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.
