Help with herons

[addy1]

The wide weave fishing nets would work well. Mine is 30x25 made it big enough to drape down. They put a rope woven in the edge, put up fence posts, attach the net to them and work it across the pond.

 

[brokensword]

I wish I could find the pictures, but I've actually seen ponds your size netted with large fishing nets. I've also seen large koi mud ponds that are netted.

I'll keep looking for some pictures to show you. I too love your scare crow

I was thinking as Tula has stated; seems you could net almost any pond as long as you can string a cable across to act like a ridge support. Then you'd pull your net(s) from one side to the other, making a tent of sorts. No doubt you'd have to sew/tie nets together to get one wide and long enough but doesn't seem any harder than all the line you're weaving right now.

Maybe just me; I tend to see solutions and try them even if they end up failing, but I can actually see this working. The trick would be to get a cable and make it secure enough so it doesn't sag too much in the middle between your supports. @addy1 has hers on posts. Guess it depends on how much effort and $$ you want to put into this.

The other solutions are of course, a .22 (and yeah, I know it's illegal to kill herons but it isn't to scare them!) or dogs that make the pond part of their run.

Hope you find a solution so you can enjoy the pond again.

 

[gliebig]

Paintball gun?

 

[brokensword]

Paintball gun?

blue heron, red heron, yellow heron, green heron; what color paintball are you recommending? Still gonna be a heron though...

 

[gliebig]

I figured a shot or two or 30 from a paintball gun would be non-lethal and maybe scare the crap out of it enough for it to not come back.?

 

[lakeridge1983]

I figured a shot or two or 30 from a paintball gun would be non-lethal and maybe scare the crap out of it enough for it to not come back.?

i'm not a very good shot and I don't think my husband will teach me. so far so good on the CD's hanging on ropes and a whole bunch of other line strung everywhere. haven't seen him in 3 days. last time I did he was sitting in a tree over the pond, then jumped down and walked away. I may have discouraged him enough. I can only hope.

 

[Dewey]

I get herons. I tried the motion water sprinkler but it didn't work out. My mother law went out to look at the pond and got sprayed and was sure I did it on purpose!
Now I just net which is practical in my case because my pond is about 20 feet by 12 feet. I net in the spring and fall. As soon as my lilies have the water covered I remove the net. The added bonus is that the net keeps the leaves out so my pond doesn't need much spring/fall cleaning.

 

[addy1]

I leave mine on all of the time. I caught the heron fishing one time in the snow in Jan.

 

[lakeridge1983]

I get herons. I tried the motion water sprinkler but it didn't work out. My mother law went out to look at the pond and got sprayed and was sure I did it on purpose!
Now I just net which is practical in my case because my pond is about 20 feet by 12 feet. I net in the spring and fall. As soon as my lilies have the water covered I remove the net. The added bonus is that the net keeps the leaves out so my pond doesn't need much spring/fall cleaning.

so far my CD's on rope and about 2,000 feet of braided line strung at all angles is working. I think he's decided it's too much trouble. Haven't seen him in 4 days so I'm hoping. My pond is too big to net (wish I could).

 

[gliebig]

Mr heron found my pond yesterday. sommabitch.

 

[addy1]

Mr heron found my pond yesterday. sommabitch.

net time...................I fought them for years, the wide weave net hung 3-4 feet over the pond works great. It does not trap anything but does keep the heron out.

 

[brokensword]

Mr heron found my pond yesterday. sommabitch.

if I'm not mistaken, you have a gazebo over your pond, so netting shouldn't be a chore. Were it mine, I'd make it so you can draw the net back when you're there enjoying the pond and then slide and attach it again when you're not. Best of both worlds. Or, you can do as I did and screen the whole thing in!

 

[gliebig]

if I'm not mistaken, you have a gazebo over your pond, so netting shouldn't be a chore. Were it mine, I'd make it so you can draw the net back when you're there enjoying the pond and then slide and attach it again when you're not. Best of both worlds. Or, you can do as I did and screen the whole thing in!

I did have 5# netting around the sides but a deer got tangled and died so I removed it.
Just ordered some new netting with much smaller weave.

 

[brokensword]

I did have 5# netting around the sides but a deer got tangled and died so I removed it.
Just ordered some new netting with much smaller weave.

I think if you make the netting taut, it won't be easy for anything to get tangled, but smaller weave might do it. I'd still make it taut, though, just in case something smaller than a deer gets into your net.

 

[addy1]

I had a deer smack into my 4inch weave, she was eating the pond lilies, went to back up, the net was touching her. So into the pond she went and out the other side right under the net, I never have it all the way to the ground, just low enough to discourage the herons. I also hang it tight.