Damn Predators!

[STL Ponds and Waterfalls]

Well something is hitting my own collection of Koi. I've lost 2 in the last couple of months, but I'm not sure what it is that is getting my Koi. I guess I need a wildlife motion camera to see the culprit.

What are some of your tricks if it is a Heron?

[wurkn with amish]

A 20guage with bird shot!

[Hamatsa]

Three things will get 'em that I know of: Labradors, Racoons, and Herons. Sometimes Otters if you live close enough to a larger body of water.

Dogs are easy, racoons are tougher....chicken wire usually does the trick but Herons are easy: Just get a fake Heron and plant it next to your pond. A real one will never, ever fish the same hole. They're kind've like fly fishermen in that way. Don't know about Otters. They're really smart. I've have them swim up underneath a string of trout I've had in the water and rip me off that way.

[STL Ponds and Waterfalls]

Originally Posted by wurkn with amish

A 20guage with bird shot!

Ohhhh trust me on that! Whatever it was, it took one of my favorites and was an imported Japanese yellow beauty.


Another local builder has missouri minks hitting his pond.

[STL Ponds and Waterfalls]

Originally Posted by Hamatsa

Three things will get 'em that I know of: Labradors, Racoons, and Herons. Sometimes Otters if you live close enough to a larger body of water.

Dogs are easy, racoons are tougher....chicken wire usually does the trick but Herons are easy: Just get a fake Heron and plant it next to your pond. A real one will never, ever fish the same hole. They're kind've like fly fishermen in that way. Don't know about Otters. They're really smart. I've have them swim up underneath a string of trout I've had in the water and rip me off that way.

Labradors? Really, I've never heard of them getting Koi.

[tadpole]

Keith-
I always had great luck with the 'Scarecrow' device. I have installed it for several customers who have lost Koi to Herons and they have not lost a fish since. The Heron decoys don't seem to work on our Deep South coastal birds.

I personally have never had a problem with Herons, but that may be because I have a Bald Eagle that visits quite regularly. Eagles and Hawks will take fish also if you allow them an adequate glide path.

The ultimate deterrent for Herons and the smaller predators is probably a very large, mean dog.

[STL Ponds and Waterfalls]

Originally Posted by tadpole

Keith-
The ultimate deterrent for Herons and the smaller predators is probably a very large, mean dog.

Yea, I keep telling my little Dachshund and Beagle that they are sleeping outside from now on.

Scarecrow device? Is that the motion activated sprinkler shot?

[Tim R.]

I have a customer who was having a problem with geese coming in his yard and dropping last nights dinner on his grass. Someone told him to get a stuffed coyote. He found a real one on the web for about 80 bucks and put it in his yard. He moved it around a bit and said he never had a problem with birds ever again. Might work for a heron. I have always heard of using another fake heron also because they are territorial feeders.

[tadpole]

It is a sprinkler shot device but it works on infrared. It detects changes in heat, which works great for herons as they are such slow deliberate movers and you can adjust the sensitivity so that it will not trigger on small animals like squirrels, smaller birds or even your Dachshund and Beagle.

[STL Ponds and Waterfalls]

Originally Posted by tadpole

It is a sprinkler shot device but it works on infrared. It detects changes in heat, which works great for herons as they are such slow deliberate movers and you can adjust the sensitivity so that it will not trigger on small animals like squirrels, smaller birds or even your Dachshund and Beagle.

I think I'll try that as I've heard a lot of good things about it. Is there only one model? Prices vary a lot.