Fake snake and owl. Do they work?

Anyone ever tried those fake owls and snakes to keep squirrels out of the garden? Do they work?

Nope. I have brought several squirrels to my home from Great Falls humane society who capture them and give them to me. I love the joy they give me watching my dogs obsess with their activity. Yeah they get a little seed but its cheap. I think my neighbor shoots them and they slowly dissapear. Or my Jack Russell gets them. I hope not.

Why yes, those fake owls and snakes really do work! For at least 2-3 days maybe as long as a week!

After that, the critters figure it out. I've got a photograph somewhere of a squirrel digging around a Tiarella right next to a lifesized look alike snake that I paid good money for. I tried moving them around and that didn't work either. I bought the best owl money could buy with the swivel head and even when I moved him around daily for a few weeks rabbits could be seen munching away inderneath his watchful eye. I'd say a fool and their money are soon parted. I was desperate and fell for the advertising, what can I say. I have quite a collection of fake owls that I strategically placed here there and everywhere. One is still up on a post to remind me to never fall for that type of a product again.

There are two ways of protecting your plants from squirels, either place your plants into a sturdy small meshed cage or get rid of the squirels.
http://kammlott.net/July2004/cage.jpg
I have trapped 3 squirrels on my deck this months with the help of a havahart trap and peanuts. I believe they are now playing golf somewhere.

Silly RUK! There's always one out in the threads who is practical!

Now... back to those wunnerful wunnerful fake owls. They are oh so attractive and they do provide relief for at least a few days at a mere cost of around $20 plus shipping and handling but the swivel head owl was a lot more if I'm not mistaken. Suchadeal I tell you!

Squirrel stew recipes anyone?

I have found that they work very well if mounted on a rotating device so the wind can move them. I kept all the herons out of my big pond with a human dummy in a canoe, loosly anchored so it would move with the wind. It totally worked. I had just stocked my pond with several hundred dollars worth of fingerlings. I mounted an owl on a swilel so it would turn with the wind and it kept things off my persimmons long enough for me to get some. The key is to change position frequently so they don't figure it is fake. If it moves, they notice.

now he's a handsome boy!!! lol

Equil no self respecting squirrel is going to be fooled by an Owl perched on a fence post. Ouch!
Trois I love the idea of hiring the Dummy to sit out in the canoe, Hey how do you get food and water out to him? You know I might like that job how much do you pay? Duuuuhhh yup I like that.

He only got to eat what he could catch.

A photo of the dummy. Anchor on a 30 foot rope, water 12 feet deep, long rope to the shore. Pulled the anchor off when it reached the correct part of the pond. Left in place for a year. Dragged in every few weeks to dump rainwater. No fish lost to herons that I could tell.

Great Idea Trois. Beautiful pond and surroundings. Is that a canoe paddle or shotgun the dummy is holding?

A fake shotgun. Pipe painted black.

Hey wait a minute! I had five posts installed down that path and I moved my owls around and they did spin around when the wind hit them! I had the electronic owl with the swivel head and I also had that fancy one with the eyes that look like they're real. Those eyes are like pictures of Jesus hanging on a wall... no matter where you go they stared at you and they glowed too. My squirrels must be mutants! Nothing deterred them.... save the Cooper's Hawk!

Regarding the heron around here, real sore subject.

This message was edited May 6, 2009 12:22 AM

I had the same problem with herons, they ate all our goldfish. People were the only thing they were afraid of, hence the dummy in the canoe. I would see them sailing in with their landing gear down, then max out of there, day after day.
The only thing better was once we had a trespasser and the dive into the brambles when he spotted the dummy was very funny. He could be heard for a distance.

Your heron are afraid of people??? Braggart.



This message was edited May 6, 2009 12:22 AM

Commercial fish farmers are allowed to shoot them. Likely why they fear people here.

Well then, I'm in the wrong in the profession!

All joking aside; I have no qualms about humanely destroying an English House Sparrow, European Starling, or an Asian Mute Swan but a Heron I could never even pop with a ping pong ball gun. Herons don't do much other than try to co-exist with us and eek out a living so I have the utmost respect for the bird... even if it did have a few very costly meals at my expense.

And I'm sure they thank you for the delicasey. You are a magnamous person Equil. Do you know how many herons were bragging about eating a rare delight to their friends. Just a shot out on the beach tonight in Kodiak.

Why sofer, you must have hit it in the head. Mr. Heron told all his bird brain buddies with refined fish tastes to fly on in for sushi. That's it, he told them all about the delicacies to be had (complete with human entertainment- me) so they systematically and methodically wiped me out.

Ohhh the joy you gave that happy Heron family. You know when herons have their heads under water they are not only fishing, they are often on their cell phones calling friends and family.

This whole thread is too funny! But, they do call all their friends and relatives! I watch when I fill the bird feeders, and there is always one red winged blackbird and one blue jay on "watch duty"! They fly off, calling out, and five minutes later, the yard is full of blackbirds and blue jays, hogging all the feeders! AAAuuuuugggghhhhh!!!! I give up trying to feed the little birds. BAM

I think ours are out their organizing right now. Next thing I know I'm gonna get a call from their Union Boss.

The only time birds have successfully organized was in the "Birds". Alfred Hitchcock knew what would happen if any species organized as well as we humans. Look out. The only thing I didn't see in the birds was their most feared attack of pooping on the people in that village. They got me all the time when I was kayaking. Bombs away!

This is old "Creepy", the Great Blue that would spend an hour or two each morning sneaking up on our Goldfish pond. It eventually got them all. It would land on this fence about a hundred yards away watch for a bit, then hop off to the ground. Then it would hide behind trees, running to the next one, hide again, stick just it head around and look to see if we noticed. Sooner or later it would arrive at the goldfish pond. This was daily for about 6 months. It would then fly across the dog yard with a Rotter leaping up as high as it could, barely missing.

'Ole Creepy is a handsome fella. Shame he had an insatiable taste for your goldfish.

Say sofer, speaking of bombs away- there's a remake of the old Alfred Hitchcock movie going on in a theater very close to me... my yard. Yup, blankets of European Starlings with hundreds of English House Sparrows tossed in for good measure. It's amazing we have any native cavity nesters left in this area.