Fencing Woes- Keeping out Elk

[nuthatched]

Hi all,
I need advice on the best and budget friendly way to keep the elk out of my run.
I've used tenax deer fencing in the past, nice and tall, it worked great until the elk figured out they could just walk through it.
This year, along with a coop redesign that won't allow elk to see the feed in any way, I need to figure out the best way to make sturdy fence for $400 or less.
The other predators we have are coyotes, coons and the occasional bobcat but I'm not worried about them as long as I can keep my fence intact and my girls are in the coop from dusk to dawn.
Electric fences don't work up here as the ground is too dry and crumbly.
Run is roughly 65 feet sqare, but since one side is 4 feet away from the side of the house, I might not need as robust security along that side if I block the ends. Any leftover materials will go secure the garden.
My options, all on 8 foot posts:
My current deer fencing on the bottom, (works great for dogs, coyotes, javelina, deer, etc) with cattle panels 16' x 50" attached 3 feet up the post so the top of the panel is at 7 feet. $32 +tax
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/feedlot-panel-cattle-16-ft-l-x-50-in-h
My current deer fencing on the bottom, and 3' welded wire fencing attached 4 feet up the post, $40 +tax for a 3' by 50' roll.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...ce-with-2-in-x-3-in-mesh-3-ft-x-50-ft-308361b
Or Tenax Elk Fencing 8' by 100' attached to posts. Tensile strength 1400 lbs per inch, $245 + tax.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EJHVD3W/?coliid=I1YNWVPHD9SVQ0&colid=15RLWNVN2HP1L&psc=1&ref_=_sed_dp
I don't want to be cheap and regret it later but $400 is the absolute most I can spend, and that includes the posts, roughly 16 for $7 each.

Thank you! I can provide a diagram of needed.

 

[azygous]

You are on the right track with the steel cattle panels. This is what I use around my run and garden plots to keep out deer and elk and bears.

If you are concerned with elk jumping the fence, all you need to do is add a clothesline rope around the top of the fencing, effectively extending the height of the fence.

 

[nuthatched]

You are on the right track with the steel cattle panels. This is what I use around my run and garden plots to keep out deer and elk and bears.

If you are concerned with elk jumping the fence, all you need to do is add a clothesline rope around the top of the fencing, effectively extending the height of the fence.

Thanks! Our elk don't seem like jumping over fences higher than 6 feet, 2 if my neighbors have fruit trees and their fences are 6-7 feet tall, I'm a bit more concerned with them bulling through it.
I believe I'll need 10 cattle panels in all, including for the garden. How do you attach them to posts? I'm debstimg between tposts and 4" wood. U nails, wire?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Electric fence and wire?

Cattle panels can be secured with 1.5" U nails - that's what I used to secure the upper edge of my panels for my arched trellis. A motivated creature CAN pull them out - I had what was likely a hog get tangled in a line of my electric fence, and pulled the U-Nail out of a tree - but a portion of the nail was sunk in bark, hardly the strongest substrate. Had he been going the opposite direction, he'd probably still be tangled.

I have no elk experience, but doubt an elk could pull multiple u nails by pushing against a panel supported on the inside.

 

[azygous]

I used wire to secure my panels to steel T posts. Where I installed them against wood, I used short two inch long pieces of strapping tape and wood screws.

The elk shouldn't be able to bull their way through the cattle panels if secured to steel posts planted securely into the ground. You're probably right about the elk not being interested in jumping over the fence. At over 700 pounds, I'd be less inclined to want to high jump. Actually, I'm not inclined even though I weigh only 110 pounds.

 

[Feathyr]

Just popping in to third the cattle panel suggestion. We have successfuly deterred them with a *very* hot electric fence, but our neighbors use cattle panels and that alone is generally enough.

They can jump, but have to be pretty desperate to do so.

 

[nuthatched]

Electric fence and wire?

Cattle panels can be secured with 1.5" U nails - that's what I used to secure the upper edge of my panels for my arched trellis. A motivated creature CAN pull them out - I had what was likely a hog get tangled in a line of my electric fence, and pulled the U-Nail out of a tree - but a portion of the nail was sunk in bark, hardly the strongest substrate. Had he been going the opposite direction, he'd probably still be tangled.

I have no elk experience, but doubt an elk could pull multiple u nails by pushing against a panel supported on the inside.

I wish I could use electric fences, it would give me sadistic delight to zap the buggers. The ground isn't damp enough here for the grounding rods to ground properly, they'd have to be dampened with a drip system or something. Perhaps if I use screws or perhaps lag bolts and conduit straps?

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I wish I could use electric fences, it would give me sadistic delight to zap the buggers. The ground isn't damp enough here for the grounding rods to ground properly, they'd have to be dampened with a drip system or something. Perhaps if I use screws or perhaps lag bolts and conduit straps?

The smaller the area protected, the less the quality of the ground is an issue. My FL clays and sands, at the top of our "hill" are such poor insulators when dry that I can grab a 1.2 joule fence protecting about 5 acres (1/3 mile run, x3 strands) and hardly feel it. Or I could.

I grounded a neutral line, then set new ground rods off it every 100 feet. Its not like tapping 110v household, but it will get your attention. If I had a 2+ joule fence, I'd use a tester to check its function, not tap it with my thumbnail.

Of course, now when it rains, I can hear it shorting to an oak tree 1/2" from the wire, that just happens to be several feet from a ground rod. It arcs about the same to one of my pines, as well.

 

[nuthatched]

The smaller the area protected, the less the quality of the ground is an issue. My FL clays and sands, at the top of our "hill" are such poor insulators when dry that I can grab a 1.2 joule fence protecting about 5 acres (1/3 mile run, x3 strands) and hardly feel it. Or I could.

I grounded a neutral line, then set new ground rods off it every 100 feet. Its not like tapping 110v household, but it will get your attention. If I had a 2+ joule fence, I'd use a tester to check its function, not tap it with my thumbnail.

Of course, now when it rains, I can hear it shorting to an oak tree 1/2" from the wire, that just happens to be several feet from a ground rod. It arcs about the same to one of my pines, as well.

Would you think that would be strong enough to thwart a 800lb animal? I've considered using an AC charged fence made for cattle but elk have thicker hair and dealing with that much power is likely to fry me if fall into it. We get rain in the spring, then late summer/fall. I believe our dirt is mostly clay and shale.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Would you think that would be strong enough to thwart a 800lb animal? I've considered using an AC charged fence made for cattle but elk have thicker hair and dealing with that much power is likely to fry me if fall into it. We get rain in the spring, then late summer/fall. I believe our dirt is mostly clay and shale.

I think that, for a small enough area, in theory, a big enough fence charger WILL do the trick.

My experience, however, is exactly ZERO.

I can say that no Solar power'd charger will do it.

Here's what the MFG says:
https://www.zarebasystems.com/learning-center/animal-selector/deer-elk

For a small area, it sounds like the panels, because of the visual barrier, are the better choice.