Otters..... #@£%!!

[brokensword]

Nice pond.

Mr heron came back yesterday sat on the dead maple and stared at the pond, finally just flew away. Think it did not see a way in and gave up.

hmm, so now you're relying on failing eyesight of herons as a solution, hey? You just KNOW I'm gonna getcha to make your pond 'all enclosed' like someone else's pond I know!!!! j/k

 

[j.w]

@RobinP I'm wondering if those wire stakes that are U shaped would work in keeping the wire down enough so they can't pull it up? They would have to be pounded down in the ground hard and deep and if you ever need to lift the screen off it will be harder. At least the fish might be protected tho if it works.

 

[brokensword]

@RobinP I'm wondering if those wire stakes that are U shaped would work in keeping the wire down enough so they can't pull it up? They would have to be pounded down in the ground hard and deep and if you ever need to lift the screen off it will be harder. At least the fish might be protected tho if it works.

could also make one side fixed (deep spikes) and be able to create a hinge where the other side has some sort of lock on it to keep the varmints from lifting at all.

 

[addy1]

hmm, so now you're relying on failing eyesight of herons as a solution, hey? You just KNOW I'm gonna getcha to make your pond 'all enclosed' like someone else's pond I know!!!! j/k


View attachment 144738

No real way to do it, very uneven land, sloping , upper pond edge dug down 4 feet lower then the land, pond/bog edge built up about 7 feet, Three small ponds at one end, (loop ponds) one 1000 gallon at the other end.

So nope gonna just keep the net going. I am the happy with the pond doing nothing much more status.

 

[Faebinder]

Every otter otta know??

I second the electric fence... dont worry about kids and dogs.. its non-lethal.

You also can turn it off during the day and turn it back on at night.

 

[brokensword]

No real way to do it, very uneven land, sloping , upper pond edge dug down 4 feet lower then the land, pond/bog edge built up about 7 feet, Three small ponds at one end, (loop ponds) one 1000 gallon at the other end.

So nope gonna just keep the net going. I am the happy with the pond doing nothing much more status.

well, I was intimating to fix the net TO THE GROUND on all sides and cutting in some entry ways for yourself for grooming purposes, etc. using velcro or some sort of quick tie method of re-securing. Something that would also keep the deer from getting stuck on the ice in the winter!

 

[secuono]

Well, tried uploading a pic of pond twice but no joy? Will investigate later, sorry.
Ah Ha! Success, there's another pool beyond the bridge. Electric fence a no-no, dog & grandchildrenView attachment 144732

Hmm. Then it'd have to be a smooth, tall wall-fence it can't jump and in the ground, so it can't dig under.
Or hot wire around the perimeter of the yard?

 

[GBBUDD]

You maybe able to take a page from transmission line work . We have whats called equal step potential in short that's where each foot needs to have the same charge to it in order for there to be no difference in potential thus no issues. Well what I'm wondering is with an electric fence if a grid of the wire mesh you already have couldn't be used to charge with the low volt electric fence and when a wet webbed foot steps on the grate all around the pond if it wouldn't get shocked and stay the hell away from the pond. tough part would think is that the grid would need to be insulated and isolated from the ground.

 

[baker_eliz]

We started out with 13 koi, some of which were 40 years old, added to the pond by my in-laws over the years. We have had a river otter in our pond, which is really just a farm pond, a couple of times. The first time we scared it off with a BB gun and a blaring radio. It got 2 koi that time. This last time we didn't see it, but it got 8 koi. We are now down to 3, and our turtles have been decimated, as well. A wildlife expert in our area (Northern CA) said we are allowed to shoot it if it is eating our pond stock (in our case, the only pond stock we really care about are our koi and turtles). River otters are not an endangered species here. We don't like shooting animals but, one the other hand, we really DO like our koi! They are not an easy animal to find, though, as they can stay down a long time without surfacing for air.

 

[RobinP]

Thanks for all the comments/advice, the pond now looks like an aquatic version of alcatraz, ugly, but alas it's a case 'barn door after horse has gone'. Oh, and just to rub it in, the pumps packed in.
Going to wait until the spring, see if the minnows survive, seen at least 2 less than 1" long. Then decide whether to risk re-stocking.

 

[RobinP]

Every otter otta know??

I second the electric fence... dont worry about kids and dogs.. its non-lethal.

You also can turn it off during the day and turn it back on at night.

Err, non-lethal! Maybe, but tell that to the parent of a 2 & 5yr old after they're found unconscious on the lawn!
Besides, I like MY dog!

 

[Faebinder]

Err, non-lethal! Maybe, but tell that to the parent of a 2 & 5yr old after they're found unconscious on the lawn!
Besides, I like MY dog!

Again, turn it off in the day and on at night.

 

[brokensword]

Again, turn it off in the day and on at night.

you can also get some of those motion activated sprinklers and instead of heron deterrents, you can use 'em on kids and dogs! Now, ain't that a switch???

 

[Cathy Raphael]

Who doesn't love an Otter?
Currently, me! Had 2 in our pond midnight one Tuesday last month
Death toll initially 24, cheeky blighters were even stashing them in a "larder" under the pond bridge!
Came back following night, despite efforts to secure access point, killed 4 of the larger remaining fish, spent most of Friday covering pond in wire mesh.
Midnight checked pond, they'd pulled out a roll of wire jammed into a gap under the bridge with bricks, found one eviscerated corpse. Of approx' 50 fish all that's left, we think, are some minnows........ Pissed Off don't come closeView attachment 144682View attachment 144683

 

[Cathy Raphael]

@RobinP I'm wondering if those wire stakes that are U shaped would work in keeping the wire down enough so they can't pull it up? They would have to be pounded down in the ground hard and deep and if you ever need to lift the screen off it will be harder. At least the fish might be protected tho if it works.

I think that would be a GREAT idea! (the garden stakes). I had so much trouble with the herons that I bought a "fish kite" at a local store. Meant to be a yard decoration hung from a porch ceiling OR a shepherd's crook (which is what I did.) Put it by the pond - and NOTHING has come near that pond (that I know of) ever since. It even works on DEER which were coming in and eating my hostas around the pond. It flutters in the wind - has cloth "scales" of bright colors, and two BIG EYES with black centers - which is what I think really scares the herons. It is 4-5' long. Magic! (where in the world are you with otters? I love them - but have only seen one in my life that wasn't in a zoo - running along the beach in the upper Chesapeake Bay.) Cathy Raphael, Newark, DE