How to Use Deer Netting? | Install It Right The First Time

Deer netting works as a 5-to-8-foot physical barrier that blocks deer from reaching plants, but success depends entirely on correct installation — secure the bottom to the ground and use a monofilament support system for the fence to stand up to pressure.

A single hungry deer can level a vegetable patch or strip an arborvitae in one night. Repellents wash off, and scare devices stop working fast. Deer netting is the durable solution that, installed right, ends the problem. The trick is that most failures — sagging tops, lifted bottoms, bird entanglements — happen during that installation. Here is exactly how to put it up for a permanent garden fence, how to drape it over individual shrubs, and the common mistakes that turn netting into a nuisance.

How High and Strong Does Deer Netting Need to Be?

White-tail deer will jump anything under 5 feet. For a permanent garden fence, plan on a 7-to-8-foot height. If you are placing the netting right against shrubs so deer cannot get a running start, 5 feet is enough. The mesh itself must be UV-resistant plastic, supported by monofilament lines tensioned with gripples or tighteners. No netting stands up to a deer push without that tensioned support system.

Method A: Install a Permanent Deer Fence

A permanent fence uses monofilament lines as top, middle, and bottom rails, with the netting clamped to them using hog rings and secured to the ground with stakes. This is the setup recommended by extension services for long-term garden protection.

Step 1: Set the Corners and End Posts First

Install corner posts, end posts, and any gate frames before running the lines. Post spacing for T-posts should be 8 to 10 feet apart. Run a monofilament line across the entire span where the fence will sit, sliding it through sleeve holes on the corner supports. Crimp the wire at each end with a tool and install monofilament tighteners on every run — top, middle, and bottom — between corners. Purdue Extension recommends this sequence for structural integrity.

Step 2: Attach the Netting to the First Post

Unroll the mesh and attach it squarely to the first post using five 1 ¼-inch U-shaped fencing staples. Make sure the mesh hangs straight before moving down the line.

Step 3: Fasten Mesh to the Support Lines

Use hog rings to fasten the mesh to the top and bottom monofilament lines every 3 feet. After the mesh is attached across the span, go back and place hog rings every 2 feet along the top line for extra holding power against deer leaning on the fence.

Step 4: Tension the Mesh and Stake the Bottom

Stretch the mesh 1 foot past the next post, cut it, and secure it to that post with staples. The bottom of the netting must be pinned to the ground with 12-inch kinked stakes placed every 5 feet. Deer will push under a loose bottom in seconds — this is the single most common failure point.

Step 5: Add White Warning Banners

Install white warning banners every 10 feet along the fence, 4 feet off the ground. These give deer a visual cue they cannot clear, preventing them from trying to jump and tearing the mesh.

Method B: Drape Netting Over Individual Plants and Shrubs

For smaller gardens or specimen shrubs like arborvitae, a draped cover works. The goal is to block access, not wrap the plant tight.

Stake the Perimeter and Drape Over

Place plastic or wooden stakes around the shrub or plot, roughly 6 inches high. Cut the netting to size and drape it over the stakes, extending slightly beyond the circumference. Weigh down the edges with rocks or sticks between the stakes so no animal can crawl underneath. For an access door to reach inside, weave a stick through the edges of two netting pieces — remove the stick to get in, replace it to close the gap.

Important: Do Not Tightly Wrap Plants

Tight wrapping traps moisture against leaves and stems, collects ice in winter, and encourages disease. The netting should be a loose tent, not a mummy wrap. Leave the top open for air and light when protecting injured plants.

Common Mistakes That Ruin Deer Netting

These errors turn a good fence into a feeder ramp. Avoid them all.

• Loose bottom: The number one failure. Deer lift the netting and walk right under. Stake every 5 feet, minimum.
• Sagging top: The top line must be pulled taut and the mesh stretched parallel to the ground. A sagging top creates a gap deer push through.
• Too low: Under 5 feet is a suggestion, not a barrier. Minimum 5 feet for shrubs, 7 to 8 for a garden fence.
• Ignoring corners: Rabbits and groundhogs worm into unprotected corners. Secure the ends of every row.
• Non-UV netting: Standard plastic mesh crumbles in a season. Look for UV-resistant products like Dalen Deer-X or Feitore deer fencing.
• Bird traps: Plastic deer netting can snare birds. For bird safety, use wire mesh or chicken wire instead of plastic netting on smaller enclosures.

Deer Netting vs. Other Barriers: What Works When

Which Plants Need Netting Most?

Deer target certain plants first. If these grow in your yard, netting is not optional.

• Tender vegetables: Strawberries, melons, squash, pole beans — drape netting over the entire patch and anchor with sticks.
• Shrubs deer love: Arborvitae, hostas, daylilies, roses. Wrap netting loosely around the shrub with stakes holding the bottom.
• Low-growing crops: Lettuce rows need netting spread over them and staked at the corners — rabbits slip into unprotected ends.
• Tall plants: Tomatoes do best with wire cages (3–4 feet diameter) rather than netting alone, because the cage provides structural support and the deer cannot reach through.

The Midwest and Northeast Need It Most

Deer pressure is highest in forested suburban areas of the Midwest and Northeast. White-tail deer populations there have exploded over the last two decades. If you live in those regions and have had deer damage, skip the repellent trial phase and go straight to netting. If you are ready to buy, check out our tested product roundup of the best deer netting for gardens to find the right size and material for your setup.

Final Installation Checklist

One last scan before you call it done.

• Fence height at least 5 feet (7–8 for gardens).
• Corners and gates installed before lines are run.
• Monofilament lines tensioned top, middle, and bottom.
• Mesh attached to lines with hog rings every 2–3 feet.
• Bottom staked to ground with 12-inch kinked stakes every 5 feet.
• White banners installed every 10 feet at 4-foot height.
• Netting UV-resistant (not standard plastic).
• For draped covers: loose around plant, bottom secured, top open for air.
• All ends and corners protected — no gaps.