Does anyone have any experience with portable electric fences to protect food plots?  We have some cattle and horses on the land so I’ll need to protect the food plots. I was going to build a regular fence, but in doing some research I found a portable solution from a company called Gallagher (http://www.gallagherusa.com/wildlife.foodlot.protector.aspx#list ) that looks very interesting. Also it can keep the deer off the plots until they come up and get established.  This solution also appears to be easier to put up and is fairly cost-effective, but I’m just not sure how effective they are.  I did find one research paper from the University of Georgia evaluating the system and it showed it was very effective, but still that is only one source of data so I’m still not comfortable with it.  Anyone used something like this or know anyone who has?  thx!

I developed the Plot D-Fence System as a better alternative to electric or scent fencing. Although my PDFS is a bit more expensive than electric fencing it offers some awesome advantages.  Because it offers total exlusion and does not deter deer with a painful or irritating stimuli, once you lift the bottom deer will immediately enter. I heard from an associate of mine who used electric ribbon fence that after rolling up and storing it the ribbon became very knotted and difficult to unravel for the next year. Electric fencing does work but it is my personal opinion that PDFS is better for plot management.

The key to plot protection for forage management is to have total control of when and how long deer are on your plots and not to sacrifice any time that they could be foraging on the plot - that’s why we plant food plots. The PDFS was developed to simulate exactly what David and Gary get from their metal food plot fences on the Tecomate and El Cazador Ranches but for the cost of only $1.05 a linear foot. The total cost goes way down for larger areas - 4+ acres. Cows may rub on the 10ft. T-posts causing minor damage but they won’t enter if it is properly installed and flagged well. It is very easy to patch repair if some damage is incurred. Check it out here on our web site - go to the Consulting link and drop down to PDFS.

Rans, thanks very much for your response.  Since I posted that a while back, I’ve talked to some ranchers in the hill country and they tell me they have pretty much given up on food plots due to lack of rain and that I’d be far better off just feeding protein year round.  I guess if you have access to irrigation this is not an issue, but we don’t.  I assume y’all have access to water at El Cazador?  Please correct me if I’m wrong - I was all bought off on food plots, but they aren’t cheap and take a lot of time and effort (and I would need to buy all the equipment from scratch), so when I heard these ranchers talking about the water problem, I wrote them off.  I’d love for them to be wrong…

One other question on the fences - the place I hunt always has either cattle or horses on the all parts of the ranch unfortunately, so how would the Plot D system work to keep them out once I wanted to let the deer in and lifted the bottom portion of the fence?  My thinking on the electric fence is that I can remove the outer strand (there are two concentric strands) and the deer could jump in, but the cattle and horses would not, but I might be missing something about how both systems work?  I’m not partial at all, just would want the most practical (balanced with affordability) solution.  Thanks!

Cattle and horses could pose a problem once the fence is lifted.  You will surely need a 4ft. barbed wire fence to go around the area to keep them out and then use PDFS several yards away from and inside the cattle fence for deer browse management...so added cost.  If you have compartmentalized grazing pastures you could move the cattle off the range where your plots are when you lift it.  I don’t know how effective the electric is at keeping cattle out and letting deer in.  My thinking is that it won’t work but I may be wrong.  Also, in very dry soils the ground on the fence (needs moisture for conductivity) could get very weak and the charge get weak. 
The reversible fencing is a main ingredient in how we grow food plots in south TX on 14 inches of annual rainfall.  By keepin the deer off the plots of lablab and ebony pea, both deep rooted legumes, for the first 4 - 5 weeks the plants can establish and put down a foot or more of tap root and establish a primary system of leaves and stems.  Once this occurs the plants become very browse and drought tolerant. If a major drought occurs after estalishment you run the deer out and fence again to let the crop survive and recover.  We also use farming techniques to conserve and actually bank soil moisture down deep where deep tap roots can reach it.  NO - we don’t have irrigation on either ranch.  The fence, the right plants, and smart farming is how we grow those plots that grow our monster bucks.

Rans, thanks this is VERY helpful information so I’m going to take another look at food plots.  Do you have any other details or pointers to info on the “farming techniques to conserve and actually bank soil moisture down deep where deep tap roots can reach it.”?  We do get more rainfall in this area of the hill country, ~ 27"annual (though NOT this year!) so maybe the special techniques are not needed.