Critters in my garden

[mikim]

I read somewhere that putting up chicken wire above your normal fence can work. When they try to climb it won't support their weight and turns them upside down.

 

[studor]

Deer will eat potatoes once they are above ground but I have never seen them eat the plants. A case of sudden onset lead poisoning or a good big dog seems to be the solution for racoons in corn.

 

[RalphVa]

I've a couple strands of electric fence: 4-6" and 4" with fish line in the middle. This has kept deer, coons, rabbits and ground hogs out for nearly 8 years I've lived here. Main thing is to get a reliable (electronic) fence controller. Best to have a solar-powered one (which usually include a battery). I have a little 500 watt solar panel, 12v utility battery and electronic controller.

Otherwise, lead poisoning works really well to control pests. I've taken out 15 deer, about 25 rabbits and 5 or 6 squirrels via lead in the last 3 years. I can patrol my property now and not see a deer. A 410 can be used for all: slugs for deer and bird shot for rabbits, squirrels and groundhogs. Buzzards and other animals do a good job in disposing of the carcuses.

Ralph

 

[Gittyup]

I have a terrible time with ground hogs. I gas em and shoot em. But, more just keep on coming. They nest inside my fence line! I'm desperate enough to try the sonic things.

 

[polo1665]

I have a terrible time with ground hogs. I gas em and shoot em. But, more just keep on coming. They nest inside my fence line! I'm desperate enough to try the sonic things.

I killed 25 of the varmints last summer in a 2 1/2 acre field. Seems like more keep coming out of the woods as you kill the ones in the field.
This'll be the first year for a garden at this new place. I'm pretty sure that I'll have my work cut out for me, once the snow melted I walked down to where the site for the new garden was tilled up and found deer track everywhere. Gonna start with Liquid Fence. If that don't work I'll put up a real one

Mark

 

[FarmGeek]

Here is a little gem I discovered a few years back: Contech ScareCrow Product - Contech Inc.

I made lengths of hose to fit the plot areas and put a Scarecrow at each corner. No produce was lost for two years to critters - at least none that I could detect. The third year I didn't bother to deploy these things and lost EVERYTHING. Deer ate my okra, coons and crows took three corn plantings and the furry tree-rats wiped out my cantaloupes. Lesson learned. Fourth year the Scarecrows came back and I had a successful garden again.

Now, I don't work for these fellas and like nothing better than to thin out the critter population the old fashioned way using a .22 and a cookpot but I'm only at the farm on weekends. And the government won't let me play with dynamite anymore. Darn.

 

[poolecw]

I hate to tell you guys, but there's nothing going to keep a coon out of a seetcorn patch. If you have a lot of land, I recommend you find som good ol' coon hunters to hunt them. I coon hunt alot and can tell you that most coon hunters will pay to be able to hunt on some land. If you don't have much land, then find a hunter and let him use a live trap to catch your coons and relase them on their hunting land.

I'm sure I could put you in touch with coonhunters in your area.