Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management gbh scare tactics

I have always enjoyed seeing those huge inflatable and blowing and waving characters you see companies advertising out by the road. Look like a limp "gumby" blowing in the wind. A thought flashed in my head today. What if you had maybe a smaller version of one of those down at my pond and set on a timer to go off maybe only 4 times a day. I would think that would scare the crap out of any bird when it "jumped up" and started waving around. Maybe even just one of those inflatable Christmas or Halloween decorations set on a timer?? I now have 2 gbh and can not get anywhere near them. They are very spooky. They leave as soon as I get anywhere near the pond but come right back a few minutes after I walk away. What say you anyone??

James I think everyone has a GBH or two. I personally don’t worry bout mine to much. Much more worried about cormorants and otters. But that’s me....

Pat, I don't have a lot of lmb in my pond and was really concerned the gbh would pick off my lmb while on their shallow nests. As you know this appears to be the first year I have seen lmb fry from a spawn and I have Way too many cnbg I think.

I think the timer "gumby" has some merit. It would scare me if I did not know it was there. It would be real cool to have a live feed camera on the pond and have ole' gumby on a remote. That way you could see the results and share on u-tube.

Google air dancer. Been think of getting one myself.

Found out they are called "tubeMan dancers". You meen you guys might think I'm on to something???

are you close enough to your pond that you could use a remote control boat? i am not sure how far they will transmit signal. i think it would be fun to sit in the house and wait for a predator to come near the pond and then send a little boat toward him. i like your idea of the timer also.
my other hobby besides my pond is collecting and shooting antique 22 rifles. i have several steel targets set up across my pond. i have a 12" steel gong in the emergency spillway that is 142 yards from my porch corner. i shoot it from time to time when a gbh is close by. they don't come back for days. like you said, some are too spooky. i have to slip in to position to shoot at that target. i get spotted often.

Scott, for 2 years now I have wanted to buy one of those rc fishing boats. Just sounds like a lot of fun for my grandson and I. My pond is only about 250 ft from the house but I intentionaly "hid" it behind trees for privacy. If you drove up to my house you would never know we had a 2 acre pond. I would like to see what a 3 pound lmb would do to a 30 inch rc boat!!

Love your idea, Scott. I have a 22 and would enjoy target practice while scaring undesirables away.

22lr....
Ha! I've got a 50bmg. I'm looking to shell shock that fish rustling bastard.

i had an encounter with a gbh the last few days. usually shooting the gong or somewhere near them spooks them away. i had one monday that i ran off a few times(assuming it was the same one). yesterday i happened to look and see one walking with a fish in his mouth. i grabbed my scoped rifle and looked and it was a huge male bg. i could see the coppernose easily thru the scope. what surprised me was, he toted the fish to the backside of the dam and then turned around and walked back over the dam to the water. i shot near him and the joker flew across the pond with the fish. i shot again and then he dropped the fish and flew off. i wasn't able to go down there for several hours due to a big rain, but there were no signs of the fish. maybe he got back in the water. i saved a large cnbg once by scaring of a gbh. he dropped him and i put the fish back in the pond. i think that was just luck and perfect timing.