Noise maker on a timer

[Chain Bender]

Couldn't find anywhere to post this so I brought it here because this place gets a lot of traffic. I just finished planting about 1/2 an acre of watermelons and a lot of other vegtables that deer tend to nibble on. I'm really worried about my peas and pole beans. Does anyone know of an automatic noise maker that can be put on a timer? I don't want it to make a really loud noise. Just something that will make a deer leery and keep them away from my crops. My garden(s) are spread out over 4 different clearings in a cut over and running electric wire would really be a chore. Especially since it would have to be at least 4 strands up to 8'.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated,
CB

 

[rockinmywaypa]

you could use a radio on a timer so that it comes on a few times a day, talk shows may make the deer think that there are people around.

 

[/pine]

School bell w/ timer

 

[Ed of all trades]

We planted about 5 ac of soy beans and the deer where keeping about half of the field grazed down so that there was no chance of a crop. We tried to get a permit to shoot them and instead the game warden gave us ropes with the wicks of big firecrackers stuck in the rope. We lit the end of the rope and about every hr. a firecracker went off. After about two nights the deer would look up when one went off and go back to eating beans. Later we found out that one electric wire run about knee high will keep deer out of a garden. Wipe it down with something that smells good to deer. My sister used pancake syrup. The deer smells the wire and ZAP the deer wants nothing to do with the thing that bit its nose. I have seen around 50 deer eating clover around a garden and not a track in the garden.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Depending how geeky you are go to harbor freight and pick up one of the cheap outdoor motion sensors that are solar powered. Then go to Radio shack and buy a 5 volt piezo alarm. Solder that to the lamp circuit so that it will honk when motion is detected. I like the electric fence idea

 

[spurlocktool]

Hi CB, I have made a number of very successful scare devices to keep birds out of my fruit orchard. They would no doubt work for deer as well. The simplest is a rope or several ropes with stuff hanging from them suspended at a convenient height above the crop. For a large area I run several ropes that cross in the center sort of like a spider web. The ropes have empty plastic milk jugs or soda bottles hung from strings every so often, or plastic garbage bags taped to the rope. On the ground near the center where the ropes cross I place an electric motor with gear reduction and crank arm with about a 10-12" radius running about 2 revolutions per second. I use a home made timer that turns it on for about 30 seconds every minute or so. When running it creates complete pandemonium that no animal will tolerate, yet the noise is minimal as far as bothering humans. If more noise is desired the jugs can have a few beans inside. The beauty of it is that a very small power input creates sound and motion over a very large area - think about a jump rope oscillating with minimal input.

I have some low quality videos on my computer but they are not posted anywhere I can link to.

Another simpler option is a motion activated sprinkler like this:

 

[J F]

School bell w/ timer

You'd find a bunch of deer 25' up in the trees. :laughing:

 

[/pine]

You'd find a bunch of deer 25' up in the trees. :laughing:

On the other hand the deer may think it's a "dinner" bell...

A lot of game animals learn to relate the sound of an automatic feeder and come running when they hear it...

 

[JohninCT]

Do you think a motion activated barking dog would scare them away?

Amazon.com: Electronic Secure Dog Barking Dog Alarm: Electronics

 

[J F]

On the other hand the deer may think it's a "dinner" bell...

A lot of game animals learn to relate the sound of an automatic feeder and come running when they hear it...

Crap, deer coming from three counties over to eat your garden.

 

[J F]

On the other hand the deer may think it's a "dinner" bell...

A lot of game animals learn to relate the sound of an automatic feeder and come running when they hear it...

Crap, deer coming from three counties over to eat your garden. :laughing:

 

[Clint S]

We had a propane powered noise maker that would crack about as loud as a shot gun. There was a timer on it you could set at 15 minutes to 1hour apart. Problem is after a week or so the deer would barely look up as it went off. They get used to it.

M4 Pest Control Cannon -- Single Detonation - GEMPLER'S

It was very similar to this

 

[Chain Bender]

I was thinking about the propane noise maker, but I'm sure one of the neighbors would call the game warden and tell them someone is night hunting and I'd have to explain it over and over again. I'd like to get something that makes a whooshing sound like a doe does when she busts you. I have 4 garden plots from 1/4 acre to about 3/4 acres. That would take an awful lot of motion sensors to cover. I've got 3 rools of quality alumium fence wire. I think each roll is 12000 feet and I can get a battery powered charger for less than $100. But then I've got to buy hangers to nail to 2X2's or posts to hang it on. Either way will be very labor intense and costly.

I'm looking for some sort(s) of scent that I can spray around the perimeter several times a week. My plots are all within 100 yards or less from a well travelled graded road. If my noise maker is too loud someone will hear it and steal it the first night. I'll come up with something.

Thanks to all for your input.
CB

 

[6011Artist]

has anyone else used the knee high electric fence and did it work? I need something for deer too. I quit planting beans and peas, all I was doing was feeding deer.

 

[jwmorris]

Everything will get used to things unless you kill them. Think birds at an airport. 140+db almost all the time and still a problem.

Do a search on propane cannons for fruit orchards.

 

[CliffordK]

I like to use an electric fence in, and around the garden.

I string it as low as possible when I plant to keep the crows & turkeys away.
Then, as stuff starts growing, I raise the fence, and eventually put it away from the rows.

Don't just string the fence around the garden, but put a few wires in the middle of the garden so that if the deer get in, they will still get zapped.

And, don't forget to turn it on after you do your gardening.

The nice thing about an electric fence is that you can take it down when you are done.

Solar electric fence chargers are great, easy to use, and you don't need to find a place to plug them in.

 

[Baby Grand]

you could use a radio on a timer so that it comes on a few times a day, talk shows may make the deer think that there are people around.

Depending on the radio show, it could annoy them right into the next county.
Just hope they don't figure out the snooze button.

 

[GLyford]

Everything will get used to things unless you kill them. Think birds at an airport. 140+db almost all the time and still a problem.

I have most of my back yard fenced in for the dogs. They're out there a half dozen times a day, sometimes for hours if its nice. Yet for 3 or 4 years running the rabbits in the neighborhood have felt so comfortable there they've dug dens and had kits inside the fenced area--even though the dogs find the dens every time. We got a new puppy last year and he found a den the first week we had him.

So if a couple of real dogs don't keep the critters away, I don't have a lot of hope for a recording.

 

[PILOON]

We had lots of wind chimes and lots of deer to eat our flowers.
Last year neighbor installed many wind chimes and also got lots of deer however over the harsh winter all our chimes got silenced.
Interesting result is that our flowers went untouched that summer.

My deduction is the curious deer were attracted to the chimes and discovered the tasty flowers suggesting their hearing is more sensitive than their noses.

 

[CNC Dan]

deer can be atracted to some noises.
heard stories of deer sneeking up on loggers while they are bucking logs.