Wisconsin Pond Build

[CometKeith]

Herz, If you want to try trapdoors just get a few and see how long they last before raccoons get them. Hopefully if you have a fence that will keep them away. My trapdoors usually last less than 24 hours. An additional problem is when the raccoons show up they knock over plants and make a mess of the pond. Mine even like to munch on the water hyacinth.

 

[addy1]

lol keith we have raccoons, but they don't bother they trap doors, in fact don't seem to come around to the pond much at all.

 

[CometKeith]

okay, That's funny. It must just be the Illinois raccoons that do that. The Wisconsin ones must be into other stuff!

 

[addy1]

Yours are bored keith, they come to play at your pond and snack.

 

[CountryEscape]

I keep "knocking on wood" here in south central IL. No raccoons, no herons, no other predators .... yet! Did have a raccoon on my house while I was building the pond last year, but never saw it again. Lots of barns, plenty of places for them to hide and raise babies, and cat food always out, but still don't get them. Why? Because I have a mile of flat farmed fields in every direction, no place for them to hide after crops are out. Keep seeing a skunk running about 1/3 of the way across a 40 acre field behind my property, running to a ditch behind my neighbor's property. That skunk is running across a mile of fields to get home, so have no idea where it is going and what it is in search of that is that far away, but so far I'm thankful it has decided to leave my property alone.

 

[herzausstahl]

Herz, If you want to try trapdoors just get a few and see how long they last before raccoons get them. Hopefully if you have a fence that will keep them away. My trapdoors usually last less than 24 hours. An additional problem is when the raccoons show up they knock over plants and make a mess of the pond. Mine even like to munch on the water hyacinth.

There are definitely racoons in this area, but there is a little stream nearby and the wilderness areas of the university a mile away to occupy them. Actually saw one on the side of the road a mile from here that had been run over, poor guy, so I know they are around, but I have never seen them in my yard. Right now I have a couple bunnies that need to be relocated as they are eating my plants, but keep forgetting to get the live trap from my parents house.

 

[j.w]

Not a raccoon but looked out my slider while watching tv just before dark and there were two young deer staring me in the face right up close and personal. Boy they sure weren't afraid. They just stood there staring at me and looking down at my Hosta's planted all along the back deck. I walked out and herded them on their way. They just slowly walked away towards the woods not bothered much at all by my being there. I fear my Hosta's are not long for this world cuz they know they are there now and I looked it up on the net and it appears the deer love them. Oh well I'll have to study the list of what deer don't eat and go from there. The deer sure were beautiful so close up and their eyes were big as pools!

 

[callingcolleen1]

I got deer too, the dogs bark their heads off from the front window and it seems to have very little effect on the deer, they just stand there eating away on some of my tulips each year. So I planted more tulip bulbs anyway, thinking they would get sick of tulips eventually, but they still nibble on them. Oh well, that's just the way it is some times, deer got to eat too!

 

[addy1]

I have hostas out where deer can get them, jw, they don't touch them. Now charollet loves to eat one of them, it is right on path to her pups and home. She eats it down, it grows back, nice little cycle. All of the others are untouched. The deer do munch on the knockout roses in the back field, they keep them nicely groomed down.

 

[j.w]

Oh boy then there goes my knockout roses too! You would think they would get stabbed by the rose prickers but guess they are professionals at it!

 

[taherrmann4]

I had two little raccoon's here for the most of the summer last year, they would come and eat my grapes off the vine above my arbor. They finally left....

 

[CountryEscape]

JW, there is a spray that is called "Deer Away" that you only have to spray about once a month on plants you don't want the deer to eat . It works really well. If you've ever tried to grow pine trees on the edge of woods, only to have them all chewed off year after year, you would understand how this stuff works wonders! It would keep your hostas safe, and let the deer come into your yard, too. Then you can stick your tongue out at them when they take a nibble and spit it out. LOL But, as Colleen says, deer have to eat, too.
A friend once took me through a subdivision, built on the edge of a lake, other side of the road from the lake lots. Beautiful landscaped yards, and he said that all the people hate the deer. There were a dozen or so in most of the yards! I said I thought they were so cool, and then he told me how they devour the plants and flowers and bushes, so I can sure understand why the homeowners would not like them very well.

 

[taherrmann4]

JW, there is a spray that is called "Deer Away" that you only have to spray about once a month on plants you don't want the deer to eat . It works really well. If you've ever tried to grow pine trees on the edge of woods, only to have them all chewed off year after year, you would understand how this stuff works wonders! It would keep your hostas safe, and let the deer come into your yard, too. Then you can stick your tongue out at them when they take a nibble and spit it out. LOL But, as Colleen says, deer have to eat, too.
A friend once took me through a subdivision, built on the edge of a lake, other side of the road from the lake lots. Beautiful landscaped yards, and he said that all the people hate the deer. There were a dozen or so in most of the yards! I said I thought they were so cool, and then he told me how they devour the plants and flowers and bushes, so I can sure understand why the homeowners would not like them very well.

Wonder if it works on rabbits?

 

[CountryEscape]

I have used another product called "Critter Ridder" from Havahart. It has pics of skunks, groundhogs, dogs, cats, squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons on it. No rabbits, but maybe it would work. I got the Critter Ridder because my stupid outside cats decided to make my new hosta bed their litter box last year in the spring, and after they did their thing, my dogs would dig up the "chewies" and leave everything dug up. It did the trick, no more cats and no more dogs!

 

[addy1]

jw the knock out roses the deer munch on bloom the best.

I just plant enough, so if deer, rabbit, ground hogs nibble, I don't notice.