Follow Us On:   
Blogs, Resources & Articles
Most recent entries
Tecomate Forums
Recent Tecomate Forum Posts
Syndicate
Join our Mailing List
The Plot D-Fence System
THE REVOLUTIONARY TECOMATE FOOD PLOT PROTECTION SYSTEM
PROTECT AND GROW YOUR FOOD PLOTS WITH 100% EXCLUSION FENCING THAT IS AFFORDABLE, LONG LASTING, MOBILE, AND REVERSIBLE
ORDER YOUR PLOT D-FENCE SYSTEM TODAY!
Contact one of our friendly staff members at Tecomate to process your order at or call 210-408-6161. Just say you are interested in Plot D-Fence System
What is the Plot D-Fence System?
 The Plot D-Fence System (see Photo Gallery), researched and developed by Rans Thomas of Tecomate Wildlife Systems, is based on technology developed and still used today on the Tecomate Ranch to grow food plots in the extreme conditions of south Texas. It is there that Tecomate is famous for growing phenomenal bucks but it is no easy task in that arid region. To maintain high deer densities while at the same time growing whitetails that outweigh and outscore the deer on neighboring ranches by 20% - 30% the driving force behind this system of management, summer forage plots, must be protected from over-browse. The young forage variety dicotyledon plants that we use like lablab and ebony pea are very susceptible to over-browse when they are young and developing but once mature they become very browse tolerant. This normally takes 4 – 6 weeks with normal precipitation. To insure that the crops mature before the deer destroy them, Dr. Gary Schwarz encloses his food plots with metal high fence. The twist to the metal deer fence is that the bottom 36” remains independent from the main fence. Once the crop is mature and ready for browse the bottom panel will be lifted allowing deer under to forage on the highly nutritious crops all summer – the antler growing and fawning season.
“Because metal fencing is very expensive and out of the reach of many deer managers I have spent the last three years developing the Plot D-Fence System™” says Rans Thomas. There are numerous ways that deer managers are trying to protect food plots and I’ve tried them all with little and sometimes no success. Now I have a system that not only works but gives me the ability to allow the deer into my plots or keep them out by lifting or lowering my fence. No other plot protection system can do this or give me complete control on when and how long I allow deer to browse my plots. The results from using this system have gone way beyond my expectations. Deer can destroy a crop by browsing it to the ground and over-browse also compounds problems with drought and weeds. There is no doubt that over-browse is the number one contributing cause of food plot failure for most managers”.
“Another use for the system that I recently discovered is to fence cool season attraction plots at planting, allow them to establish and reach peak attraction levels and then a week or so before the hunting season then lift the fence. You will truly be amazed at not only how much healthier and attractive your food plot will be but how well they will stand up to browse through the fall and winter because they had a chance to establish a strong stem, leaf, and root system while protected. Stay tuned to The Bucks of Tecomate in 2008 for a Management Minute on the Plot D-Fence System”.
 The Materials: The Plot D-Fence System comes with a high tensile strength 7.5 ft tall polypropylene deer fencing material which is unbreakable by human hand. It is UV resistant and has a life span of 10+ years. It is very malleable allowing you to lift and fold up the bottom to allow deer in the plot and roll it back up for storage. It is very light weight and easy to handle. One person can carry the 225ft. rolls. The PDFS does not come with posts however it will only be fully effective if 10ft. metal T-posts (roughly $8.50/post) are used and spaced every 15 - 18ft. The PDFS also comes with heavy duty metal ground stakes, black plastic zip ties, and white flagging.
Installation and Management of the Plot D-Fence System:
 1) Stretch and attach the fence with the zip ties provided (3 - 4 per post is adequate). Make sure the open edge of fence goes at the bottom and the closed edge at the top.
 2) Drive in ground stakes (3-4 between posts) with the hook facing outward and attach to the fence at the bend in the bottom lip running 4”-6” along the ground.
 3) Tie blue and white flagging ribbon 3 – 4 feet from the ground (3 - 4 between posts) with none above this height or at the top of the fence – deer clearly see the presence of this barrier at eye level but cannot determine how tall the fence really is and won’t try to jump over.
4) End your last panel at a corner post and attach the edge to an 8ft. piece of 1” PVC pipe then zip tie the pipe to the corner post - This will act as a gate to get into the plot with equipment
 5) Spray around the bottom of the fence with a glyphosate herbicide to keep weeds and crop plants from growing into the fence
6) For summer legume crops closely monitor for crop maturity (4-6 weeks for most summer annual dicotelydons) or for total crop recovery before lifting the fence
 7) Unhook the fence from the ground stakes, cut the bottom zip ties, lift the bottom to the top and reattach to the fence posts with the zip ties.
Features of the Plot D-Fence System:
1) If properly installed deer will not get into the food plot until you roll it up and allow them in
2) The PDFS is a very low visibility material and does not compromise the aesthetics of a property
3) Because the fencing has this low visibility feature the flagging streamers are attached so that deer can clearly see the fence
4) The fence system may be compromised by poor installation and sometimes deer may paw at the bottom of the fence until they get their head under and lift the fence up to get in - check the fence as often as possible for deer entry, limb fall damage, or rodent chewing
5) Due to poor installation, falling limbs, or farm equipment damage deer may find a way in through a small opening. If startled while inside they will run into the fence trying to escape - only check these plots in mid day so that deer that may have entered during the night will have time to find their way out well before mid day
6) This system works for any plot being damaged by excessive browse and works for both summer and fall forage plots as well as hunting and attraction plots
Cost of the Plot D-Fence System:
The PDFS costs $1.05/linear foot for the fence material, zip ties and ground stakes. You must order a minimum of the 1 acre package which includes 900ft. of fence - enough to enclose one square acre. The fence comes in 225ft. rolls and the 1 Acre package includes four rolls. To order at this pricing, the total fence you need must be ordered in four roll increments as 1 Acre packages for $950/acre. To order individual 225 foot rolls the cost is $300.00 for a 225 roll with ground stakes and zip ties for that roll.
How to Price your PDFS:
Pace around your plot or plots and multiply your steps by 2.8 which is the length in feet of an average sized person’s normal step. You should use a measuring wheel to be more accurate. Divide the total feet in length by 900 feet (the 1 Acre Package). If the total distance is not equal to an even number of 1 Acre packages (4 rolls – 900 feet) then you can order individual rolls at a higher price (refer above). Remember that this is a 10+ year product and you may find more plots to fence with any excess fence and use excess for repairs.
Research & Development:
Tecomate’s Head Wildlife Biologist, Rans Thomas developed this system and has been testing its effectiveness and economic viability on actual Tecomate Consulting Client properties in GA, MS, and NE for three years
ORDER YOUR PLOT D-FENCE SYSTEM TODAY!
Contact one of our friendly staff members at Tecomate to process your order at or call 210-408-6161. Just say you are interested in Plot D-Fence System.
|
|
|
 |
