Jim

I don't know how to put this in an email without sounding condescending, but 
I'm not trying to be.

If the best you have tried is Parmak and Zebra, then you really haven't used 
a good fencer.  In the world of electric fencing, they're the only ones 
telling you they're the best.  They are like buying an $100. watch instead 
of a $20. one, when you're looking for a Rolex.  They have their place, but 
shouldn't be viewed as top of the line.  I my opinion you need to go to the 
experts. Companies that design a fencer to withstand a mob of sheep hitting 
the line at same time, not just a single animal.  We try to train our bears 
with a Gallagher or Speedrite fencer made in New Zealand and then put on a 
Solar Parmak 6V or 12V.  Shooting a bear, just means another one will move 
into the area and you start over.  Give them a good jolt to begin with and 
as long as there is something ticking through the lines, they rarely 
challenge it. The bonus is, boars especially will keep others out of their 
territory.

I had a hired man who would check the Parmaks by gripping the wire, rather 
carrying a fence tester.  A favorite trick was to grab the wire and then 
touch somebody as they went by or were tying down the truck.  Once he didn't 
realize that I had swapped out the Parmak for a Speedrite HB12, because the 
former needed service.  Poor guy couldn't let go of the wire and wet himself 
before his co-worker could stop laughing and turn off the fence.  He had no 
strength in is upper body for the rest of the day.

With the limited day length up here in the spring and fall, we throw out the 
Parmak batteries.  We have a place called Battery World that carries a 
battery virtually the same size, but with twice the capacity.

Dave Tharle
Ardmore, AB
Canada

Thankfully haven't caught a grizzly, but did get a coyote once that was more 
afraid of the fence once he was inside than me. 

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