Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Water chemistry Blue Heron & Water Turkeys

I need some suggestions about taking care of business with the blue herons and water turkeys as we call them in South Arkansas. I hate to kill the wildlife, but I will not let them distory my catfish pond. Any suggestions!! I have use decoys, tape, noise makers nothing seems to work. It's everyday problem. I need some help please!!!!

How about training a dog? I saw an ad in one of my aquaculture magazines that has a place in south somewhere that trained border collies to run off birds for fish farms. I would think a lab would be even better for geese as a lab will get into the water.

My collie/shepard mix takes great delight in running them off. It didn't take much training she is terretorial already and anthing as big as a heron catches her eye. If she does not see it first all I have to do is say "BIRD!" and she goes nuts.

After awhile they stop coming for the most part because of the dog, but one may stray in every two weeks are so, but they are no more than landed when they are run off.

Another alternative is to run fishing line from stakes parallel to the bank over the water where they would wade. They don't like bumping into it. I even saw a study where they used electrical fence like they use with cattle. They said it was quite a sight when the bird made contact with the wire!

I do know the owl decoys do not work, but supposidly the alligator ones do if you are in alligator country. I have my doubts. I have also heard that Purple Martins will run them off if you put up houses, but don't know if that is true either.

I spoke too soon. Even though my dog runs them off continuously for some reason lately they have kept coming. I had a 14 inch bass float up the other day with a hole in his side.

I may have actually put the stakes in with the fishing line as I suggested.

They make propane cannons that go off periodicaly, they are used to protect crops from birds. My uncle uses one in his 4.5 acres of grapes and it does a good job at keeping the birds out, I don't think it works on Racoons. Have your tried noise makers? or a radio? Also state governments are stepping in in some places to control cormrants, maybe they could help?
Don't shoot cormrants yourself, big time fines.

I know about the propane cannons but don't think the neighbors would appreciate the noise. I have a policeman behind me and he sleeps during the day and works at night.

I hear bottle rockets are fun to shoot at them though!It would be a real hoot to watch one walk into an electric fence. It probably would look like some new dance

Like I said I spoke too soon. I have one of the herons landing on my pier right where I feed my fish after I leave. We run him off but he comes right back. Unfortunately I can't be here all the time, and the thought of it spearing my big bass and leaving them to lay does not sit too well.

I just noticed him on the pier, and wonder how long he's been doing that. He did spear a fish before the dog and I could get out there that knocked him for a loop so it must have been one of my big ones.

I'm ordering a "Scarecrow motion activated sprinkler" first thing on Monday and setting it on the pier. Fortunately I don't have much shallow water, so I may able to solve the wading aspect by filling in with stone. If not, I will set up an electic fence about a foot off the water on the edge of the pond all the way around. I can't have my big bass mutilated that I ultimately want sell!

Cecil,
I solved a similar problem with a neighborhood dog strewing trash from my garbage cans by setting them on a 110V wire & then on a rubber pad (I used an old inflatable raft). The dog only came after dark so I didn't plug it in till then. All we heard was a yelp & his toenails clicking up the drive. He didn't come back but continued ravaging the rest of the neighborhood.

Since you know where the bird is landing if you put down a pad with wire mesh on top when the bird sticks his bill in the water he will learn quickly not to do that again!

I live in Cincinnati ohio and have had a major problem with herons too. This year I have two candian gees that I believe are nesting. They have been at my lake for about a month and during this time I have not seen one heron. I kid you not, this morning I was leaving for work and noticed two blue herons flying over my lake, you can't miss those 747's I might add, anyhow I noticed two candian gees giving chase right behind doing their normal honking. That gave me a good chuckle. I normnaly hate candian gees do to their left over's but if they keep those herons away I will start accepting them with open arms. I have been told by others who are more knowledgeably than me with lakes and pests and he told me candian gees are very territorial and run any other dunk,gees or heron off if they are nesting. Once the gees leave I will have to resort to my 22 with a nice scope, I really hate to hurt any animal but in this case I have tried all other options and have not had any success. One thing I want to add before I let you go, this past year I went to the travel sport and boat show and spoke with an ohio game warden (DNR) and explained my propblem. He advised me in the state of ohio the blue heron is an endangered species and I could not shot one. He also added the consequences were not pretty if caught. Just a little food for thought.

Lance, The consequences of not shooting that damn heron ain't pretty either. Herons and water turkeys have a 100% chance of converting your fish to bird feed. The Game Warden seems to me to be a lesser risk.

game warden = thousands of dollars in fines, and the possible siezing of weapons, and forofeitture of hunting and fishing privledges. These aren't the same fines as fishing with out a license, this is a federaly protected endangered migratory waterfowl. Approach with caution.

correction it is not endangered nor even a threatened species although it is a protected migratory species.

TYW33, I guess thats why we have horse races to solve differences of opinion. I'd shoot the damned things.

Now as Paul Harvey says, "The rest of the story". Herons and water turkeys are extremely wary animals. Taking care of business on them can require the same skill and commitment as bow hunting for deer. Just saying I'd shoot them means I'd try to shoot them; maybe not successfully. Yes, If I got caught, there would be a penalty.

I'm not going to shoot them myself. With a policeman behind me and a highway in front -well...

I'll let you guys know how the motion detecting sprayer works. I have also realized I may have brought part of this on myself. You see I raised the water level up to as high as it will go last fall which flooded what little shallow bank I have. I'm dropping the water level back down and if it goes as plans there will be no shallow water for them to wade in -- just a quick drop off. I'll keep you posted.

Sorry for my mistake, I was drawing on Lance's comment that they were endangered in Ohio. This could vary from state to state. I know there seem to be enough of them here.

water turkeys really dont like rap music. so put out a Radio and tune it to a Rap station. 12-gauge also tells them not to come back.

Zach,

I don't think anything with a brain likes Rap "Music." Did you know the words Rap and Music together is an Oxy Moron?

Amen!

i have also heard that the herons are protected or whatever...either way i heard you can get fined etc... if , IF , you get caught. now, just in case there is a federal agent looking at this web site, i have not, and will not shoot a heron or a protected bird!!

now, a shotgun or rifle kills things...i.e. NON fineable birds...but it also draws a lot of attention..which would tend to draw the attention of folks if you shoot say... a NON fineable bird.

Just a side note here...i bought a 99 dollar 1000 feet per second (note: that is a heck of a lot) Daisy pellet gun with a scope (can be found at wal-mart) that is very accurate, very powerful, and a whole lot quieter than any firearm such as a 22 etc... especially when shot out of a window of a vehicle or a house, which, i would NEVER do of course. of interesting note too...since i bought it...haven't seen many bothersome birds, especially the NON fineable ones!!! don't know where they went, haven't a clue.

some say that when brush is cleared and burned, NON fineable birds that have been shot are placed in the fire, there are hardly any remains of the NON fineable birds.

Now, this is just heresay, grapevine talk; i know nothing of this sort of stuff, not a clue. mark

I have now used the "scarecrow" motion detected water sprayer and it does work.

I used it this summer on my pier although I must say it got me more times then the birds.

However it has to be constantly hooked up to a garden hose with the water turned on and has a limited range and degree of motion detection. I also had a lot of false blasts from wind and wave action and sometimes even semi's barreling down the highway accross from the pond. This really wore down the 9 volt battery in a hurry although I was able to counter that somewhat by reducing th sensitivity setting.

I will be putting up an electrical fence this spring and will have a local Amishman weld me up some "T" stakes to run the wire on. I came across how to due this either on the net or one of my AFS fish culture editions and will share it with someone if they are interested if I find it again.

No only is my impetus to prevent maiming of my larger bass by the herons but I also had a parasite problem this summer that reduced the price of my bass for sale. It was the "yellow grub" parasite and I will be doing everything I can to break the cycle of which the heron and snails are part of. I hope to add redears or pumpkinseeds this spring to reduce the snails too.

only two ways get rid of them , get a dog that likes chase stuff (including damn geese lol) or shoot it. p.s. a 22 short put in by itself makes very little noise.

I have heard of some pond owners using a well sighted-in .223 to frighten off comorants and blue heron by placing the round very close to the birds. On the rare occasions when they failed to miss, they noticed that the bird becomes rapidly and profoundly tranquilized. Prepared to report themselves to the proper authorities, but having faith in the powers of recovery in nature, they placed the resting bird in a secluded spot and, returning to the spot the next day, found that in every instance the bird had recovered and flown off. They repeat the process whenever they find a bird turning fish into fertilizer or, in the case of the blue heron, infecting all the fish in the pond with parasites as well. Should you decide to follow a like course of action, be prepared to report yourself and pay the fine if the birds you sedate fail to recover. Not being very accurate with a rifle, I have never attempted this solution myself.

The above post is incredibly absurd, yet no comment from anyone points that out. Why would that be; why add insult to idiocy?

Dudley,

I found it hilarious and clever. Maybe it's just hard to follow an act like that?

Dudley, It has been said that I am so full of BS that I could fertilize 100 acres of cotton just by looking at it. Hang in there; you show potential.

i liked it dudley, but we just couldn't top it!! keep up the humor, makes this site fun AND informative. mark