[TowerTalk] Bye Bye Deer

[Patrick Greenlee]

I kept cats and dogs (and the postman) out of my front yard with an IR 
motion detector used to turn on a used dishwasher water solenoid valve 
between the hose bib and a RainBird sprinkler.  The postman took two hits 
from the rainbird (consecutive days)to learn to stay on the sidewalk and not 
cut across the yard and through the hedge (that I was trying to grow 
together.)   The neighbors (from a block or so away) who let their dog 
(while on a leash)leave "doggie love notes" on the lawn soon avoided our 
yard. The IR was adjusted to see the lawn from a high mounting location but 
not see the sidewalk. When the dog went on my grass to do his business he 
was detected thus turning on the sprinkler which shot a stream parallel to 
but not onto the sidewalk.  I saw it in operation. The dog didn't get wet as 
it was 50 ft away before any water was squirted. The sound of the air being 
purged from the line scared it so bad it nearly dislocated the owners arm 
exiting the area.  The bozo assumed the sprinkler was on a timer.

There is a commercial product that came out a few years subsequent to my 
Rube Goldberg contraption.  It is called Rain Bird and looks like a cartoon 
Heckle and Jeckle type cartoon bird and runs on a 9 volt battery. I prefer 
home brew as the sensor and sprinkler can be remote from each other and 
aimed independently.

With this same approach you can turn on lights (whodathunkit) ring bells, 
energize sirens (ultrasonic sirens will bug the deer but not you) 
whatever...

Yes this has been used on deer successfully (Loud ultrasonics.) Deer are 
good targets for the IR motion detectors used with security lights.

Patrick

-----Original Message----- 
From: Doug Renwick
Sent: Friday, January 04, 2013 4:00 PM
To: 'Patrick Greenlee' ; towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Bye Bye Deer

Any suggestions on how to keep deer out of the yard and away from the
antennas?  Pesky animals are always snagging my top loading lines and
bending the vertical.

Doug

"Think of all the ways you can hurt yourself laughing."

-----Original Message-----

Plastic owls and rubber snakes work for some folks but are not universally
successful.

Ultrasonic emissions have a much higher success record. Ultrasonic waves are

easy to "beam" directionally which permits a ground or near ground level
installation with the transducer(s) aimed up to where the birds like to
perch.  Aiming the sound upward keeps from disturbing the dogs and cats.

These devices are available COTS for relatively little money or easily built

by the electronic savvy. Mine have lasted for many years and still work
well.  Some of these devices offer choices on the type of output.  A
randomly occurring warble tone similar to the "yelping style" public safety
sirens (but of course in the ultrasonic spectrum) seems to work best. Having

it come on at random intervals works best and keeps the birds from getting
used to it.

Inexpensive "tweeters" of the horn variety work well, especially if the
design lends itself to accepting a drain hole for water (well... it is aimed

up) Alternatively an enclosure with a hard flat reflective surface to aim
the beam upward will work.

I have used these for many years with great success, not only for birds but
other pests as well when coupled with IR motion detector including cats and
dogs who used to think my yard a public restroom and the odd skunk, raccoon,

armadillo, or opossum.

Patrick AF5CK