Portable electric fence

[Duck-Slayer]

Anyone here make 1 yourself?, seeing the price difference buying vs. making 1, looks like I came up with about $160 too make 1 vs. $200+ too buy the kit.
Matt

[hihobaron]

I'll buy ready made fence for the time involved go commercial.
I have worked with fish nets and it takes lots of time to weave/knot them.
For $40 it is not worth my time.
hihobaron

[Montana Mike]

Anyone here make 1 yourself?, seeing the price difference buying vs. making 1, looks like I came up with about $160 too make 1 vs. $200+ too buy the kit.
Matt

My question is: why do you want one? To keep your herd corralled in camp? To protect them against predators? I have some thoughts, but first I'd like to know a little more about your need.

[IdahoNancy]

Portable electric fence. With no evidence at all I feel like it may deter a black bear, and coyotes. Large dogs and large cats may not be deterred but as a general rule these predators don't like people and stay away from camp. I use it in base camp with a wall tent or RV. It sets up in 30 minutes, it is light weight. The premier 1 fence I use needs additional support poles for wind and snow.
I lay a light weight tarp on the ground, fold the fence with poles as I take it down, lay it on the tarp and roll the whole thing up. A herd of cattle pushed it down while the goats and I were out hunting. The fence was fine, the power had been off when this happened. A solar charger works well and is also light weight and fast to set up.
My goats hate the fence and don't touch it. New goats learn quickly to stay away from it. It is easy for me when exhausted from hiking to just open the gate and put the goats behind the fence. The goats can relax, eat and drink with no concern of getting tangled on tie outs. It is easy and keeps the goats contained.

[DownUnder Gal]

Love their marquee

[Montana Mike]

Anyone here make 1 yourself?, seeing the price difference buying vs. making 1, looks like I came up with about $160 too make 1 vs. $200+ too buy the kit.
Matt

My question is: why do you want one? To keep your herd corralled in camp? To protect them against predators? I have some thoughts, but first I'd like to know a little more about your need.

[Montana Mike]

Anyone here make 1 yourself?, seeing the price difference buying vs. making 1, looks like I came up with about $160 too make 1 vs. $200+ too buy the kit.
Matt

My question is: why do you want one? To keep your herd corralled in camp? To protect them against predators? I have some thoughts, but first I'd like to know a little more about your need.

With no evidence at all I feel like it may deter a black bear, and coyotes.

IdahoNancy has a great setup but she sounds unsure if it will deter large predators. According to some wildlife experts, this takes a minimum of 5,000 volts. Where I hunt, a seven strand electric fence is required to protect your camp and stock. This basically consists of T-posts strung together with Turbo Wire (or something similar) using insulators and charged with a solar charger. Details can be had from the Lewis and Clark National Forest here in Montana. The idea is that predators try to squeeze under the fence, ground themselves out and get zapped. 

The problem: it takes as much time to set up the fence as it does to set up camp! Obviously I don't take this setup with me when I backpack. My pack goat and my dog (as well as any other backpackers who accompany me) make pretty good burger alarms in case of a midnight visitor. I sleep with a can of bear spray close by. Also as a precaution, I place my food in an odor proof sack inside of a pack, and run the whole thing up a tree. 

Photo is of the above-mentioned electric fence surrounding our camp during an elk hunt in griz country.

[IdahoNancy]

That is interesting information Montana Mike. My husband and I have been considering an elk hunt in heavy grizzly country. It would require remote camping with supplies being packed in on horse back about 20 miles. Could you construct this fence your speaking of with the plastic fence post that have the steal spike?

[Montana Mike]

That is interesting information Montana Mike. My husband and I have been considering an elk hunt in heavy grizzly country. It would require remote camping with supplies being packed in on horse back about 20 miles. Could you construct this fence your speaking of with the plastic fence post that have the steal spike?

Yes, I think you could. Just be ready for freezing weather to freeze them in place! We've had to use a post puller to extract metal posts. I don't know what might be available to pull plastic posts. Also make sure you take into consideration all the other things needed for hunting in griz country.

We're fortunate in that we can drive in and set up our camp before the road is gated for the winter. After the gate gets closed for hunting season, it's only about a 3 mile hike into our camp. We normally set up camp the first weekend of October, then return to hunt the middle of November. The gate is re-opened Dec. 1 and we have 10 days to get our camp out.