DUCKS vs. COYOTES ---- HELP! Old GIT

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To Old Git or anyone who can help:

I need some help on any ideas to discourage coyotes to snacking on my ducks. I bought a few ducks (15) to put on one of our ponds but it seems that something has found them...probably coyotes. There is no sign of the missing ducks so I don't think it's any dogs and my dogs won't bother the ducks.

3 ducks are gone so far. Is there any deterrent to the coyotes that will help save the ducks?

-- texan (bullsey@ranch.com), July 06, 1999

Answers

a good guardian dog- Marama, Great Pyrenses, etc- see previous threads on these......good luck

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), July 06, 1999.

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-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 06, 1999.


Hey Texan, you talkin'bout Hockey or nature?

-- Pissed-Off (Mighty@Ducks.fan), July 06, 1999.

farmer,

We have a Great Pyr...she's a treasure and keeps the coyotes from yipping at night. But she hangs around the house. This pond is farther back on the property....about 20 or 30 acres back. It's on a spring and never goes dry which is why we have them on that one. I don't think I could catch the ducks now & move them to another pond anyway and neighbor dogs might harass the ducks there.

I was wondering about planting some type of scarecrow or some type of scent that would deter the coyotes.

-- texan (bullseye@ranch.com), July 06, 1999.


Your problem may well be snapping turtles in your pond...not coyotes. We have never been able to have ducks or geese for this reason...our coyotes prefer succulent baby lamb...but our horse has decided that protecting them is her job and she races them up to the barn at the first hint of any "danger".

-- MUTTI (windance @train.missouri.org), July 06, 1999.


MUTTI,

But if it was snapping turtle wouldn't there be some telltale signs...floating feathers, etc. Are pond is not that big maybe 100'x100'. We've seen some good sized catfish in there but the ducks are pretty good sized adults.

sooo sad :-((

-- texan (bullseye@ranch.com), July 06, 1999.


Texan:

Tend to agree with Mutti -- live in similar area and have been plagued by snapping turtles, which can grow to truly colossal size! Have pulled 20-pounders out of our pond. Turtles grab swimming ducks by the feet and pull them under water -- then, will lodge the meal-to-be under debris until "tender". Have lost many ducks to turtles, but only once saw one in the "lodged" stage (pretty gross).

If you sit out by the pond for a couple hours (fishing, maybe?), you can spot the little beady eyes of a snapper poked out of the water -- kind of like a crocodile -- and easily mistaken for a bit of brownish stick. Good time for practice with your new .22.

Snappers have soft outer shells, taste something like (what else?) chicken -- but watch out for that sharp beak! They can bite through a broomstick like snapping a matchstick -- and your fingers or toes will provide no obstacle whatsoever.

Anita E.

-- Anita Evangelista (ale@townsqr.com), July 06, 1999.


texan...

Just enjoy hearing about other Great Pyrenees owners. They are the best dogs in the world... we've got two right now... brother and sister. Lost one (a pup) to a pack of pitbulls... major bummer. (Another reason to keep your powder dry!)

(If you had a pup that you raised with the ducks, it would protect them from predators, but probably couldn't do much about the turtles!)

Gotta love those pyrs... gp

-- georgia peach (the.patch@worldnet.att.net), July 06, 1999.


Check for paw prints in the area of duck attacks. Otehr indirect signs of "out-of-water" attacks like featehrs, signs of thrashing or shaking, etc. Consider air attack too - hawks might be too small to grab a full-sized duck though to do it, but ....

Probably not mountain lions or polar bears, but you never know. 8<)

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 06, 1999.


I've put a series of threads on the prep forum: Strangers in the Night and Other Garden Marauders. Coyotes aren't mentioned, but I think you could use some of the ideas listed for other varmints.

-- Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), July 06, 1999.


Texan,

If you determine it is turtles getting you ducks i have a sure fire way of even'n the score. to each 60 watt light bulb solder a small treble hook. bait it with chicken liver and toss in the pond. check every day or so to keep them off the pond banks. Of course i have never tried this but was told it worked remarkably.

-- kevin (innxxs@yahoo.com), July 06, 1999.


Hmmm. Do you keep the electric lights plugged in?

-- what - me bite that thing? (just@imagining.the.shock), July 06, 1999.

Get a second Grt Pyr.....put it by the pond. Back-up is good....

-- farmer (hillsidefarm@drbs.net), July 06, 1999.

Why has no one mentioned eagles, hawks, and owls?

-- A. Hambley (a.hambley@usa.net), July 06, 1999.

Mssr. Hambly - we did!

<>

To know more, we have to know the relative sizes of the missing ducks to the closest group of potential raiders, the load-carrying capacity of various airborne raiders, and the probablity that appropriately sized air-borne raiders are close enough to pose a threat.

The problem too could be multiple threats at different times - a combination of aerial assault, waterborne surface assault, ground-based assault and underwater assault. We can however eliminate four different threats - as only three ducks were lost. What we cannot do is eliminate any single threat, nor a potential combined assault. (This is retorical of course - The command and control needed to actually coordinate three predators from three separate species is not likelyto have occurred. Even in Texas. 8<))

But seriously, do not always assume there is a single threat in a hostile environment.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 06, 1999.



I would bet on snapping turtles. Try set lines. Put 2-3 hooks on wire leaders, attached to a strong nylon twine (spaced at least 3 feet apart, if Texas law hasn't changed). Tie one end to a tree or stump. Put a rock or a very heavy sinker on the other end.

Bait the hooks with minnows, chicken gizzards, bacon rind, try various things, the stinkier the better. When you catch one of the things, hold it by the tail ONLY. They can stretch their head over half of their body length and do indeed have a nasty bite. Hold the neck over a stump (it will be out, straining to take a chunk out of you), and chop it off. Let it bleed for half an hour or so.

After that, it is a matter of boiling the meat until it is tender and deboning it. Most of the meat is on the neck and the legs. Don't forget the liver, it can weigh a couple of pounds or more in a big snapper. BE SURE to take out the gall bladder from the liver. You can also eat any eggs.

Makes a right tasty soup, but I've heard of it fried.

One note: I've also caught water mocassins with the same set up. Let them swallow the bait, gig them behind the head, decapitate them, and skin 'em up and fry away. Be careful of the head, the poison glands are still attached and functional with the fangs.

-- Jon Williamson (jwilliamson003@sprintmail.com), July 06, 1999.


I started raising ducks a few years ago as a school ag related project. I have never had any problems with cyotes, but have had a lot of fun with other predators, skunks, racoons, dogs, magpies, etc. one thing to rule out is if these are females or not - if they are they may have dissapeared to sit on a nest! If so, they will re-appear in about 30 days, with some very cute little ducklings. If it is a skunk, you should be able to find a body, or at least some feathers somewhere. Same as for a racoon - except they will usually eat everything but the feathers & feet. Live traps with bait are best for these two critters. you can always kill them if you wish ( throwing them in the pond while still in the trap is a quick and easy way- tie a rope to the trap before setting it) or relocate them somewhere farrrrr away. When my ducks, geese & chicks are being stalked by a dog (which happened today), they run to the chicken coop for safety because it has a small door and will not allow a dog to stick anything in but his nose. A few pecks on the nose from a goose or duck is a great deterrent. At night, they all(ducks, geese, chickens) come into the coop for the night for safety. If there are predators that have been after them, they tend to hang out close to the coop most of the day and go to bed early and with no fuss!

-- Bird lover (bird@cache.net), July 07, 1999.

I forgot to add that I close the door on the coop at night and open it in the mornings- only takes a few min.

-- Bird lover (bird@cache.nt), July 07, 1999.

Thanks for all your ideas although I don't think I'll try any turtle soup anytime soon!

I think I'll try training the ducks to go into a coop at night. The adolescent ducks are following me around so I don't think this will be too hard. I've been driving around the pond late at night & in morning and I haven't lost any more --whew!--- recently.

Also, Great Pyrs are great dogs for the ranch/farm. Probably the most loving dogs and beautiful.

-- texan (bullseye@ranch.com), July 07, 1999.


Mutti is probably right. I had six full-grown geese on our pond and they just kept disappearing without a trace. Then someone told us it was snapping turtles. We had a guy come out check, and sure enough that was the case. He said they can easily pull an adult goose under water and have even pulled small dogs under.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), July 07, 1999.

The latest twist...a local thinks he has found bobcat tracks around the pond shore...

But I will try and see if we can eradicate any snapping turtles from pond. The pond is much smaller during the summer so this is the ideal time to take care of turtles.

-- texan (bullseye@ranch.com), July 08, 1999.


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