thought wire has a softer shell. Won't this crack out in the sun?
 
So, I've decided to surround the entire dang chicken yard and coop with a T stake fence just for the hot wire. If I'm going to use plastic extenders and risk splitting good wood, I may as well just pound in some T stakes and place them a foot or two out from the main fencing.
Just a thought crossed my mind if you are going to use T stakes. You can use PVC pipe sleeves over the metal stakes, and installing insulators onto T-stakes would not be necessary.
 
So, I've decided to surround the entire dang chicken yard and coop with a T stake fence just for the hot wire. If I'm going to use plastic extenders and risk splitting good wood, I may as well just pound in some T stakes and place them a foot or two out from the main fencing.
Just a thought crossed my mind if you are going to use T stakes. You can use PVC pipe sleeves over the metal stakes, and installing insulators onto T-stakes would not be necessary.
might be prohibitive if you look at the diameter of pip you will need to cover those stakes... I looked into it myself.... UNless you have alot of scrap layin around...

deb
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom