Orange Pippin Forum Board

How's it going Plumfan?

Anyone have any luck in keeping crows from eating apples?

thanks

i haven't caught them yet but see them at a neighbors.......would hide and shoot if had problems with them...

I am trying my hopefully successful solution this coming weekend. I purchased a cd with different crow calls including a distress call which supposedly brings in the "scout" crow. Then I am going to attempt to make him or her transition from this plane of reality and then hang their mortal remains as a warning to the crows.

Now this is what I was told by an old, seasoned hunter so I hope it works. Plus I checked the regulations on hunting crows.

Shoot one and hang it by the trees. Other crows will not land anywhere near. I know it sounds kind of sick, but it works. And yes, crows are legal game here in PA. Check your own state regulations first.

does that trick will gonna be a hit to the crows?
i mean, will they understand to keep distance because one of their mate is hanged dead?

tkuntz wrote:Shoot one and hang it by the trees. Other crows will not land anywhere near. I know it sounds kind of sick, but it works. And yes, crows are legal game here in PA. Check your own state regulations first.

Yes, I think this works well too. I was able to try it and fortunately no crows tried to go near.

To create a constant type of movement you can hang old CD's up in trees or on fence posts.
This works really great in orchards to keep out all sorts of birds and sometimes even deer.The CD's blow in the wind, creating movement and as sunlight hits the CD's it also creates bright flashes.

thanks for the idea about old CD's, will give that a try.

My problem this year was starlings. I only had a few dozen apples, but I learned in a hurry how destructive they can be!!!They peck in to the apple and then on to the next. This year I should have a decent crop ( Trees are in the ground 3 years) and I'am looking for a foolproof solution. ( Yea Right) I've heard about all the ways to keep them away , but I don't believe they work!! It may turn out that I have to go the "Elmer- Fud" way! 16 Guage











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Here's what I do: I split one square sheet of bird netting in two. This is horrid stuff. It's nearly invisible when spread out, but it gets tangled up with everything near by. It has an affinity for hollyhocks. Birds can't find their way out of it and get strangled in it. Lovely!

One sheet makes two 7x14' sheets. I buy four (two pair) 8' sections of 1/2"ID PVC pipe. This stuff is really cheap, readily available in stock length, easily transportable, light weight, slightly flexible, and recyclable. Then it's time to haul out the piece de resistance: duct tape, the handyman's secret weapon. I duct tape (v. t.) the net between two PVC uprights. BTW, only the very best contractors' grade duct tape with adhesive that is strongly sticky in cold weather will do for this job. Use as much or as little as you require. Be creative. It will make little difference because, even though light goes through it, the net is still whipped around by the wind, and it's going to pull loose, so don't waste time doing an artistic job the first go-round.

I roll the net on one of the two uprights and carry both into the orchard, lean the free one into a tree, and unroll the net from the other while circling the tree. Note: This works only on dwarf trees. Even on older dwarf trees, you'll need more than one 14' section. Try to gather the netting together at the top by poking the tips of the uprights back through it. It won't be perfect, and determined birds can still find their way in, but those are the ones that deserve to die. It's meant as a deterrent, and works in that regard, too, better than you might expect.

With care you can roll all the sections up after harvest and store them for the next season.

Do DVDs as visual deterrents really work?

55° — Wind NW 8 mph — Sky mostly cloudy.

I have heard that the plastic owls with head movement works. I will try this next year.

I also have netting available so if the owl does not work, will put up the net.

This is how many major orchards do it: http://www.birdgard.com/

CDs may work but make sure the CDs aren't of The Counting Crows.

I would stay away from the Birds too but The Yardbirds might be a better choice.

If you use CDs from Flock of Seagulls, even your friends will stay away from you.

Lastly, playing Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd would score points with me.

Other than that, I have nothing of value to add to this thread.

derekamills wrote:I am trying my hopefully successful solution this coming weekend. I purchased a cd with different crow calls including a distress call which supposedly brings in the "scout" crow. Then I am going to attempt to make him or her transition from this plane of reality and then hang their mortal remains as a warning to the crows.

Now this is what I was told by an old, seasoned hunter so I hope it works. Plus I checked the regulations on hunting crows.

How are the bird calls working out? The birds decimated my peaches this year. I am thinking of purchasing a Birdgard (http://birdgard.com/Home/). Does anyone have experience with these?

ericdeko411 wrote:

tkuntz wrote:Shoot one and hang it by the trees. Other crows will not land anywhere near. I know it sounds kind of sick, but it works. And yes, crows are legal game here in PA. Check your own state regulations first.

Yes, I think this works well too. I was able to try it and fortunately no crows tried to go near.

Does anyone know how this works with other birds? i.e. sparrows, starlings

Do you have to hang one bird one every tree?

What are my neighbors going to think! Year round Christmas ornaments?