Electric it is!

I use electric fence for my goats(netting and multi strand) and have 2 electric stands along the top of my perimeter fence. Ignore the distance in the marketing literature, this is for a single strand in ideal conditions(correct soil moisture and no vegetation load). If it works out and you're looking for replacement in the future I highly recommend premier1. Its pricey, but I have chargers and netting roles 15+ years old. Ive never used it, but they have a step-over netting specifically for raccoons(backordered, but hog net is similar). I use non electric step over to keep my ducks and geese out of my veggie gardens and really like being able to step over a fence instead of walking around to a gate.

Electric fence is a psychological barrier, not a physical one. That means that if you use a strong charger to give them a good jolt, once the animals get acclimated to it it works without them touching it. My goats stay 1-2 feet away from the fence almost all the time. It usually works for a couple weeks if your charger goes down or long grass is shorting it out. Ive temporarily fenced areas(~1 week) without hooking to a charger at all.

On choosing a charger, you might want a more powerful charger. 1 joule is on the low power end for chargers. Dry soil and vegetation touching the wires will reduce that further. My main charger is 2.3 joules output, 1.9 at the fence in moist soil, and in dry soil its down to 1.2. Add vegetaion load to that and its definitely under 1 joule at the fence wire in my summers. Also, smaller animals like a racoon usually need more power because they dont have the weight to make solid contact with the ground to complete the circuit.
 
@amac

Thanks for that info, a good write up with personal experience is always appreciated.
I haven't dealt with electric fences since I was a boy, we had horses and goats.
Initially I was going to put down weed barrier under the fence but a bit more thought into it...they wouldn't be making good ground contact.
I suppose I will just keep the grass mowed down very low in that area.
You've definitely given me a few things to consider.
Thanks again!
 
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