Wildlife Friendly Fencing

Throughout the Madison Valley and across Montana, fences are utilized for many reasons, such as defining property boundaries, preventing straying livestock, and enclosing pastures or rangelands. These necessary fences can also create hazards for wildlife, from big game animals to birds. Fences can disrupt daily movements or seasonal migrations, block access to water and forage, and may also influence where animals decide to settle. Collisions with fences can not only risk the life of the animal, but also result in costly fence damage and frustrations for landowners. Not all fences are problematic for wild animals. By keeping wildlife in mind, landowners can implement fences that will help reduce injuries, fatalities, and fence damage.

While open range is ideal for wildlife passage, removing fences may not be practical for every property. An ideal fence should allow animals to jump over and crawl under without injury and be visible for both ungulates and birds, while also controlling livestock (if that is your purpose). It should also be noted that for livestock fencing, livestock that have good forage and security/companionship are often less likely to challenge fences. When you are evaluating your fence needs, there are certain questions to consider that may be helpful to guide design and placement:

What is the purpose of the fence? For example, the purpose of the fence may be to mark boundaries and deter trespass, or enclose and exclude livestock. If enclosing livestock, you may also consider what seasons livestock are active and for how long.

What is the topography? Depending on if you’re fencing on hills, in rocky soils where posts may be impractical, or near streams and wetlands, different obstacles may present themselves for both wildlife and the landowner. Swales, gullies, ridges, and stream corridors can funnel wildlife through an area, creating natural wildlife passages of sorts. If possible, it may be best to keep these areas open to avoid ‘topography traps.’ Slope can also present a barrier for wildlife passage. As slope increases, the height an animal must jump increases as well. Fences placed along steep slopes or next to a deep ditch, present great risk to wildlife injury.

Which wildlife species are in your area? Identifying what wildlife are in the area may be the best way to determine what conflict you are likely to run into when establishing fencing. For example, pronghorn, young deer and young elk prefer to duck underneath a fence rather than jump over. In this instance, adjusting the bottom wire to a smooth strand 16-18” off the ground can help them navigate the fence with ease. Also, running animals or low-flying birds may not be able to see a wire fence against the landscape. In this instance, adjusting visibility by adding flagging or fence markers may help animals navigate fencing.

What are the daily or seasonal wildlife migrations in the area? Determining the location and time of wildlife migrations can help prioritize certain areas where implementing wildlife friendly will be the most effective. Migration patterns can also guide design. For example, you may choose to install adjustable wire fences or lay-down fences during seasons or in sections you notice heavy migration.

Transforming your fencing into something wildlife friendly does not have to mean starting from scratch. Modifying, maintaining, and removing existing fence can create crossings and allow for easier passage. Options for modifications include replacing bottom and/or top barbed wire with smooth wire, adjusting the height of the top wire, increasing visibility of the top wire, raising the bottom wire to greater than 16”, adding a “goat bar,” or adding post-and-rail wildlife crossings. Regarding maintenance, it is important to keep wires tight, as loose wires can increase risk of entanglement. Removing fences that are no longer in use or may be unnecessary can also be helpful. For more information on specific modifications check out FWP’s publication, “A Landowner’s Guide to Wildlife Friendly Fencing: How to Build Fence with Wildlife in Mind,” of which much of this information came from.

If you have a need for Wildlife Friendly Fencing in the Madison Valley, new funding opportunities are available. The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) approved a Targeted Implementation Plan (TIP) to provide financial and technical assistance to implement wildlife friendly fencing strategies. This includes wildlife friendly fence installation of let-down, barbed/smooth wire, and virtual fence; retrofitting existing fence; and removal of existing, outdated fence. The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) can support interested managers with fence removal and may be able to provide additional landowner assistance. For more information on funding and landowner assistance, you can reach out to Garret Vasa with NRCS at garrett.vasa@usda.gov or Pat Todd with NPCA at ptodd@npca.org.