Does Deer Netting Work? | Stops Them Cold When Done Right

Yes, deer netting works as a highly effective physical barrier, but only when installed at a minimum height of 8 feet in open areas and securely anchored to the ground to prevent deer from jumping over or crawling under.

If you have spent a season watching deer strip your arborvitae or plow through a row of pole beans, you already know that sprays and noise makers are a gamble. A physical barrier is the only strategy that works without fail. Deer netting is that barrier. The catch — and it is a real one — is that getting it wrong wastes your time. Too short, and they jump it. Too loose, and they push under it. This article covers exactly what height, mesh size, and anchoring method turns a roll of plastic netting into a reliably deer-proof fence for your garden.

What Makes Deer Netting Work: Height, Mesh, and Anchoring

The effectiveness of deer netting comes down to three physical details, not the brand you buy. Get these right and the netting becomes a nearly invisible wall they cannot solve.

• Height. In an open field where a deer can get a running start, the netting must be 8 feet tall. Around shrubs where the branches already break their jump trajectory, 5 to 6 feet can be sufficient.
• Mesh size. A ¾-inch mesh is the standard for black deer netting. That opening is small enough to stop a deer’s nose and hoof from pushing through but large enough to let light and rain reach your plants.
• Anchoring. A deer will happily crawl under a fence that is taut at the top but loose at the bottom. The netting must be pinned to the ground along its entire length with landscape stakes or U-shaped sod pins, placed no more than every 3 feet. Any gap at the bottom is an open door.

How to Install Deer Netting So It Actually Stays Up

Installation methods differ depending on what you are protecting. Below are the three most common setups, each with the exact sequence that works in the field.

Installing a Deer Netting Fence Around a Garden Bed or Patch

This is the standard method for protecting rows of vegetables or a cluster of shrubs. It uses T-posts or wooden stakes as the frame.

1. Space intermediate posts every 8 to 10 feet along the perimeter.
2. Attach the netting to the first post with zip ties at the top, center, and bottom. Pull the roll across to the next post.
3. On the second post, use only one zip tie at the top to start. This keeps the netting taut across the span. Then, working down the grid, attach the center of the net to the next post, keeping the mesh parallel to the ground.
4. Pull the netting tight toward the bottom and attach it with zip ties. Install additional ties down the rest of the vertical grid.
5. Where the netting reaches the ground, bunch any extra length and secure it with a landscape stake driven through the fold. Repeat between posts so no gaps remain.
6. For the entrance, weave a stick vertically through the two edges of adjoining netting pieces. To get in, remove the stick; to close it, slide it back in.

Protecting Individual Trees or Shrubs

When you only need to guard a few high-value plants like young arborvitae or yews, wrapping them individually works. Drive three or four stakes around the plant a few feet out from its drip line. Drape the netting over the stakes and anchor the bottom to the ground. Critically, do NOT wrap the netting tightly around the plant itself — that traps moisture against the bark and invites disease and ice damage in winter.

Covering Low Crops Like Strawberries or Lettuce

For plants that stay close to the ground, drape the netting directly over the bed. Spread it loosely over the plants and secure the corners with sticks or sod staples. The key failure point is the ends of the rows — rabbits and groundhogs will wriggle in through any unprotected corner. Seal all four corners completely. See our tested roundup of the best deer netting for gardens for specific product recommendations that hold up season after season.

Deer Netting vs. Repellents: The Reliability Difference

Deer repellents provide partial, short-term protection. They wash off in rain, require reapplication every four weeks, and deer eventually learn to ignore them. Netting does not degrade or get ignored. When installed at the correct height and anchored securely, it is the only method that is considered “without fail” by extension services and experienced gardeners. The one exception is very high deer pressure combined with deep snow — a drift can raise the ground level enough for a deer to step over an 8-foot fence. In that scenario, only a woven-wire fence at the same height is truly reliable.

Common Installation Mistakes That Let Deer In

Even the best netting fails if one of these five errors is present. Avoid them and the netting works; miss one and you will wonder why you bothered.

• Not enough height. Using 6- or 7-foot netting in an open area. A deer clears a 7-foot fence from a standstill with room to spare. Only 8 feet works in open ground.
• Leaving the bottom loose. A deer that cannot jump will happily crawl. Secure the net’s bottom edge to the ground with stakes — every single foot of it.
• Forgetting the row ends. Rabbits and groundhogs enter through the unprotected corners at the end of a row. Seal them just as tightly as the sides.
• Wrapping netting tight against a plant. This traps moisture and collects ice, turning your protection into a disease vector. Use stakes to hold the netting away from the plant itself.
• Blocking pollinators. Fine-mesh netting also blocks bees. For flowering crops like squash and melons, open the netting during bloom hours or use supports that keep the mesh off the flowers.

Does the Mesh Color Matter?

Black netting is the most common and works well, but it has a visibility problem. Deer may not see the thin black strands until they run into them, and a running deer can snap the netting or hurt itself. Tie brightly colored streamers or strips of flagging tape to the netting every 5 to 10 feet for the first few months. Once the deer learn where the barrier is, the streamers can be removed.

When Deer Netting Is Not Enough

Deer netting is a very good solution under light to moderate deer pressure, but it has limits. In deep snow, a deer can walk right over a fence that was 8 feet tall in summer. On steep slopes, the effective height of the fence decreases because the deer is standing above it. If you are protecting a large commercial plot or live in an area with an abundant deer population that is desperate for food, an 8-foot woven-wire fence — installed with a metal post driver and set in concrete — is the only method that does not require annual maintenance or replacements. Netting is excellent for the 90% situation; the woven-wire fence is for the 10% where everything else fails.

Installation Checks: A Practical Sequence

Before you call the job done, run this checklist. A failure anywhere on this list means the deer will find it within a week.

• Is the entire perimeter enclosed? No gaps at corners or gates?
• Is every bottom edge pinned to the ground with a stake placed every 3 feet?
• Are the row ends and seams between netting rolls tightly sealed?
• Is the netting taut across every span, with no sagging pockets a deer could push through?
• Are colorful markers attached so deer can see the barrier?
• Is the netting supported by stakes around each individual plant, not wrapped against the bark?

Deer netting works. The difference between a frustrated gardener who calls it useless and one who swears by it is entirely in the installation. Get the height, the anchoring, and the corners right, and your garden stays yours.