Wolf fence

An electric fence intended to defend against wolves needs to be specially adapted to the behaviour of this predator.

Please note the following points when positioning:

• Wolves will cautiously approach an unknown obstacle. It is therefore rare that a wolf will jump over a fence. They will generally try to dig under them instead. For this reason, electric fences should be securely embedded into the ground. To create a sufficient barrier to digging, the lowest row of conducting material should be no more than 20 cm from the ground.
• To increase the visual deterrent effect of the electric fence, easy-to-see tapes that blow in the wind, known as warning tape, should be threaded along the fence.
• The conducting material should be pulled tight and provide a fence voltage of at least 4,000 V along the entire fence. It is important that, when they touch the electric fence for the first time it sticks so strongly in their memory that the wolves won't go near it a second time!
• Ditches should always be inside the fencing!

Two different types of electric fence are generally used for safeguarding against wolves:

1. The electric netting fence and
2. the hingepoint fence with additional electric wire.

The electric netting fence

An electric netting fence is an electric fence where the conducting polywire is woven into a coloured plastic mesh webbing. As well as the electrical deterrent, electric netting additionally works as a visual barrier that can scare off the wolf from a distance. Alongside its excellent deterrent effect, an electric netting fence has other advantages. The fence is very easy to put up and take down and is also very affordable. The only maintenance required is to ensure it is free from any overgrown vegetation. This can be achieved by simply moving the fence slightly.

Fence height

The electric netting fence should be at least 90 cm tall for an optimum deterrent effect. We recommend placing additional fencing polywire at a height of 1.2 m to stop the fence being jumped.

Electric netting

The electric netting is of course central to the system. We recommend the 90 cm high Euro wolf netting with anti-wolf clips and bite protection (item no. 27184). The anti-wolf clip is connected directly to the ground connection on the energiser and ensures an optimal flow of electricity through the upper parts of the wolf netting, irrespective of the conductivity of the ground. This means that even with dry or snow-covered ground, the fence voltage is guaranteed. 16 additional high-grade steel wires will make the bottom wire extra strong and protect it from biting.

Due to the narrow mesh close to the ground it is not possible for the animals to slip through or under the electric fence. The orange warning colour increases the optical deterrent effect of the electric netting.

If the terrain is very uneven or the netting sags in places, stabilise it by placing additional posts (item no. 27231) and using pegs (item no. 27233). Corner posts for your electric net fence are exposed to high tensile forces. To support these, place 1–2 NetFix struts (item no. 27310). These will act against the tensile forces in a simple way.

To reach your herd of sheep, you will need to take down part of the electric netting. This can, however, compromise the power supply to the fence and should therefore be avoided. A convenient and particularly secure option for providing access to the herd is our patented door for fence netting (item no. 27402). The door for the fence netting has a narrow mesh electric netting and can be easily installed at any point in your electric netting. The power supply does not need to be turned off in order to open the door, ensuring the fence keeps its full shock strength. A double door extension set is available.

Polywire spacing

The mere presence of a wolf makes sheep anxious and afraid. To stop the wolf from approaching the electric netting in the first place, we recommend an additional electric wire set at a height of 20 cm in front of the electric netting (VOSS.farming HPC series ). This wire will ensure that the wolf maintains a certain distance from the netting and provides additional protection against him digging under the fence. Using the special long-shaft insulators for net fences (item no. 27328) you can very easily attach the electric wire to the electric netting.

Anti-jump protection and warning tape

In some areas, wolves have learnt to jump over electric netting fences. In these cases we recommend adding an anti-jump protection to your fence.

As wolves will shy away from tall, unfamiliar obstacles, fencing polywire placed 30 cm above the netting will reliably stop wolves from jumping over the fence. To install the fencing polywire, place additional plastic posts in front of the netting and attach insulators to these at a height of 1.2 m (plastic posts, item no 44478; secondary insulator, item no. 44480).

Tip:
Never tie knots in your fencing polywire! Knots present a very high electrical resistance and impede the flow of electricity along your fence. If you need to extend the length of your fencing polywire or make connections for any other reason, you need to use special tape connectors (item no. 44658). These create a conductive connection between the ends of the tape and are therefore the perfect choice to ensure sufficient voltage along the fence.

Wolves avoid the unknown!
We recommend attaching red and white warning tape to the electric tape (item no. 43429) at 2 to 5 m intervals. Tying knots is allowed in this case! These tapes will flap about in the wind and act as an additional deterrent along with the fencing polywire to stop the wolf jumping over the electric netting.

Energisers

Electric netting should not only stop wolves from getting in, but should also stop the sheep from getting out. Sheep's wool is very dense and fence voltage must be at least 4,000 V in order for them to feel the pulse of electricity. Wolves are relatively sensitive to electricity, however, a strong shock strength is required to ensure a solid deterrent effect. Only if an electric shock leaves a painful memory will the wolf avoid approaching for a second time.

We therefore recommend you use a powerful energiser with a discharge energy of at least 3 joules!

The 12 V energiser AVi10000 (item no. 44678.P) is perfectly suited for these purposes. Even very long fences and fences with adjacent vegetation receive an optimal supply of electricity from this battery energiser!

Power is provided using a 12 V special rechargeable battery (item no. 34461). In combination with a solar panel you can operate your energiser economically in an environmentally safe and low-maintenance manner ( 50 W solar power system with case, item no 44411).

Grounding

As with any electric fence, electric netting needs a good grounding connection! The Euronet wolf netting with its wolf-proof clips provides a direct ground connection for the upper area of electric netting. To provide the lower area of netting with a reliable ground connection, one or more grounding posts must be placed so as to conduct the electricity from the fence back to the energiser. (Special grounding post, rounded profile, item no. 44375). If the ground conditions are particularly poor, e.g. sandy, dry soil, it may be necessary to use several grounding posts. Connect these together using a highly conductive corrosion-resistant wire. This wire should not contain any copper due to the risk of corrosion. (Ideally galvanised steel wire or lead out cable e.g. item no. 32601). To create a mechanically and electrically solid connection, connect your wolf netting to the energiser using a fence supply cable (item no. 33614). Connect the ground connection to the energiser using a ground connection cable (item no. 44300 or 33615).

Checking the electric fence system

To have a reliable deterrent effect on wolves, the operating voltage of the electric wolf netting should be at least 4,000 V. You can use a fence tester to quickly and easily check if your electric fence is working normally. The digital fence tester (item no. 44863) is included with the delivery of a 12 V energiser AVi10000 (item no. 44687.P).

Lightning protection equipment

For safety purposes, lightning protection equipment should also be installed (item no. 44755). This will protect your energiser from the consequences of a lightning strike during storms. If your energiser is installed inside a building, then the lightning protection may be legally required in accordance with local state regulations.

The lightning protection mechanism is installed between the energiser and the electric netting. First mount the lightning protection mechanism onto a non-flammable surface near to your energiser (e.g. on a wall of the house). Next, connect it to the energiser's fence connection using a high voltage insulated fence supply cable (item no. 32615). The other part of your lightning protection mechanism is connected to the wolf netting using a high-voltage insulated fence supply cable. For the ground connection you should ideally use a galvanised steal core lead out cable (item no. 32601). Use this cable to connect the lightning protection mechanism to the grounding stake.

Marking the wolf netting

Anyone who operates an electric fence must also clearly indicate this! Attach clearly visible warning signs carrying the phrase "Caution Electric Fence". (Warning sign, item no. 44842)

(Different warning regulations may apply depending on your state for marking electric fence systems. Find out what regulations apply in your area before installing your fence.)

Overview of electric netting fence components for wolf fences:

Energiser

1. 12 V Battery energiser "AVi10000" (item no. 44687.P)

Conducting material

1. Euro wolf netting with anti-wolf clips and bite protection, 90 cm (item no. 27184)
2. Plastic fence posts, 146 cm, 2 points (item no. 44478)
3. Secondary insulators for tape (item no. 44480)
4. VOSS.farming HPC series
5. Tape connectors (item no. 44658)
6. Long-shaft insulators for net fences (item no. 27328)
7. Door for fence netting (item no. 27402)

Wiring

1. High-grade steel plate kit for connecting wolf netting (item no. 44579)
2. Fence supply cable for fencing polywire (item no. 33614)
3. Lead out cable (item no. 44300 or 33615)
4. Fence connection cable (item no. 33614)

Grounding

1. Special grounding post with round profile (item no. 44375)
2. High-voltage galvanised steel core lead out cable (item no. 32601)

Fence testers

1. Fence tester with a digital display (item no. 44863) (comes included with the delivery of the AVi10000 energiser)

Lightning protection

1. Lightning protection equipment (item no. 44755)
2. Fence supply cable (item no. 32615).

Warning sign

1. Warning sign "CAUTION ELECTRIC FENCE" (item no. 44842)

Miscellaneous

1. Red / white warning tape (item no. 43429)
2. Additional posts (item no. 27231)
3. Pegs (item no. 27233)
4. NetFix braces (item no. 27310)
5. 12 V / 85 Ah Special rechargeable battery (item no. 34461)
6. 50 W solar power system with case (item no. 44411)
7. Anti-theft post for metal cases (item no. 44872)

Hingepoint fencing with additional electric wire.

Hingepoint fencing made from wire is most commonly used for keeping the game fenced. For guaranteed protection against wolves, the hingepoint fencing must be at least 1.2 m tall and have anti-burrowing protection (hingepoint fence 1.5 m, item no. 28001). The anti-burrowing protection can be implemented in several ways. Either embed a non-electric fence at least 30 cm into the ground or place a 1 m wide strip of wire mesh in front of the fence. This wire mesh should be securely connected to the existing fence and fixed firmly to the ground using pegs (galvanised tension wire, item no. 44689, C-profile pegs).

The easiest way to create anti-burrowing protection is to use an electric wire set 20 cm above the ground. Use a high-contrast conducting material for this with a high conductivity ( VOSS.farming HPC series ). The black and white polywire is particularly easy for the wolves to notice and provides a good deterrent affect as well as stopping them from burrowing under. Install offset insulators in the hingepoint fencing to attach the wire. For hingepoint fencing with wooden posts, use ring insulators with wood threads (offset ring insulator, item no. 44329).

For hingepoint fencing with metal posts or panel fences, use ring insulators with metric thread and a universal mount or pipe clamp (offset insulator, item no. 44363; universal mount, item no. 46150; base plate for universal mount, item no. 46151; pipe and post clampm, item no. 44335 or 45611).

A battery energiser with a minimum voltage of 4,000 V is required. The 12 V battery energiser AVi8000 (item no. 44853.P) is well suited for this purpose. It is easy to handle and provides the necessary reserve capacity to overcome vegetation touching the fence.

As with "electric netting", this "hingepoint fencing with additional electric polywire" requires the usual electric fence components.

Overview of hingepoint fencing components for wolf fences:

Energiser

1. 12 V battery energiser AVi8000 (item no. 44853.P)

Hingepoint fencing

1. Hingepoint fencing 1.5 m tall (item no. 28001)
2. galvanised tension wire (item no. 44689)
3. C-profile pegs

Conducting material

1. VOSS.farming HPC series

Insulators

1. Offset ring insulator (item no. 44329)
2. Offset ring insulator with metric thread (item no. 44363)
3. Universal mount (item no. 46150)
4. Baseplate for universal mount (item no. 46151)
5. Pipe and post clamp (item no. 44335 or 45611)

Wiring

1. Lead out cable (item no. 44300)
2. Fence connection cable (item no. 33614)

Grounding

1. Special grounding post with round profile (item no. 44375)
2. High-voltage galvanised steel core lead out cable (item no. 32601)

Fence testers

1. Fence tester with a digital display (item no. 44863) (included in the delivery contents of the AVi8000 energiser)

Lightning protection

1. Lightning protection equipment (item no. 44755)
2. Fence supply cable (item no. 32615).

Warning sign

1. Warning sign "CAUTION ELECTRIC FENCE" (item no. 44842)

Miscellaneous

1. 12 V / 85 Ah Special rechargeable battery (item no. 34461)
2. 50 W solar power system with case (item no. 44411)
3. Anti-theft post for metal cases (item no. 44872)

Summary of key data for wolf fences:

Financial assistance available

Each federal state makes available various types of financial assistance to professional and hobby livestock keepers for implementing herd protection measures against wolf attacks. Financial assistance is provided in most cases for the cost of purchasing electric netting fences, guardian dogs and anti-burrowing measures. You can find out more from your local conservation and environment office.

It is often required when applying for this assistance to provide quotes for implementing the proposed protective measures. We will be happy to help you with this and put together a personalised quote for you!

Compensation for damages

In the event that you suffer losses due to a wolf, then for these damages you will generally receive compensation from the relevant nature conservation and environment office. Certain minimum protective measures must be maintained in order to be eligible for this compensation, and the damage must be reported within 24 hours.

The minimum protective measures vary between regions where wolves are active. Contact local authorities for more information.
Measures that are usually required include 90 cm tall electric net fences, visual deterrents such as the use of additional fencing polywire or special anti-burrow protection.

Help

If you have any further questions, then please feel free to contact our electric-fence.co.uk team by telephone and email:

0145 234 62 04 Mon - Fri | 09:00 – 15:00
Email: shop@electric-fence.co.uk