How to Keep Moose Out of Your Garden and Orchard

I ’ll never bury the morning when I first woke up to the sight of a European elk lying down in my backyard .

Well , two elk , really . Young , muzzy , and huge .

Having only recently move into my small Alaskan home , I ’d seen moose tracks in my K plenty of metre , but never the elephantine animals themselves .

See those teeth marks? This poor tree has been struggling to stay healthy ever since a moose decided to make a snack of it. Photo by Laura Melchor.

After grab my young son , I dashed over to the back porch to show him the two teenage Cervids .

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But then I noticed that my freshly planted willow Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree look strangely sparse , like an brow plucked at random .

See those teeth marks? This poor tree has been struggling to stay healthy ever since a moose decided to make a snack of it. Photo by Laura Melchor.

With a yelp , I dashed to the front yard to check on my brand - raw plum and apple Tree .

Every single one of their leaves had been pillage off by large , moosey teeth .

gratefully we had already harvested the fruit , but I wondered how badly the mauling would strike the trees .

Would they come through the get wintertime ? Would they still acquire Malus pumila and plums ?

Since that fateful October day , the giant tool have devour :

My lifespan as a gardener in Alaska has been defined by European elk . Or more specifically , how to keep moose out of my garden and orchard .

My M has no fence around the perimeter , so it ’s even more of a battle to keep animals out .

But moose can parachute lower fence anyway .

If you survive in Alaska , Montana , Idaho , Maine , Wyoming , Wisconsin , or any other region where the great Cervids are out to bolt up your garden , you ’re in chance .

I ’ve learned a matter or two about deter the creatures from my plants while still enjoying the sight of them in my yard .

And I ’m eager to share what I ’ve get word with you .

Here ’s what you ’ll name :

What You’ll Learn

Why Do Moose Love My Trees and Plants So Much?

When I first brought home thirteen fresh trees from the gardening store two class ago , my old - timer Alaskan neighbor chuckled .

“ What sort of trees are those ? ” he say .

I listed them off . Aspen , willow , maple , birch , plum , andapple .

“ The moose are gon na love those apple trees . ” My neighbor then listed off all the tried - and - not - so - trues of discourage the creature :

Hang a bar of Irish Spring soap in the tree . Drape tinsel all over the branch . Tie dryer sheet , cut into strip show , onto the arm .

It all sounded wacky and strange , and my neighbour ended with , “ I implant a mountain ash tree a pair class ago and the moose use up it all . ”

I could hardly imagine such a thing . And I was sure-footed that my chosen deterrent method would work .

It did and it did n’t , which you ’ll learn more about in just a moment .

First , a banknote about these magnificent mammals ( genus Alces alces ) , which are part of the deer family , Cervidae .

They acquire up to six groundwork tall , from their hooves to their articulatio humeri , and weigh around 1,000 pound .

The bulls grow impressive antler that they shed and regrow from scratch each year .

And while you probably do n’t want to get in the way of a shit Alces alces and his antlers , it ’s even scarey to discover yourself out on the trail near a mama moose and her baby .

female will employ their hooves to trample anyone who comes close to those precious fluffy babes .

As long as you value the animals , though , they ’re not ferocious .

Unless you ’re a garden or an grove . Because likedeer , moose are herbivores .

But they ’re no average herbivores . Due to their tall stature and heavy physical structure , these Cervids tend to avoid rust low - lying grasses and alternatively set their pot on trees .

It makes sense , as the twigs , leaves , bark , and branches are at the arrant height or within promiscuous reach of those long , strong neck .

The etymological fundament of the news “ moose , ” which is the animal ’s usual North American name ( it ’s called an elk in British English , not to be bewildered withCervus canadensis ) suggests that the creature love to eliminate Tree .

In the Algonquian languages – which include the languages speak by Narragansett , Abenaki , Wampanoag , and additional Nation aboriginal to northeastern land , parts of the Midwest , and much of Canada – animals arenamed after their central attribute or usance .

For example , one Algonquian countersign for tent flap is “ oochaus , ” which translate to “ animal moving all about . ”

So it espouse that one of the Algonquian parole for the giant Cervids – moosu – understand to “ he who strip off . ”

If it could verbalize , my aspen tree would tell you that that ’s exactly what a elk did to it this past winter .

Aspen trees are often found in a elk ’s aboriginal habitat , and the tender bark is one of their favorite foods .

While the animals may visit your garden or orchard in the summertime , they ’re most potential to seek out nutriment in the fall , winter , and early spring , when intellectual nourishment is scarce in the forests and mess beyond our dwelling house gardens .

Still , I had a moose come into the yard last week ( at the end of June ! ) and draw close my maple tree leaves . My husband was able to scare it forth with a cry .

scream at them doesnotwork in the wintertime , by the agency . I ’ve literally bellowed at the elk to get away from my tree in the winter and they completely brush aside me and keep deplete .

So there ’s never a awry time to learn about how to keep your works safe from these critters .

And while they definitely tend to eat tree more than grasses , they wo n’t hesitate to munch from your vegetable garden , too .

What ’s grow in there is a lot tasty than grass , after all .

The Top Methods of Moose Damage Prevention

Now that you cognize why moose crave the fruits of your Labor Department , it ’s fourth dimension to figure out the best elbow room to discourage them .

Let ’s start with the most foolproof method acting of them all .

Construct a Barrier Fence

Any Alaskan will tell you that the single most in force way to keep the athirst animals away from your trees and garden is to set up a fencing around tell Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or garden .

I make love this because many Alaskans told me the moose would consume my Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree if I did n’t do this .

Since I had just drop a circle of hard cash on the trees , I did n’t feel like dropping even more on fencing materials .

But that same October Clarence Day when the elk stripped my apple andplum treesof their leaves , I perish to the local computer hardware store , bought supplies for four fences , and build them that very night .

With my hubby ’s help , it took three 60 minutes .

It palpate urgent to complete them that night .

This is because moose wo n’t leave your innocent trees alone after the first flak . They ’ll simply come back and land up what they start .

Of the thirteen trees I planted when I move into my current house , four are yield trees . We manufacture fences around each of these after the onslaught .

And the sunup after I ramp up those fences , the moose came back .

They started by nosing the trees in the backyard .

I go out and holler at them to leave . So they ran toward the front of the menage where the little orchard apple tree and plum orchard is .

I capture a shot of a Alces alces running past my windowpane . It pause and looked back at me .

Then it saw the fences I ’d built around the apple trees and it ran in the other direction .

The tree survived the winter and grow leaves and fruit again the follow summertime , but nearly two years later there are still barren maculation on some offshoot where the bark has n’t recovered .

I should have built fence when I first imbed the tree , but alas , all I can do is promise you check from my failure .

If you or anyone in your area has ever find out a moose in the neighborhood , go get fence - building suppliesnow .

This goes for your garden , too . When my married man make me a new garden this yr , he also built a 5.5 - infantry - tall fence around it to keep the fauna out .

Trust me on the fence thing . Your tree and garden will thank you .

Not sure how to get started ? Here ’s how we build up our tree diagram and garden fence .

Before we get get down , just know that this is n’t an especially refined or beautiful fence design , but it pose the job done .

Once your trees are large and amply mature , they ’ll be able-bodied to hold out elk snacking on them without much of an issue . It ’ll be like free pruning for you .

But it takes old age for trees to get big enough for that , so until then you ’ll have to enjoy the sight of your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree from behind this simple Alaskan mostly - moose - proof fence .

Here ’s what we bought before building :

stone’s throw 1 – Mark Out Hole Placement

To avoid the frustration of putting down a fence post that you by and by realize has wonky placement , mark out where you want the billet to go before you do anything else .

Use rocks to tick off a “ triangle ” of post hole around your Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , about two to three feet asunder .

There should be at least two understructure between the trunk and the fencing , but not a whole lot more . There should n’t be any elbow room for them to land if the moose make up one’s mind to attempt a leap .

Step 2 – Dig the Post Holes

Now that you ’ve marked where you need the holes to go , you could jab post holes with the confidence that you wo n’t have to re - do them .

With a post - hole power shovel or a shovel , hollow down 12 inches or a little more . stick in the U - berth and throng dirt in around it .

Step 3 – Measure the Fencing Material

You could technically get all fancy in this footstep and whip out a tape measure , but I like to do this part the simple way .

And besides , the erect U - posts pretty much do your mensuration workplace for you , as you ’ll see below .

Once all three posts are up , enfold the fencing around the posts and cut the wire , leaving some overlap so that you may tie the zip tie .

verify the fencing cover the branch as much as potential . A suitable fencing will reach six to eight human foot in top .

stair 4 – Secure the Fencing to the U - Posts

This last step is the easiest of all . A odorous reward for all the sweat of the first few steps , am I right ?

All you have to do is this : nada tie the fencing to the atomic number 92 - Emily Post .

That ’s it ! While you could technically progress a fence around the entire orchard , this can be more expensive and awkward look .

And besides , moose and cervid can parachute fences if there ’s room inside the fence expanse for them to move around in .

As a general rule , a Alces alces - resistant fence should be about six to eight foot improbable from where the post meets the earth to where the sword welded wire ends .

To protect the trunks – becauseyes , moose can utterly bend down and strip bark off the low portion of a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree when they want to – envelop chicken conducting wire generally around them and link it off with nil ties .

Just verify the wire is n’t touch the torso of your tree .

First , a caution : a very determined Alces alces will plow into a fence no matter what , unless it ’s a 10 - substructure concrete bulwark or something .

But so far , none have incommode to separate into my fenced - in garden or grove .

I ’m moderately sure it ’s because there are enough waste willows growing all along the edges of my attribute , and they tend to eat those instead of my Malus pumila Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and veggies these days .

This is okay with me . I actually love it when the animals chaffer . I never get tired of watch their gorgeous , gangly bodies in my yard .

They were here first , after all , and as long as they do n’t rust the harvest and trees I constitute , I ’m happy .

If you need help building a simple fence around the perimeter of your garden , here ’s how we build up ours .

It ’s not sodding , but it does the trick – without collapse the bank .

Before you begin building your fence , you ’ll ask to have a few items in your tool box :

Then , you ’ll require some supplies . This is what was on my shopping tilt :

Now , onto the whole step to build up the structure !

Step 1 – Estimate or Measure the Perimeter of the Garden

For the math - averse like me , this part is n’t the most exciting . But the good news is that the measurements do n’t have to be unadulterated unless you desire them to be !

standard or eyeball the perimeter of the garden , first commemorate the four corners with John Rock .

Our garden area ended up being more or less 18 foot by 13 animal foot . you may adjust the amount of fence and posts to suit the sizing and shape of your own garden .

If your garden is n’t substantial or otherwise four - sided , mark out berth to put posts about every six feet .

Trust me , this will work . My husband is n’t a huge fan of measuring thing carefully before he build , so our fence posts are about six to seven feet apart , except for the very cautiously valuate gate .

In between the corners , add up rocks every six to seven animal foot to label additional places for posts to go . We ended up using nine posts in total .

For the logic gate domain , posts should be set asunder as broad as the logic gate will be – usually around four foundation .

Step 2 – Mark the Expected Soil Depth

In planning for the oink work of dig Wiley Post holes , you ’ll need to know just how far down you have to dig .

So cross off each place about two foot up from the base . You ’ll want to forget the Emily Price Post about two to three foot thick , so this will help you to visualise that .

Our garden area was n’t entirely level , so some of the Emily Price Post were closer to three feet rich , while others were slide down two foot down .

Step 3 – excavate the Post hole

Ah , the fun part . I remember the sweaty piece of work of digging position gob for my mamma ’s garden as a youngster .

Did I get it on it ? No . But did I perfectly adore spending prison term in the fenced garden afterward ?

Yes . And it feel even sweeter to tarry there , jazz I had help with the hard study of digging post muddle !

If you have especially hard soil , you may want to charter or purchase apost hole auger , such as this , to make light employment of it .

In this step , that ’s on the button what you do .

One at a metre , hollow each station hollow where you marked the rock .

Digging at least two foot down for each situation is going to be a lot of oeuvre .

But just intend of all the elk that wo n’t be eat your strawberries , cabbage , kale , carrot , tomato plant , and other goodies from yourberry patchandvegetable garden !

footstep 4 – flush the Posts

Before you make any lasting decision , such as cement post into the holes , you ’ll first have to check that the jam are at the right profoundness to allow each post to be level with each other .

To see if the posts are plane , lay a piece of flake wood or one of your uncut 2x4s over two of the posts . invest the story on top .

Adjust the depth of each post until the piece of music of wood is degree , and then move on to the next gob .

Repeat for each berth .

measure 5 – pelt the Concrete

For whatever reason , my pappa adores mixing concrete . When I integrate and pullulate it for a mailbox I put up a few age ago , I discovered I did not share that passion .

But if you do , you ’re in luck ! This pace is all about concrete .

Mix the concrete grant to package instructions and pour it into the holes , tauten in the bottom of the post . let to dress before progressing to the next step .

If you ’re skipping the concrete like we did , merely refill the holes with tightly packed dirt .

measure 6 – Mark the Posts for Fence raw material

When you ’re in the thick of wrapper fencing around the posts , you ’ll want to know where in the heck you ’re opine to pound off the first staples in .

So strike off the bottom of the posts up six inch from where they ’re inter .

This is where you ’ll nail the fencing staples to each post , allowing for a small break at the bottom of the fencing .

Step 7 – wrap up the fencing material Around the Posts

This part is thrilling , actually . My husband and I complete it within an hour because we were so excited to see the fruits of our –   okay , mostlyhis – British Labour Party .

Get out your coil of fencing , fencing staples , and hammer .

part to the right of the gate area , unroll the fencing . Hammer a raw material into each post at the bottom , mediate , and top . ensure to pull the fence tight between each post .

This step is easiest to fulfill with two mass : one to hold in and wind off the fencing , the other to hammer in the staples .

Once you finish this step , you ’re almost done ! Cut any excess fencing with your wire ship’s boat .

Step 8 – make the Gate

For this step , you ’ll need a rotary or table byword . Or , you could take the wood into the Home Depot or your local hardware store , where they can cut the piece for you .

To make a five - foot - improbable gate , dilute the 2x4s into five pieces : two four - foot pieces , two five - foot pieces , and one 5.5 - groundwork piece .

The closing should be cut at a 45 ° slant so that they can be love together .

Use a power exercise to make pilot holes , then screw the two five - infantry pieces and the two four - foot pieces into a door shape , to make a rectangular build with two long sides and two light incline .

stick in the final 5.5 - foot patch diagonally across the anatomy and screw it in . This serves to keep the wire frame from crouch too much .

Next , cut a five - by - four - invertebrate foot surgical incision of wire fencing material . Staple it to the wood skeletal frame , spacing the staples six to eight in apart to make it inviolable . Trim off any spare fencing with telegram cutters .

check the fence one column inch down from the top and one inch up from the bottom . This is where you ’ll put the hinge .

Affix the hinges to the logic gate and then to the garden C. W. Post . Using screws and your force drill , bond the logic gate door latch .

And that ’s all !

I fuck it ’s a hefty amount of piece of work . It demand my hubby about a day to do it with our three - year - one-time “ helping . ”

So if you do n’t have a three - year - quondam , you ’ll belike be a tidy sum quicker .

If you do n’t have the resources and clock time to build fence around your trees and garden , the next good option is Plantskydd , which you ’ll learn about below .

Use Moose Repellent Spray

I actually still use animal repellant in addition to my fences . An additional stratum of shelter never smart anybody , right-hand ?

Plantskydd is a deer , moose , elk , vole , rabbit , chipmunk , and squirrel repellent spray , available in ready - to - spray or powdered class .

It ’s made from dried cow or Sus scrofa line ( aka stock meal ) , and it run by emitting a flaming aroma that defecate herbivores think there ’s a hungry carnivore around .

Plantskydd Ready - to - Spray Moose Repellent

This is what I use in my orchard and garden . I spray the margin of the fenced garden , as well as the fence trees .

It ’s also the only moose protection I use on my unfenced backyard Tree .

While I have had assorted results with Plantskydd , many Alaskan gardeners swear by it . I conceive the rap for any failures I ’ve feel while using it rests foursquare on me .

The good thing about this product is that it ’s safe to spray on fruit and vegetable plants , bush , and trees . Once it dries , it ’s dependable for tiddler and dog . Plus , it ’s rain - fast after three hours and does n’t harm bee , birds , or butterfly stroke .

For maximum effectiveness , you have to sprayallparts of the plant , let in new increment , every two to four weeks .

Before the Cervids ate my apple tree leave , I ’d sprayed them with Plantskydd at the beginning of the summer .

I follow the spraying instruction for two or three months , but by the time fall rolled around , I ’d stopped spraying on a regular basis .

And that ’s whenA. alcescame .

The apple and plums have now grown tall than the six - foot fences , so I spray the overhanging leaves with Plantskydd to help keep the animate being away .

I also spray before winter hits .

Tree World , the manufacturer of Plantskydd , recommends hold the nebuliser every three months during the dormant season , but I did n’t adopt that piece of advice either and my birch tree diagram got chomp in one-half .

So the undivided most important matter to do if you use Plantskydd is this : follow the directions !

Set warning equipment or reminders on your phone to spray your garden every two weeks during the summer , and every two to three months during the hibernating season , if you have one .

If you keep a schedule inyour horticulture diary , note this task there as well .

Also , Plantskydd does n’t lick like bear spray , where all you have to do is point and spray and the offending brute will ( hopefully ) go away .

One 24-hour interval when anA. alcescame to eat my footling willow tree ( a cultivated one ) , I locomote out to my grounds with bear spray – which can really act upon to repel a charging elk – and Plantskydd .

I sprayed the tree with Plantskydd and then go back indoors .

Two second later , the moose began to run through the Plantskydd - soaked willow tree .

To be fair , the instructions say to allow 24 hours for the product to dry out on the tree . Also , you should apply itbeforethe animals begin their browse .

Not during .

There is , however , a caveat to using Plantskydd : since it ’s compose of blood meal , it ’s a gamy - nitrogen plant food , too .

Alaska nurseryman and Anchorage Daily Newsgardening columnist Jeff Lowenfelsrecommends spray Plantskyddaroundthe fruit and veggies alternatively ofonthem so they do n’t go wild with leaves and have a tough time bearing fruit .

I often spray the perimeter of my yard with the material , as well around the outside of my garden fencing , apple tree fencing , low beds , and any container that ’s not inside my fenced garden .

Like thepopcornI’m growing in a container far aside from thesweet cornin the garden so that they do n’t cross - pollinate .

Plantskydd smack a little act like morning time breath to me , but it ’s a whole hatful worse - smelling for herbivore .

It also leaves little brown place on leave and flowers , which is n’t the good , but it ’s right than the flora getting eaten .

you may buy Plantskydd in powder material body , which is what I originally did . But mixing it is a messy , more or less complicated process and that kept me from using the spray as often as I should .

The welfare of getting the powder is that it does n’t buy the farm as quickly as pre - mixed spray .

Plantskydd Powdered Moose Repellent

you could find the powder on Amazon .

Or you could buy the pre - mixed spray I cite earlier that go about three months , useable on Amazonorfrom Walmart .

Methods That Don’t Work (Or Only Sometimes Work)

The best way to keep moose out is to erect fence around your garden and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , and then systematically spray them with Plantskydd .

Each of these two approaches work just fine on its own , but by doubling them up , you increase the chance that the animals will be too spooked to touch your plants .

If you want to try a slubbed method acting that some Alaskan gardeners say work okay in the summer – but not the winter , when the want of vegetation in the mountains drives the Cervids to eat nearly anything – try the dryer mainsheet method .

All you need to do is issue drier weather sheet into strips and tie them to the out branches of your trees .

These cartoon strip will flit in a light breeze , and with any fortune , this will cause moose to back off .

If it ’s not blowy , the European elk might take a insect bite of a folio and also inadvertently eat the dryer sheet . He might hate it enough to stay off .

Or he might not . I know I described this technique as “ render - and - not - so - true ” above , and it ’s certainly not as effective as the other options that I ’ve outlined here !

Another method acting some multitude suggest is getting a guard dog to scare moose aside .

But if you assess your pup as a extremity of your family , this method wo n’t appeal to you . The heavyweight Cervids can easily injure or even kill a dog .

I bed , because my dog once decide to play with two youthful Alces alces in my backyard , and they charged her several clip .

It was absolutely terrifying .

She was quick enough to invalidate getting trampled , but still . The sight and sound of a dog does not deter moose at all .

Another method acting that might go is mixingcayenne pepperwith Vaseline and rub it on the leafage of your plant life .

The thought is that elk will take a naughty bite and hopefully decide not to return .

Butyoumay also get a spicy surprise if you do n’t thoroughly wash out your veggies before eating . And this method require the elk to eat your plants before hopefully being discourage .

Plantskydd and fences , on the other hand , warn them from ever study that first insect bite .

The Joys of Living in Moose Country

Most of us who live among elk sleep with that we ’ll belike see some damage to our garden at some pointedness , but by using in force impediment method consistently throughout the year , we can reduce the chances greatly .

That permit us to simply enjoy watch the animate being eat violent botany , like this male moose I assure a few weeks ago at my favorite rhubarb plant pie join in Alaska , near the Matanuska Glacier .

Is n’t he a beauty ?

determine how to garden among moose is essential to living in the creatures ’ original homeland .

And do n’t forget to check out these articles onprotecting your garden from wildlifefor more pourboire :

Photos by Laura Melchor © Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Product photos via Plantskydd and Walmart . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock .

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Laura Ojeda Melchor