Bear Fence Energizer

[Kevin Dill]

This post is specifically about the power unit or 'energizer' used in electric fences to protect meat, camp, gear and etc.

I'm current-ly using a Speedrite AN20 energizer which carries 2 D cell batteries. It's a small unit but just doesn't really impress me. Seems like a rather minimal energizer in terms of power supply and output. I've been considering other portable energizers which use D cells....some requiring 4 batteries and one unit requiring 6 cells. Maybe this is a long-shot but I figured to put it up for discussion here in case anyone has good experience or knowledge to relate.

Let me know what unit you use (or don't) and what you think. Thanks.

 

[GotDraw?]

Kevin,

I use the AN90, 4D cell charger, with a long ground rod, Totally satisfied after 6yrs of use.

You can use a fence tester to check the fence, or take of your shoes and socks off and put your nose or tongue on the wire.

Bears ask questions w/noses and tongues. Testing that way might change your mind RE charger size.

That said, gravel bars, common in the AK areas you hunt are very poor grounds and require alternating hot/ground wires close together.

I have heard the suggestion to use lots of short red flagging on the fence so the bears test it. I have also heard of some that use scent/attractant to get the bears to put their tongues on the wire. Not smart in my book, but maybe it works.

JL

 

[Sam Colt]

Any charger will work. My grandfather up in Maine taught me the trick. Rub the wire with a slice of bacon and then leave a tiny piece hung on it every 10 feet or so.

 

[Antares]

If you have access to a tester, you're looking for at least 6.5kV but the more the better. For reference, the fence around the dump in Kodiak is 9kV. The fence I used to run around my chicken coop was 10.4kV. It was pretty funny to be lying in bed at night and hear a neighborhood dog hit that thing.

 

[Kevin Dill]

The Speedrite AN90 is actually the unit I've been eyeballing. I completely understand the need for a solid grounding point. Next season I'm going to bring in a 30" rod or pipe of some type to drive into the ground near my meat cache location. I know darn good and well those 8" gutter spikes often used are next to worthless.

 

[GotDraw?]

I went to Home Depot and bought a 2" piece of 3/8" aluminum rod. Cut an angled point on it w/a Sawzall, bent a small 90 degree bend on the other end, Cheap and it works.

JL

 

[GotDraw?]

@Kevin Dill
Sent you a PM
JL

 

[live2huntelk]

I called and talked with several folks years back....very helpful and knowledgeable folks.
One key item the Gallagher rep stressed was use a good fence voltage tester and make sure your voltage is around 7,000V or above.....if not don't have a good ground or weeds may be dragging the voltage down. Also if in poor dry or rocky soil use the alternating hot/ground design.

- West Yellowstone Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center - guy that overseen the grizzly product testing.
- Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks Region X bear manager
- Gallagher Montana/Wyoming region manager

article touches on several good items regarding energizers and grounding.

resources at end of article...

http://www.bearsmart.com/docs/MFWP-ElectricFenceGuideBears.pdf

electric_fence_2013.pdf

drive.google.com

I use the Gallagher B11 ...see output Energy for comparison to AN20

Gallagher B11 Charger (Discontinued)

Get Free Shipping on the Gallagher B11. The B11 attaches to Gallagher Polywire, Polytape, Galvanised wire ,or Treadin post

www.gallagherfence.net

Get started with the essentials | Speedrite

www.speedrite.com

AN90 looks like it has a higher output energy and 8,000V

Get started with the essentials | Speedrite

www.speedrite.com

 

[WMR]

Good thread. Our 2-D unit with the short ground rod was a joke. I eventually just grabbed the wire to see and could barely feel it at all. Later I wished I ‘d not, because I no longer slept in blissful ignorance. Our area was crawling with brown bears. Fortunately they preferred salmon to humans.

 

[rayporter]

unless you remove your shoes, grabbing the wire to test it does no good. especially if you have rubber soles.

 

[Werty]

If your in real dry area, dampen the ground rod.
I have horses and use a Patriot d cell, that sum bitch hurts,

 

[Legend]

I haven't seen one that has less than 4 d batteries that is worth a darn. I have the gallagher one mentioned above. Always pegs the meter at over 8000 volts.

Unless you are camping in a swamp the ground round is a joke. You must run a hot/ground wire setup.

 

[Kevin Dill]

My fence is only used in Alaska. While the area isn't a swamp, the ground (soil) typically has enough moisture to dampen your butt if you sit directly on it. I think a basic ground rod driven at least 2' deep will do the job. I may decide to add one centered ground wire to make my (usually) 2 strand fence a 3 strand hot/ground rig.

One issue I've had is dead D cells. I recently looked into alternatives for powering a D cell fence energizer and learned about D cell to AA adapters. They hold 3 AA cells each and will allow the use of lithium ion AA cells (whether rechargeable or single-use) instead of alkaline single-use D cells. The power output is the same but each loaded adapter (3 AA batteries) will typically last longer than one D cell. I bought a set of the adapters and will be testing them soon.

 

[rayporter]

i have also poured water on the ground rod to get a ground for the stock. but this is during real dry conditions or sandy soil.

once i forgot my ground spike and just buried a piece of the fence for my ground.

ground damp enough to wet your butt is plenty wet. which leaves you with the third wire for a ground. that is the sure way.

 

[Wingert]

I've had issues with bears coming into camp and using tents as a trampoline and ruining gear the past two years. We invested in a electric fence and fence tester this year and turned it on when not at camp.

We had two consecutive days in which bears encountered the electric fence. Nothing in camp was disturbed / damaged so in my opinion the cost was well worth the protection of replacement gear and piece of mind in not having the hunt interrupted.

We used AA Lithium batteries in the energizer and changed them out to new batteries after approximately 40 hours of run time. The manual says it'll run for approximately 56 hours using Lithium Batteries and substantial less using alkaline.

Here's the energizer we used. The whole fence kit is available at the bottom of the website too.

SUREGUARD PORTABLE ENERGIZER

SUREGUARD PORTABLE ENERGIZER *ENERGIZERS HAVE BEEN CUSTOMIZED TO BETTER FIT OUR BEAR FENCES.

eaglesafety.info

Hope this is useful to others.

 

[GotDraw?]

My fence is only used in Alaska. While the area isn't a swamp, the ground (soil) typically has enough moisture to dampen your butt if you sit directly on it. I think a basic ground rod driven at least 2' deep will do the job. I may decide to add one centered ground wire to make my (usually) 2 strand fence a 3 strand hot/ground rig.

One issue I've had is dead D cells. I recently looked into alternatives for powering a D cell fence energizer and learned about D cell to AA adapters. They hold 3 AA cells each and will allow the use of lithium ion AA cells (whether rechargeable or single-use) instead of alkaline single-use D cells. The power output is the same but each loaded adapter (3 AA batteries) will typically last longer than one D cell. I bought a set of the adapters and will be testing them soon.

You can now get lithium D cells. Lighter weight than lead-acid by far but not cheap.
Lithium D Cells
But you may be on to something with the AA to D cell converter.

JL

 

[Kevin Dill]

You can now get lithium D cells. Lighter weight than lead-acid by far but not cheap.
Lithium D Cells
But you may be on to something with the AA to D cell converter.

JL

Yes....I looked into these. The potential problem is the voltage supplied. As I understand it, normal D cells are a 1.5v battery while the lithium ion D cells are 3.5 or 3.6 volts. Most of the electric fence energizers are an either-or unit requiring 1.5v batteries or a larger 12v battery. It's possible (not proven) to damage the energizer using 3.6v batteries while set for 1.5v 'normal' D cells.

 

[Preston Lay]

Kevin, I have the Gallagher B11. It takes 6 - D cell or can connect to external 6 or 12 volt ( not practical for your needs) I'm hear to tell you, if you get the ground stake in good dirt, look out! It will send a shock to your core. Trust me I always touch the fence just to know. They also make a solar charged lithium that is very light weight. I'm testing it on a food plot now. I will let you know what I think go it.

 

[chinook907]

There is a lot of good info at this link: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=livingwithbears.bearfences&tab=supplies

From it, the stored and output energy of the unit you are looking at is not ideal (on the low side).

Having said that, I've used a similar output 2-D battery charger to guard beehives & tents that has been hit by brown bears a number of times and has always kept them out. They are very sensitive to electricity and it doesn't take much.

However if I was going to guard meat with an electric fence and weight wasn't as much of an issue, I'd consider a unit that utilizes more or larger batteries. I've used fence chargers for protecting work camps and fish weirs that run off of gel cell and 12V truck batteries and they will about knock you down.

I also switched from the tape-type fence wire to a spool of stainless wire for less resistance.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Since beginning this thread Preston (Lay) has made me aware of a unit I believe will be ideal for me. The Gallagher S12 is a relatively new self-contained unit with a solar panel and powerful lithium ion battery. It's quite small but packs a heck of a punch at almost 10kV. The literature says it will run up to 3 weeks with no sun, but even a modicum of sun will keep it charged. I watched a video on it, and it has enough power to throw a hot spark across a 1/4" gap. I know enough about electric fences to know this energizer has more than enough capacity to deter bears.

Thanks Preston!